Into the Mouths of Babes:

Into the Mouths of Babes:
Eight Easy Tips for Feeding Your Kids
Dr. Tara Kompare, Pharm.D.
May 2008
 
 
“I tell kids they should throw away the cereal and eat the box. At least they’d get some fiber.”

-Richard Holstein, D.D.S-
The latest obsession among moms lately has nothing to do with mom, per se, but focuses on what moms can do to trick their children into eating foods that are actually good for them. This is a good thing since so many children are consuming foods that are heavily processed and light on nutritional value. And, since summer is when most of us start craving juicy, fresh fruits and veggies, now is a great time to experiment with some fun, healthful food tips for you and your family:

Tip #1: Start early: Instilling healthy habits early on really does help lay the foundation for the future. Take my friend’s toddler for instance. Since he turned one-year-old, he has always eaten the same healthy foods that his parents eat—he didn’t have a choice! Unlike many of us, his mom and dad never made a separate meal just for him and now he eats pretty much anything!

Tip #2: Make it colorful: Try to ensure that your child’s plate is not monochromatic. Fill it up with as many colors from the rainbow as possible.

Tip#3: Go for frozen or fresh: Opt for frozen or fresh produce over canned varieties. Frozen fruits and veggies may actually be more nutritious than their fresh food rivals. This is because, over time, fresh produce can lose important nutrients while frozen produce is usually picked at peak times.

Tip #4: Make it silly: Try building a leaning tower of Pisa out of banana slices or making a happy face out of some baked chicken. Your kids will love devouring its’ parts!

Tip #5: Limit snacks: Children normally require two or so snacks during the day to get them through to the next meal. Just try to make them small-portioned, light snacks like popcorn or grapes. They need foods that won’t stay with them for too long and ruin their appetite at meal times.

Tip #6: Out of sight out of mind: Store junk foods away in the pantry and on the top shelf, out of an easy arm’s reach. Research has shown that the closer you are to a food, and the more visible it is, the more likely you are to eat it.

Tip #7: Reach for a book: There are a couple of great books on the market for hiding those not-so-popular veggies inside kid’s favorites like brownies and Mac-n-cheese. Although many of these recipes require a good amount of prep time, it may be well worth it in the end.

Tip #8: Don’t obsess: Last but not least, don’t become overly obsessive about the dietary habits of your kids, especially the young ones. Let them eat what they will, within reason of course, and chances are they will soon become more open to trying foods that are not shaped like dinosaurs.

Hopefully your children will start out appreciating the healthfulness offered by lean meats, crisp vegetables, and sweet fruits. If not, it is likely they will, at some point, trade in their bowl of cocoa puffs for some granola, some children just need a little more coaxing than others.

P.S.S. (Parent Sanity Saver): If your child is a real fussy eater, he or she will likely benefit from a once daily multivitamin. Just make sure you store them way out of reach since most of them taste almost as good as candy.

The author is a doctor of pharmacy and mother of two amazing little girls. Her book, The Colic Chronicles (Da Capo Lifelong) is scheduled for release in Summer 2008. You can check out her website at http://www.themedicinemom.com or e-mail her directly at drk@themedicinemom.com. She encourages reader questions and feedback!

Training Games for the Physical Conditions of Children

The training of the physical coordinations of children is most naturally accomlished through the medium of games.It should be fully appreciated by teachers and parents that the playing of these games is not “mere play,” but definite training of the best kind. In many cases there is little else to be done.

The teacher should select such games as are most interesting to her special group and practice these until the children are reasonably proficient in them or until they prove uninteresting.

The games and exercises in written here are for use among mothers and teachers of normal and sub-normal children, the object being to help develop muscular control and to quicken the sense perceptions. The training should commence when the child is three years of age.

The following instructions should be observed:

1. Each one of the exercises should be put before the child in a spirit of play.

2. Absolute simplicity in tlie training is essential. The manner in which a game is played is of more importance than the game itself. A simple game or exercise taught in a complex manner will produce a confusion of ideas.

3. Aim to produce one idea at a time in the mind of the child.

4. In teaching both normal and sub-normal children the personality of the teacher plays an important part. She should be patient cheerful and optimistic, always ready with a word of encouragement when the child fails to produce the desired results; thorough in her methods and with keen power to observe. The mind of the teacher reacts upon the mind of the child: “Education is the process by which one mind forms another mind and one heart another heart.”

5. The principal weakness in most children is their inability to concentrate, and it is only by fixed methods of simple work, elimination of all confusion, and the conviction of the teacher that good results must emanate from her training, that she can develop and strengthen concentration in the child.

The mode of procedure must not vary; children should be lined up in the same way, material of the same color used, and diagrams drawn to the same dimensions each time the game or exercise is used. Should the smallest alteration be made in these details, it will produce a confusion of ideas in the child’s mind and successful training will not result.

6. Make all questions and answers as concrete and brief as possible, avoid superfluous detail and abstract ideas, for these tend to create confusion in the mind of the child.

7. The signal given for starting a game should be brief, as, “Are you ready?” followed by the word “Go!” said sharply and clearly. A signal with too many words is confusing. Always use the same form of signal in starting a game. Should this be changed the game will not start successfully, for the child’s mind will be centered upon that change and he will lose the all- important idea, e.g., the start of the game. A game unsuccessfully started is a failure throughout.

8. During exercises the teacher should observe the reaction and should the children show signs of fatigue or loss of interest, an exercise should be immediately changed.

9. Make all exercises as attractive as possible. Aim to have an air of peace and tranquility in the schoolroom; tension in the slightest degree is disastrous to the training. The schoolroom should be made a pleasure-ground for the child. Bear in mind the best discipline always attends the most successful play.

10. It is not advisable to keep a child for longer than one hour at a session. In a longer session it will be noticed the child becomes depressed or restless and power of concentration weakens. During the session a child should not be kept too long at one exercise; from four to fifteen minutes is sufficient for any of the exer- cises. A game played too many consecutive times in an effort to perfect it, loses its object.

11. Two inactive exercises should not follow each other consecutively.

12. In teaching rhymes and songs, introduce simple action. It will help to develop sense of rhythm and aid the memory to a marked degree. The “Mother Goose” rhymes enclosed herein have been chosen for their rhythmic value and extreme simplicity.

13. In drawing diagrams on a polished wood floor, better results may be obtained by moistening the chalk.

The material used in these exercises and games is very; simple. Bean bags should be made five inches square, of bright-colored cloth of heavy texture, and filled with small, hard beans. The wooden blocks should be eight inches in length, and one and a half inches on each side; the corners should be sharp so that they may be stood on end with- out difficulty. Rubber balls, medicine balls, and baseballs should be regulation size.

Game: Bean Bag Toss. Material: Shallow box, bean bags.

Children sit in a circle on the floor, a distance of three feet from each other. Place the box in the center of circle. Give each child a bean bag. Have the children each throw their bean bag, in turn, endeavoring to get it into the box in centre of the circle.

Note: This game is especially adapted for crippled children and those unable to take part in active games.
Object: Train eye and hand; to stimulate play spirit.

Game: “Pat-A-Cake” Have class seated in half circle on small chairs. Teach children the following rhyme, saying the words slowly and distinctly so that the children may more readily understand, and have them clap their hands in rhythm to the words ; “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T, Put it in the oven for Tommy and me.”

Object: Memory; rhythm; increase vocabulary.

Game: Medicine ball. Children stand in group at one end of. the room. Teacher throws medicine ball into their midst, the child catching the ball throws it back to teacher, who will immediately repeat the exercise. Encourage children to run after the ball when it falls to the ground. Do not call upon any particular child to catch the ball; by throwing it in their midst and letting those catch it who can, the children will become more alert.

Should a child be very slow, it is well to call upon that child in particular to catch.

Object: Training of eye and hand; attention; spontaneous activity.

Malcolm Blake has researched into the field of all genres of games, including modern PSP games.

The Importance Of Sports Motivation For Your Children

I can’t stress enough the importance of getting children motivated and involved in sports at a young age. With child obesity sky-rocketing it is now more important than ever for parents to instill sports motivation in their children. Not only is it great exercise to keep them healthy, but it also teaches them discipline and competition.

On top of all that they will probably make some new friends as well and keep out of trouble as they get older. Here are some ways that you can help your child love sports from the age of six months and on into adulthood.

Even Babies Can Play Sports

Even at the age of six months, you can give your child sports motivation and the desire to play sports later in life. Look at what Tiger Woods’ father did for him at such a young age.

One good activity to start with is playing with balls. The ball should be very soft, but try to avoid foam balls, babies have a habit of chewing off small chunks of the foam and this could be a choking hazard. Start by rolling the ball to your baby and encourage him or her to roll it back to you. After your baby has this mastered you can try to teach him or her to throw the ball to you.

As your baby becomes a toddler you can teach him or her to catch the ball. Show your child how to place their arms out in front of them, hands open and flat, then gently toss the ball to them. It will take a lot of your patience to teach this skill, but don’t worry, toddlers usually only get discouraged if their parents do.

Keep the game fun and full of praise, no matter how athletic you child is or isn’t. Athletic ability can be learned to an extent so it is best to start at a young age and keep the practice consistent. Tiger Woods had a lot of natural ability and motivation for a child, but without his mother and fathers time and encouragement I doubt he would be as successful, talented, and as motivated as he is today.

Many parents worry that if they lavish too much praise on their child then the kid will get a false sense of accomplishment. In some ways this might be true, but praise is the biggest key to giving your child sports motivation. If a child knows that they will get praise from doing well at a sport then they will love to do it, especially at a young age.

Make your praise appropriate to the situation for the best sports motivation. If your child struck out at the plate don’t tell them they did a good job, they won’t believe you because they know they didn’t. Your praise will be worthless if they don’t believe you.

Instead say, “That’s okay! You tried your best and you’ll do better next time.” This statement tells the child that it is okay to fail as long as they tried their best and gives them hope for the next time. Give them examples of when that happened to you when you were their age. As you probably know the best way to learn in life is through failure and trying to use what you learned to do better the next time.

It is best to instill this lesson at a young age. This encouragement keeps children from giving up and the motivation necessary to try harder and play better. This is not only the perfect sports motivation, but also a great way to prepare a child for life as an adult.

Brue M. Baker, is an expert on natural health and fitness who has helped people from across the world sky-rocket their health and well-being. Rather than hitting your head against a wall trying to find unbiased health information let Brue take you by the hand and give you the best natural health information on the web. Visit DietHealthAndFitness.com to learn more.

The Hidden Cost of Indoor Air Pollution

 by Nuby DeLeon

Studies from the United States and Europe indicate that people living in industrialized nations spend more than 90% of their time indoors with a majority of it spent at work.  In fact, according to the EPA, indoor air pollution is two to five times, and in some cases a hundred times, worse than outdoors.  A big contributor to this problem comes from toxic cleaners being used in enclosed office spaces.  Many of the cleaning products used to clean offices contain chemicals that can cause eye, skin and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, dizziness, breathing problems, cancer, or birth defects.  Poor circulation and insufficient HVAC systems that collect and recirculate the toxic cocktail of evaporated chemical compounds around the office only exacerbate the problems.

Research done by Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, found that U.S. companies could save as much as $200 billion annually in worker performance improvements by creating offices with better indoor air.  Employees are not only a company’s main source of income – they also make up a big part of a company’s operating cost.  When an employee cannot perform their job optimally or calls out sick due to symptoms caused by poor indoor air quality they still need to get paid their salary despite their decreased productivity.  With rising health care costs, the benefits of improving indoor air quality far exceed the cost of making those improvements.  Many business owners and CEO’s do not realize that poor indoor air quality is creating an unnecessary money drain.
The National Institutes of Health Library of Medicine Household Products Database (www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov) lists almost any brand of cleaner, what’s in it, and its links to health effects.  The database can be searched by chemical or by product brand.  Some chemical ingredients to look out for are:
•    Sodium Hydroxide – Inhalation is immediately irritating to the respiratory tract.  Contact can cause severe damage to the eyes, skin, mouth and throat.  Can cause liver and kidney damage.  Found in dishwashing liquids, laundry products, oven cleaner, scouring cleansers and tub/tile cleaners.
•    Hydrochloric Acid – Can cause severe damage to skin.  Can be harmful to health, just by breathing fumes.  Can be fatal if swallowed.  Found in odor eliminators and toilet bowl cleaners.
•    Butyl Cellosolve (2-butoxyethanol) – Can cause irritation and tissue damage from inhalation.  Found in All-purpose cleaners, cleaning wipes, degreasers, floor polish, rug shampoos, toilet bowl cleaners, tub & tile cleaners and window cleaners.
Switching to green cleaning products creates a considerable impact on indoor air quality, the planet, health care and operational costs.  A green cleaning pollution calculator can be found at www.ofee.gov/janitor to determine the environmental impact of using “green” janitorial services and products.  According to the EPA, Americans generate 368 million pounds of hazardous waste from cleaning products per year.  We would eliminate over 15 million pounds of toxic chemical cleaners a year if only 10,000 office buildings switched to green cleaning products.  In addition to this, if only 1 out of 4 U.S. households switched to green cleaning products we would eliminate over 7 billion pounds of carbon emissions annually.
For more information about green cleaning products and air purification for your home or office, contact Shaklee Independent Distributor (www.shaklee.net/ktracy), Karen Tracy e-mail: ktracy@cinci.rr.com.

Children’s Flu Vaccination Day

Health Experts and Families Encourage Annual Childhood Flu Vaccination
to Reduce Flu-Related Illnesses and Deaths in Children

Families Fighting Flu and CDC Partner to Declare November 27th
“National Children’s Flu Vaccination Day”

More Than 20,000 Children Under Age Five are Hospitalized Each Year Due to the Flu

Atlanta, GA, November 27, 2007 – Families Fighting Flu, Inc. (FFF), together with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health organizations are reminding parents today to get their children, and those who live with and care for them, vaccinated against influenza, or “the flu.” Vaccination is the single best means of protecting children from the flu and preventing the spread of influenza, which can lead to hospitalization and even death. To help raise awareness about the critical importance of annual pediatric influenza vaccination, November 27th has been designated as Children’s Flu Vaccination Day, which occurs during the CDC’s annual National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW, November 26th through December 2nd, 2007).

“Each year we hear the heart-wrenching stories of parents who have lost a child due to complications from influenza,” said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. “These stories remind us how critical it is for parents to get their children vaccinated against flu, especially those
aged six months to five years, and those with chronic health conditions such as asthma or diabetes. We have more vaccine available this year than ever before, so access to vaccine should be easy, and parents need to make this a top priority.”

Flu vaccination is encouraged anytime between September through January or later, when the influenza season typically peaks.

The flu is a serious illness, especially in children, who are two-to-three times more likely to develop influenza than adults because of their less-developed immune systems. More than 20,000 children under the age of five are hospitalized due to the flu each year, and every year children die in the United States from influenza and its complications. More than 300 children have died from influenza over the past four flu seasons alone. During the 2006-2007 flu season, of the patients for whom flu vaccination status is known, 94 percent of the children who died had not been vaccinated against the flu.

“Today we are strongly encouraging all parents to vaccinate their children against the flu,” said Richard Kanowitz, president of Families Fighting Flu. Kanowitz’s four-year-old daughter, Amanda, died suddenly in March 2004 from influenza; Amanda had not been vaccinated against the flu. “Before our daughter died, we had no idea that healthy children could die from the flu - a virus that may be avoided with a simple annual vaccination. We sincerely hope that Children’s Flu Vaccination Day will serve to educate parents about the critical importance of annual flu vaccination in children, and motivate them to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible. A simple shot could very well save your child’s life.”

About Influenza

Influenza, or “the flu,” is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory tract (nose, throat and lungs). The flu virus tends to spread from November to April, with most cases occurring between December and March. The flu is often confused with the common cold, but flu symptoms tend to develop quickly (usually one to four days after a person is exposed to the flu virus) and are usually more severe than the typical sneezing and congestion associated with a cold. Influenza is often accompanied with fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are also common symptoms in children. A person infected with the flu virus will typically suffer from the illness for approximately seven to 10 days, with five to six days of limited activity and about three days of bed rest.

Who Should Get Vaccinated?

Any child older than 6 months old can get vaccinated against influenza. The CDC currently recommends that all children from six months up to age five get vaccinated against the flu every year, as well as all persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with the flu or transmitting it to others. This includes: children with certain medical conditions; household contacts (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.) and out-of-home caregivers of children age zero up to age five; and, children and adults who are household contacts of other high-risk individuals.

School-aged children tend to have higher rates of influenza infection because of their close contact with friends and classmates who frequently spread germs among one another. During particularly bad flu seasons, nearly 30 percent of school-aged children get sick and overall miss about 38 million school days a year. A flu vaccine can help children stay free of influenza during the flu season, and potentially help stop the spread of the virus to their families, friends, teachers and communities.

About Families Fighting Flu, Inc.

Families Fighting Flu, Inc. (FFF) is a non-profit, volunteer-based corporation established in 2004 that is made up of families and healthcare practitioners who have experienced first-hand the death of a child due to the flu, or have had a child experience severe medical complications from the flu. FFF is dedicated to educating people about the severity of influenza and the importance of vaccinating children against the flu every year. Through education and advocacy, FFF hopes to improve the rates of annual childhood influenza vaccinations and help reduce the number of childhood illnesses and deaths caused by the flu each year.

To learn when or where to get a flu vaccine, contact your health care provider or local health department.  For more information about the flu, please visit www.familiesfightingflu.org, or www.cdc.gov/flu

Housework and Exercise

Working around the house can be great exercise for home owners. It can help you burn off calories and help you keep a healthy heart. Some of us think of house work as boring and dull, but you can make it a fun experience by adding a few features. Here are some suggested tips and exercise techniques. Doctors say that strenuous housework may even decrease menstrual hormones such as estrogen. When hormones are lowered, it may protect you from breast cancer tumors.

Vacuuming is one of the best exercises a person can do. You use a lot of your muscles as you run around the apartment or condo with a vacuum cleaner. You can burn a lot of calories off or that cheesecake that you had the night before. Whatever your reasons are, vacuuming can get you moving and your house clean while doing so.

Get the Windex out and kitchen towel, and start washing your windows and mirrors! Cleaning your mirrors can be a fabulous exercise for your body. You will stretch and move your arms around keeping you flexible and limber.

Painting your house can also be a good workout and you will be able to add color to your house while getting fit. Painting requires coats, climbing, lifting and reaching and you will definitely feel fit after a good paint job.

If you had wooden furniture you might end up polishing which requires a lot of pressure and arm movement. This can help you build muscle in your arms and give the body a toned look. Sparkling furniture and a fit body! What more can you ask for!

Washing the floor is a big job if you have a lot of square footage and floor space.  Dilute some vinegar in water and cut through that grease.  Put some muscle into it and get moving while making your floor sparkling clean!

You can always turn up the music or put some head phones on and dance away as you clean. It does not have to be boring at all. You could even do it with someone and talk while doing it.

It is known that five hours of working in the house and doing housework can burn 65,000 calories in a single year. This is considered the same amount of weight that a person can burn off to lose 19 pounds in a year. Try to view housework as a way to burn calories and improve your fitness level.  And the best thing is that your house will be spotless!

Birth Control Options

There are many options for birth control and you are not limited to one form. Methods of birth control have been created to stop the fertilized eggs from getting to the women’s uterus. Birth control also prevents the man’s sperm from getting to the egg. There are a variety of ways someone can describe birth control such as pregnancy prevention, contraception, fertility control, and family planning. Sexually active people can use a variety of birth control methods to prevent pregnancy. There is still no protection from sexually transmitted diseases and that should never be overlooked or ignored.

Forms of birth control include IUD birth control, sponges, the pill, ring, and IUD patch. Many women wonder how effective birth control really is. It is effective in preventing pregnancy, but if women forget to take their pill or insert their ring, they might fall pregnant. If you are trying to prevent pregnancy then make sure you remember to take your pill everyday. If you have a hard time remembering, try using a little alarm clock for every time you have to take your pill.

Emergency birth control is an option immediately after you have had sexual intercourse. It can prevent anything from growing in the uterus and puts an immediate halt to conception. Asking your doctor or a walk in clinical doctor is not as scary as you would think. Doctors are used to people coming in for the emergency birth control pill and will be there to assist you.

It is best to look at your lifestyle, goals and health when considering a method of birth control. Ask yourself these questions and think about the different methods available.

*How do you feel about inserting birth control devices into your body?
*How effective is your chosen method for pregnancy?
*Do you plan on having children someday or extending your current family?
*How much will you commit to using birth control?
*Are you very sexually active?
*Will you remember to use this birth control?
*Do you have a health practitioner to speak with about birth control?
*Do you smoke?
*Do you drink over the limit?
*Do you have a steady, reliable partner?

It is always smart to take these questions into consideration before taking or using birth control. Birth control should be taken seriously and certain methods can have side effects. The pill has side effects and it is usually taken by healthy women. Talk to or your doctor if you have any concerns or questions.

How to Improve Your Teenager’s Eating Habits

Obesity is a rising problem among teenagers. More and more young people today are spending their time inside in front of the computer, a game console, or a television instead of playing outside. This combined with the increasing pressure of school and other activities causes a lot of teenagers to turn to quick, unhealthy snacks and fast foods instead of taking the time to eat solid meals. These bad habits often carry over into adulthood.

The stakes are high. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke are just a few of the medical complications associated with obesity. Plus, there’s the effect of obesity on your teen’s self-image and quality of life to consider. However, with a little bit of effort, bad eating habits can be broken now. Here are some tips to help you improve your teenager’s eating habits.

Talk to Your Teen

Any parent knows how stubborn teenagers can be, and getting one to improve his or her eating habits without being on board with the idea is going to be a losing battle. Addressing the subject takes a lot of tact, however. Your teen may really have no idea what a good eating pattern really is. Discussing healthy eating and how to achieve it will go a long way toward improving how your teen eats.

Make it a Family Project

Your teen might be more willing to go along with the idea if he or she doesn’t feel singled out as the only person in the family who needs to improve. It’s likely that everyone in your household would feel better and be healthier if they examined their eating routines, so make this something that the entire family can do together.

Get Your Teen Involved in the Cooking

Your teenager might be more likely to be engaged in healthy eating if you can spark his or her interest in cooking. Seeing what actually goes into a healthy meal can be instrumental in changing eating patterns. Plus, being able to tweak recipes and create meals that taste fantastic can really raise your teen’s involvement in what he or she is eating.

Identify Problem Areas

Most people tend to have certain behaviors that trigger poor eating. Watch your teen to find out when he or she tends to lapse into poor eating habits so that you can find alternatives or avoid the problem. For example, some people reach for an unhealthy snack when they are bored, or turn to foods packed with the quick energy found in simple carbohydrates like sugars when they are overly tired. Some splurge when they are stressed or depressed, and others mistake dehydration for hunger.

Keep Healthy Snacks on Hand

Snacking is actually a very healthy behavior, as long as it is done in moderation and with the right foods. To encourage your teenager to turn to healthy foods instead of junk, keep good snacks on hand. Ideas include washed baby carrots and cauliflower florets, trail mix made with low-sugar dried fruits and just a little bit of sweetness, and celery sticks filled with peanut butter and raisins.

By following these five easy steps, you can introduce your teenager to healthier eating, which will put him or her on the path to more energy, sharper wits, and a longer life.

Article provided courtesy of Only Cookware - a resource for cookware sets, stainless cookware and enamel cast iron cookware.

Postpartum Depression Following a Multiples Pregnancy

According to the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NOMOTC), more women suffer postpartum depression (PPD) after giving birth to multiples than do women who have singletons. In a study conducted by the NOMOTC, 11% of women developed PPD after their singleton birth, but 33% experienced PPD after a birth involving multiples. For those who had given birth to both singletons and multiples, 72% of the women felt their depression was longer and deeper after having multiples than after their singleton births. Read more

Vitamin B12 and Weight Loss

There is lots of different information going around about B12 and whether it can help you lose weight.  It’s hard to distinguish between right and wrong information.  So what’s the truth?  What is B12 and can it help you lose weight?

B12 is a nutrient that we get naturally in our diets.  B12 is one of the nutritients that our bodies need for proper functioning.  Someone with a B12 deficiency will have serious side effects to their body.  Look at it this way, if you are baking a cake you wouldn’t bake it without the flour would you?  Obviously not because when you leave one of the most important ingredients out, the cake just doesn’t turn out right.  Your body is exactly the same.  When your body lacks something as vital as B12 it just won’t work right.  This vital nutrient lets your body operate more effectively and efficiently which in the long run allows you to lose weight because it improves your overall health.

Another great thing about B12 is the energy boost it gives your body.  This obviously won’t take off the pounds itself, but it gives you the motivation to get up and moving.  And when we get up and move we know what the natural reaction to that is – weight loss.

Another weight loss helper is your metabolism and B12 boosts it.  What exactly happens when you have a boost in your metabolism?  Well you digest food faster and will burn more calories just sitting there.  And basic science tells us that the more calories you burn, the fewer calories you store as fat.  And when you increase your exercise level that will also give your metabolism an extra boost!

B12 shots tend to be on the pricey shot, about $65 a pop!  Our bodies all have B12 from the foods we eat so a shot isn’t necessarily the route to take.  In fact you can get more B12 in your system simply by adding it to your diet.  Start eating more things like salmon, trout, liver and clams which are high in B12.

As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of information out there regarding B12 and there are scientists that claim it’s not effective.  But there are thousands of people out there that say it helped them lose weight.  There is no magical pill or cure to losing weight, it’s determined by how hard you work at it.  But, B12 if combined with diet and exercise could just be that extra boost that your body needs to shed those extra pounds!

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