DiamondAir

> From: "Kim" <sinclai@...>

Hi Kim, I wanted to address your post on this subject. My mail server
cr*pped out so I haven't been getting this list for a couple of days, but
from searching on the yahoogroups website, it doesn't look to me like this
thread was continued, so here goes...

> We also take a handful of multiple vitamins every night.

I can't tell from this sentence whether you are saying you take a bunch of
the same multi-vitamins, or if you just mean that you take a bunch of
different vitamins but thought I'd mention that taking a handful of one type
of multi-vitamin could be dangerous. There are some vitamins you can OD on
(especially in concentrated form), or at least are not healthy in large
amounts.


> I don't think we could get enough of the vitamins in the foods we eat
>otherwise. We are also overweight, so we can't eat too much, at least
>enough to get all the vitamins we need.


Well, this is what I wanted to address, because nothing could be further
from the truth. If you eat a well-balanced diet full of fresh fruits and
vegetables, whole and sprouted grains, and natural protein sources, you
should easily be able to get enough vitamins *and* lose weight safely.
Aiming to lose a pound or *less* a week is a healthy way to lose weight -
slowly and healthily. I have definitely been there, I was overweight most of
my life and lost almost 70 pounds through healthy eating and exercise. Then
when I got pregnant with each of my kids, I gained 60+ pounds each time. So
I've had to do that weight-loss battle 2 more times as well. It took me
about a year each time to lose the weight, at 1/2 to 1 pound a week. It is
hard not to buy into the "diet" fad, but much healthier to make a total
lifestyle change and become healthy for life.

Remember, that eating healthily of natural foods, you might not get every
single vitamin in every single day. But over the course of a week, you
should get all that you need. If you are eating foods that are full of
nutrition, instead of nutrition-poor junk foods, you should not have any
trouble losing weight while getting the proper nutrition. For instance, a
baked potato is only 200 calories, and has tons of vitamins and minerals
(vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium, b vitamins, magnesium, calcium, folate,
zinc). By contrast, a McD's french fries has at least twice the calories,
and about 1/4 the vitamins.
This website is a great place to look up the nutritional content of any
food:
http://www.hoptechno.com/nightcrew/sante7000/sante7000_search.cfm

It shows calories, fat and sodium content, and 29 separate nutrients.


Here's a good page that contains the short "facts" on each major vitamin,
and lists foods that are sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62348-2000Nov27.html


>We have looked into the raw-foods
>thing as well, but we don't have the discipline to eat just raw foods!


Eating just raw foods is great, but it's not necessary for having a healthy
body!
Also, exercise is a great mood booster, especially when combined with
healthy foods. Depression runs in my family and my sister is Bi-polar, as is
my dad I suspect (though he has not been diagnosed). My sister has been able
to control her depression through exercise and diet alone. I know for myself
that if I don't exercise every day, my mood takes a definite turn for the
worse.

I'm saying all of this because I have spent years of my life being
overweight and unhealthy. I know how wrong it feels, how depressing it is,
and how hard it can be to change. But I also know what it feels like to come
out the other side, so I hope I have offered something here to encourage you
to make this a total lifestyle change for your family! I think modeling
taking good care of our bodies is one of the best gifts we can give our
children.

Blue Skies!
-Robin-
Mom to Mackenzie (8/28/96) inventor of new and wonderful things
and Asa (10/5/99) singer of protest songs
http://www.geocities.com/the_clevengers Flying Clevenger Family