Weight Management Program
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements: Instructor’s Guide
There is an abundance of nutrition information available, but how does one decipher fact from fiction? In this session we will discuss basic vitamins and minerals, discover food sources and the health benefits associated with them.
Background information:
Everyone is looking for optimal health and they are turning to nutrition as a possible fountain of youth. The use of supplements is on the rise and the well informed consumer is looking for the optimal combination for lasting health.
By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Identify the benefits and food sources of important vitamins and minerals.
- Discover the role vitamins and minerals play in disease prevention.
- Understand the benefits of various forms of exercise.
Weight Management Program
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
In a perfect world, everyone would eat exactly the right foods in the right amount for both optimal health and performance. Unfortunately we live in the real world, where we rush to get to the next meeting or event and eat less than a perfect diet.
Vitamins and Minerals have many roles in our body ranging from basic cell formation and metabolism to disease prevention. If we ate the way we should, eating five-plus servings of fruits and vegetables per day and consuming a variety of plant based foods, we could get the vitamins and minerals we need from our diet. However; many of us only eat about two servings of fruits and vegetables, have given up grains, rarely consume dairy products and consume more animal protein than necessary. Things like convenience and processed foods combined with stress, environmental toxins, and certain medicines make our diet go further astray.
The Standard American Diet, often called the “SAD Diet” is high in fat, salt, sugar and calories and low in the more than 40 nutrients needed by the body for optimal health.
Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Use
An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine publishedin 1998urged doctors to tell their patients to “Eat right and take a multivitamin”. A multivitamin and mineral supplement is not designed to replace a healthy diet. It is suppose to supplement it. Supplements aren’t normal foods because the nutrients are fragmented and come in pills, capsules, tablets, liquids, powders, or other concentrated non-food forms. These fragments are made up of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats or a combination of these fragments.
When selecting a multivitamin and mineral supplement, look for one that is well balanced. A quality multivitamin with mineral supplement will provide a variety of nutrients within the recommended levels for good health. Those that provide too much or too little of a nutrient can affect the function and absorption of other nutrients in your body.
Recognizing Quality
Quality is the most important thing to consider when choosing a supplement. And there’s no way that an ordinary person, a healthcare professional, or even sometimes a vitamin manufacturer can recognize quality ingredients. Suppliers may offer manufacturers substandard or even mislabeled ingredients or manufacturers may cut corners and use cheaper ingredients for many reasons. Also, supplements must be formulated safely and scientifically to be effective. In other words, it’s impossible to know what’s in there.
Do’s and Don’ts for Supplements
- DON’T buy from a vitamin store unless you specifically know what to buy. Ask questions and do some homework.
- DO get specific recommendations from a dietitian or health care practitioner.
- DON’T buy the cheapest supplement, but you don’t have to spend a fortune either.
- DO look for meaningful label statements about product quality. Look for ones that carry logos from U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), or Consumer Lab.com (CL).
- DON’T consume mega doses unless directed by your physician.
- DO check the expiration date on your supplement.
- DON’T purchase supplements from multi-level marketing programs that focus more on getting you to sell them and on making money than on quality. There are some high-quality supplements made by these companies, but they are usually more expensive than what you will find in your vitamin store.
- DO buy a brand that has a proven track record for excellence and a lot of manufacturing integrity.
- DON’T buy a brand that makes sensational health claims that have not been backed by quality scientific research.
- REMEMBER the most expensive supplement is the one that doesn’t work!
Vitamins and Minerals to Prevent Disease
After reviewing almost 40 years of research, Harvard researchers found the following associations between certain diseases and vitamins:
- Heart Disease
Vitamin E - Research on vitamin E has been conflicting -- with some studies showing a benefit and others not.
Beta carotene supplements have not been shown to help prevent heart disease -- and may even increase the risk in smokers.
- Cancer
Vitamin E – Vitamin E may be able to help decrease prostate cancer in men and deaths from this cancer.
Lycopenes – Lycopenes (rich in tomatoes) have been shown to help prevent prostate cancer.
- Osteoporosis
- Birth defects
Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association, June 19, 2002.
Benefits and Sources of Vitamins and Minerals
VITAMINS
VITAMIN
/ BENEFIT TO THE BODY / SOURCESA / Needed to maintain good vision and healthy hair, skin, and mucous membranes. Fights infection and may protect against certain cancers. / Dairy products, yellow, orange, and green vegetables, yellow and orange fruits, enriched cereals, organ meats.
D / Aids in forming and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Necessary in the absorption of calcium. / Fortified milk, egg yolks, fish and liver.
E / Helps create red blood cells and build muscles and other tissues. Maintains essential fatty acids. It is a powerful antioxidant, which may help protect against heart disease and certain cancers. / Poultry, seafood, vegetable oils, margarine, wheat germ, dried beans.
K / Synthesizes substances necessary for blood clotting and bone metabolism. / Green leafy vegetables, oats, cabbage, organ meats.
B1
Thiamine / Helps convert carbohydrate into energy; maintains healthy appetite, digestion, and nerve function. / Pork, whole grains, enriched cereals, wheat germ, seafood.
B2
Riboflavin / Helps metabolize carbohydrate, protein, and fat; keeps mucous membranes healthy. / Beef, lamb, poultry (dark meat only), dairy foods, enriched breads and cereals, dark green leafy vegetables.
B3
Niacin / Necessary to enzymes that convert food into energy; helps maintain healthy appetite, digestion, and nerve function. / Poultry, seafood, seeds and nuts, potatoes, whole-grain bread and cereal.
B6 / Plays a vital role in the metabolism and absorption of protein. Builds red blood cells. / Meat, fish, poultry, whole grains and cereals, spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados.
Folate
(Folic Acid) / Necessary to the formation of genetic material (DNA and RNA); helps produce red blood cells. / Dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, enriched cereals, breads, fruits, organ meats.
B12 / Aids in making red blood cells and genetic material; helps keep the nervous system functioning. / Found only in animal products, especially liver, eggs dairy products.
C / Strong antioxidant. Important to the formation of collagen; keeps gums, teeth, and bones healthy; helps prevent infection and aids in healing. / Citrus fruits, sweet peppers; strawberries, cantaloupe, broccoli.
Minerals Essential to the Body
MINERAL / FUNCTIONS / GOOD SOURCESCalcium / Is the major building material of bones and teeth; helps regulate muscles, clot blood, nourish cells, and transmit nerve impulses. Important in preventing osteoporosis and maintaining normal blood pressure. / Dairy products, dark green vegetables, sardines with the bones.
Phosphorus / Works with calcium to build and maintain bones and teeth; helps release energy from carbohydrate. / Dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, legumes, grains, nuts.
Magnesium / Is part of bone structure; activates enzymes that release energy from glucose; helps to synthesize protein. / Dark green vegetables, dairy products, nuts, meats, whole grain cereals, legumes.
Sodium / Aids in regulating passage of nutrients in and out of body cells and also volume of body fluid. / Almost all foods except fruit.
Potassium / Works with sodium and chloride to keep body fluids in balance; aids in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. / Meat, dairy products, cereals, many fruits, legumes.
Chloride / With sodium and potassium, helps to keep body fluids in balance; in the stomach, combines with water to form hydrochloric acid for digestion. / Table salt, seafood, meat, dairy products, eggs.
Zinc / Plays an important role in metabolism and protein synthesis. / Dairy products, liver, wheat bran, shellfish.
Iodine / Is part of the thyroid hormone that regulates the body’s energy metabolism. / Fish and shellfish, iodized salt, dairy products, vegetables.
Copper / Plays a role in the synthesis of hemoglobin; is a component of digestive enzymes. / Liver, shellfish, whole grains, poultry, oysters, nuts.
Manganese / Is involved in synthesis of fatty acids. / Fruits, legumes, whole grains.
Fluoride / Can help prevent tooth decay; may minimize bone loss. / Some drinking water, seafood, dark green vegetables, onions.
Selenium / Acts as an antioxidant; is associated with fat metabolism and may protect against certain cancers. / Fish, organ meats, grains.
Copyright © 2003 NutraWise Ltd. All rights reserved. Program material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission of NutraWise.
Weight Management Program
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements and Exercise
Dietary Recommendations
Many coaches or trainers make dietary recommendations based on their own “feelings” and past experiences rather than rely on available research evidence. This problem is compounded by inadequate or incorrect information concerning prudent dietary practices or the role of specific nutrients in the diet.
Although research is far from complete, the general consensus is that active people and athletes do not require additional or special nutrients beyond those obtained in a well balanced diet. The main difference in dietary requirements between the athlete and the non-athlete is the amount of food needed to meet the energy demands of training. Calorie levels vary greatly with activity and intensity level. Contact a Registered Dietitian for help in planning your diet to meet your exercise needs.
Benefits of Various Exercise*
Frequency / Mode / Warm Up / Duration / Cool Down / Benefits3 – 5 days per week / Fitness walking,
Jogging,
Running,
Biking,
Swimming
Aerobic, Step or Dance class
Cycling class
Rowing / 5 to 10 minutes at slow to moderate pace / 20 to 60 minutes of continuous, rhythmical activity / 5 to 10 minutes gradually slowing down
Stretch / Cardiovascular Fitness
Muscle Endurance
Control Body Fat
Increased Energy Level
Improved Mood
Weight Loss
Your Plan
Days of Week / Exercise Mode / Duration / Recognized Benefits
Resistance Exercise for MUSCULAR STRENGTH and ENDURANCE*
Goal / Sets / Repetitions / Rest Period / Frequency / ProgressionGeneral Health & Fitness / 1 / 8 to 15 repetitions using strength training
equipment / 60 seconds between sets / 2 to 3 non-consecutive days / Increase sets to 2 then move to 3 when you are able to do 15 repetitions.
Increase weight by 5 lbs. and repeat cycle.
You may choose to continue with one set if you make sure the muscles are exhausted at the end of the set
Endurance / 1 / 15 to 25
repetitions using strength training
equipment / 30 to 60 seconds between sets / 3 non-consecutive days / Increase sets to 2 then 3 when you can complete 25 repetitions.
Increase weights by 5 lbs. and repeat cycle.
Strength / 3 / 4 to 8
repetitions using strength training
equipment / 90 seconds between sets / 2 to 3 non-consecutive days / Increase sets to 4, 5 then 6 when you can do 8 repetitions.
Increase weight and repeat cycle.
Your Plan
Goal / Sets / Repetitions / Rest Period / Frequency / Progression
*ACSM (American College of Sport Medicine) guidelines. Contact a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) for a program designed for your specific needs.