Vitamin D to Prevent Alzheimer’s 

The New York Times Well Blog has reported an observational link between low Vitamin D levels and Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. Those with lower levels of Vitamin D were 53-69% more likely to develop either dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. In addition to this nutritional component, we have also reported on the importance of exercise in protecting the brain while aging. You can read more on that here.

The take away? Safely get some sun and get moving to stay sharp as you age!

Weight Loss Predictor

A University of Minnesota study found that Vitamin D levels were a good predictor of weight loss during calorie restrictive diets. People with low Vitamin D levels had trouble losing weight while those with higher Vitamin D levels lost the most weight. Since most women spend most of their time indoors away from the most potent form of Vitamin D, sunlight, and shun most Vitamin D rich foods like vitamin D fortified milk, we are paying the price in more ways than one. A lack of Vitamin D is connected with breast and ovarian cancer as well as colon cancer. Now it seems we can’t even lose a couple of pounds unless we are Vitamin D balanced.

The good news is that knowledge is power! So let’s make sure we have our Vitamin D levels checked out by our doctors and are eating Vitamin D rich foods like the ones listed below. Your doctor will be able to determine the amount of supplements you might need as each individual is different. Most of the current information available suggests that we need 1,000IU to 2,000IU a day.

Another study shows when Vitamin D was combined with Calcium, female dieters lost their craving for fatty foods and lost more weight than those that didn’t take a Calcium and Vitamin D Supplement. Researchers say that when your body is low in Calcium, you start to crave foods high in the mineral. Unfortunately, many of the foods high in calcium are also loaded with fat and calories. Think ice cream and cheese. The combination of Calcium and Vitamin D help the body absorb more of the mineral.

Vitamin D + Calcium = slim and happy.
Lack of Vitamin D + Calcium = well, we won’t go there.

Benefits of Calcium

It’s hard to underestimate the value of calcium in your diet in relation to bone health, or to understate how important it is to get your calcium from sources that your body can readily digest. According to the National Institute of Health, adequate calcium intake may reduce the risk of bone fractures later in life, protect against certain cancers, help with blood pressure control and possibly assist in weight management.

Calcium is important for the normal clotting of blood, the conduction of nerve impulses and the contraction and relaxation of muscles and blood vessels, as well as the regulation of body fluids, including hormones and enzymes. Calcium deficiency is linked to gum disease, chronic bone pain, joint and muscular pain, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, heart disease and degenerative disc disease.

Hilliard Studio Method recommends Catie’s Raw Vegetable Calcium to help reverse what Harvard Medical School calls the “silent epidemic.” Catie’s Calcium is the only calcium we have found that is 100% whole food with bamboo silica, special enzymes and protein co-factors that allows greater absorption into the cells and deep into the bones. As with all of Catie’s products, the capcules are whole food, so we simply drop them into our HSM Smoothie for an added punch to our early morning routine.

Coming from a family rife with osteoporosis disease, Liz used herself as a test case. After using this product for a year, her bone density tests were excellent and well in the range of a person many years younger. While she credits her powerful and unparalleled workout at Hilliard Studio Method, she is also aware that health starts from the inside out and that nutrition is key to physical, emotional and mental health.

Healthy foods rich in Vitamin D:
Salmon (3 ounces canned) 530 IU
Salmon (3 ounces cooked) 240-360 IU
Tuna (3 ounces canned) 200 IU
Soymilk, fortified (8 ounces) 100 IU
Milk, low-fat, fortified (8 ounces) 98 IU
Eggs (1 large) 20-26 IU

Healthy foods rich in Calcium: 
Yogurt, plain, low-fat (8 ounces) 450 mg
Ricotta cheese (½ cup from part skim milk) 335 mg
Spinach (one cup cooked) 290 mg
Milk, 2% milk fat (8 ounces) 285 mg
Swiss cheese, shredded (¼ cup) 214 mg
Salmon (3 ounces) 181 mg
Tofu (3 ounces) 100 mg
Parmesan cheese (one tbs. shredded) 55 mg