Sunday, March 10, 2013

E is for Enrichment


In many ways!

Sorry for the delay in writing.  How do you other bloggers with kids and jobs find time to write so frequently??  I write a lot of my posts in advance and still can’t manage to get them online!  I guess I’ll figure it out one of these days…  But this past week was super busy with work and Justin starting on night shift and getting ready for Saturday, which was the day we had the Red Bud Fire Department out to our farm to burn down Justin’s grandpa’s house.  That was a really cool experience!  It was kinda bittersweet, too… I honestly got a little choked up when the fire was started, and it was lit in Justin’s old room when he lived with Grandpa.  All kinds of memories surfaced from all the time we spent there when we first started dating, and I thought about all the many more memories that Justin has of growing up visiting that house.  But, as the fire grew, I thought more and more about how this meant we’re that much closer to building our new house, and starting on the next chapter of our lives, which I’m so incredibly excited about.

So, now it’s Sunday, Harlee is napping with Justin, who is catching up on sleep from his transition to night shift, and I’m working on getting back into the swing of things.  I’ve done more research for this post and the next, and also have some new recipes to share with you.  Let’s see if I can stick with this!

So.  Vitamin E.  I’ll be honest with you – this vitamin is the one I’ve known the LEAST about, up until researching it for this post.  I’m glad I’m doing this Vitamin Series – I’m learning a lot!  I knew it’s good for your skin, since the only place I’ve seen it so far is in creams and lotions – it helps protect against UV radiation which is good for prevention of skin cancer or early aging.  It’s also good for bone density.  But the benefits of Vitamin E aren’t just skin-deep!

Vitamin E is also protective against oxidative stress, which is caused by free radicals which can damage cells and even lead to disease.  It helps boost metabolism too by interrupting the development of carcinogens that are formed in the stomach.  It’s also anti-inflammatory, which is great for you if you suffer from arthritis, rheumatism, asthma, or any other inflammatory-related disease or disorder.

It’s great protection for artery walls, too, and prevents the oxidation of bad LDL cholesterol which is what builds up in the arteries.  Vitamin E helps keep blood platelets from clumping together, which helps keep the blood thin and therefore reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Vitamin E has also been proven to help protect against many forms of cancer, as well as slow the progression and development of cancer, especially in the forms of gamma and delta-tocopherols which come from nuts, seeds, and their cold-pressed oils.  Unfortunately some researchers have tried to disprove Vitamin E’s health benefits.  They succeeded in discovering that it can actually CAUSE cancer… in its synthetic form.  Once again, I must reiterate, consuming fake crap and alternatives is just not good for you!  That being said, be careful if you decide to take a Vitamin E supplement – if it’s synthetic, it might give you the exact opposite of the effects you’re hoping for.

The best way to get Vitamin E is through diet.  Almonds, pine nuts, peanuts, and sunflower seeds are rich in Vitamin E, as are certain herbs and spices like basil and oregano, paprika, and chili powder.  Apricots, spinach, and green olives are great sources too.

And that concludes our lesson on Vitamin E.  Hopefully I'll see you Friday!



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