Let me tell you why. The D. Yep. Vitamin D.
I have battled a deficiency with the lovely vitamin D for several years. My mother and grandmother were also chronically low. Thanks, ladies. I would've preferred some other (BETTER) genetic inheritance! Mine has been as low as 15. Now, depending on who you ask, that is mildly low. Some recent guidelines have set the minimum at 20. My doc likes the 20-40 range, and I like that she likes that range.
What does low Vitamin D feel like? For me, it was being sluggish, my words would get jumbled (ordering a snake instead of a steak...), my hair was getting thinner, and I had headaches. Within a short period of starting prescription strength supplements, I would be great until they ran out (4 pills/1 per week). Then I was back in the downhill slide until I was diagnosed again. The merry-go-round of blech.
How is the world can one little vitamin cause such an uproar? Vitamin D is fat-soluble, which means you gotta have the good stuff in your gut to break it down. My gallbladder was kind enough to not have stones, but it just slowly died. When it finally was evicted from its warm, comfy home (my guts), it was functioning at 28%. My gut was not full of happy goodness, but sluggish yuck. The Vitamin D was not being absorbed like it should have been. Lucky me.
Vitamin D is naturally present in few foods, so we mainly get it through sun and supplements. With the precautions against skin cancer (which are legit!) sometimes we don't get it through sun exposure, either. D promotes calcium absorption, which helps make STRONG bones. Think Osteoporosis...not a good picture.
We should be getting 600 IU or 15 mcg per day. To give you an idea, 1 cup of milk had 100 IU. So, to get your 600 IU, you need to drink 48 ounces of milk. (8 ounces = 1 cup, so 48 ounces = 6 cups) Other great sources include the flesh of fatty fish (say that 3 times fast!!), fish liver oils, beef liver, and a little bit found in egg yolks. Think about your diet. How many times do you find those things on your plate?
Here's where my Shakeology comes into the picture.
One scoop of Shakeology contains 200 IU of Vitamin D, which meets 1/3 of your daily needs. If you add 1 cup of milk to your shake, which my husband does daily), that adds another 100 IU. That bumps you up to 300 IU total, which in now half!!! You haven't even left the house and you are halfway there...No brainer.
If you have seen the infomercials (which you probably have unless you don't have television), you have heard how much weight you can lose. Here's news: YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT! I know people who are perfectly happy and comfortable with their bodies as they are. You can still benefit from Shakeology.
Shakeology is NOT a weight-loss shake. It is not a meal replacement shake unless you choose to make it that. It is a powder superfood. By the time I open the door to walk into work, I've already had 100% of my Vitamins A, C, B6, and B12. I've also gotten 100% of my Thiamine (B1) and Manganese.
(Manganese? What the crap is that? Do you mix it in your salsa? No, but it helps your body form connective tissue and bones, has blood-clotting factors and affects sex hormones. It also plays a role in fat and carb metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation. It's also necessary for normal brain and nerve function.)
So that is my knowledge droppin' for the day. If you're curious about what your day REALLY looks like, record every single thing you put into your mouth and then research how many of your required vitamins/minerals you are getting. Don't think about fat and calories! Lose the idea TODAY that this is a diet. It is far, far from that. It is a lifestyle change designed to promote health and wellness. The support system is beyond anything I've experienced and that's what makes it easy to keep going when all I really want is a Mocha Frappe from the Mickey D's. Leave me a comment or email me at mymidlifegroove@gmail.com and I'll be more than happy to share the crazy goodness with you.
Have an amazing week and be kind to yourself!
No comments:
Post a Comment