N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine - NAC is the Most Unknown Vital Nutrient For Our Lungs

You are likely low in glutathione if you breathe our polluted air.

Glutathione is a natural potent antioxidant normally found in healthy lungs.

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When exposed to smoke, car exhaust, pollutants, solvents, viruses or bacteria, our lungs become depleted in glutathione. Once glutathione is low, we become more susceptible to infection, asthma attacks and other illnesses.

N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine - NAC is the Most Unknown Vital Nutrient For Our Lungs

Taking oral N-acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) will greatly replenish glutathione in your lungs. For many people, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine has been shown to greatly improve the health of lungs and decrease the duration or severity of lung associated conditions.

As a daily nutrient, take 1 900mg capsule of N-Acetyl L Cysteine every day to protect your lungs from car exhaust, smoke and daily air pollution. This may help you stay significantly healthier this winter. If you have lung congestion and are coughing, N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine will greatly liquefy the mucous allowing you to cough it up more easily.

Important points: Take N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine in the morning and afternoon if you have a cough; not at night. NAC works well so be prepared to get rid of that sticky mucous that has been residing in your lungs. Many physicians suggest using a minimum of 1000mg of NAC 3x/day away from meals while having thick mucous and lung conditions. It is imperative that you take N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine as it is the active form. Also ensure that you take it away from food in order to get the greatest absorption. If you take NAC with food, your absorption of it goes down as proteins compete for absorption in the intestines.

BE PREPARED: Have a bottle of NAC at home in your bathroom cabinet. At the first sign of getting sick, consider taking two 900mg of NAC away from food 2-3 times a day.

ACTUAL PATIENT USES OF N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine: My grandfather who is 82 had a severe bout of lung congestion and pneumonia. The antibiotics were helping but he still had massive amount of congestion and sticky mucous. I gave him high doses of NAC and within hours, he was coughing up massive amount of mucous. In a few days, he was able to walk up hills with me again. X-rays taken later were clear.

A 32 year old female came in who was staying awake all night from hard, sharp, non-productive spasmodic coughing. I told her to get a humidfier with sea salt, drink loads of pure water at room temperature, and to take 1500mg of N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine every 4 hours. In an hour, she was able to begin coughing up the irritating garbage that was stuck in her lungs.

If taken correctly, N-Acetyl-Cysteine [http://www.healthegoods.com/product/n-acetyl-l-cysteine-pure-encapsulations/natural-health-supplements] may benefit many of those who suffer from long-term or short-term lung conditions including asthma, bronchitis, ARDS, pneumonia and those who work in environments breathing harmful pollutants.

N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine - NAC is the Most Unknown Vital Nutrient For Our Lungs

Dr Benjamin Lynch, ND has a BS degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington and his doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University. Visit Ben's natural health products store. We provide physician-grade non-prescription natural health products.

Nutrient Dense Food List Summary

Many people, myself included, have searched for a "nutrient dense food list". My reason for looking and possibly yours is that last year the American Heart Association recommended that our diets should consist primarily of these "nutrient dense foods". Now they use the term "nutrient rich". They probably thought they were confusing people.

A nutrient dense food list would include practically any food that is not processed, does not contain added sugars or fats and is relatively low calorie when compared to the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc.) that it contains. All fresh fruits and vegetables would be included on this list.

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Many foods that are dried, such as beans, oats, rice and pasta would also be included in a nutrient dense food list. Some have more calories than others, some are enriched with more vitamins and minerals than others. The real problem is the sauces, sugars and other ingredients that we add to these foods that increase the caloric content, without increasing the nutritive value.

Nutrient Dense Food List Summary

In order for a dairy product to be included in a nutrient dense food list, it must be fat free or very low fat. No more than 30% of the calories should come from fats. For example; fat-free cottage cheese would make the list, but cheddar cheese would not.

One small serving of cheddar cheese (about the size of a cheese cube) contains 69 calories and 51 of those calories comes from fat. Reduced fat cheese products are not much better, the calories are reduced, but the percentage of fat is still nearly 50%.

Fat free mozzarella is a good choice, but what you normally see in the grocery store is "part-skim", which has 72 calories per serving, 41 calories from fat and provides only 22% of the body's daily need for calcium. On the other hand, two servings of low fat swiss contains 54 calories, only 14 from fat, and 28% of the calcium needed, plus 8.6 grams of protein.

You can see how making the right choices, not only means that you will be healthier, but also means that you can eat more. An important consideration for anyone trying to lose weight. When buying any kind of processed or packaged food (most dairy products), it is necessary to read the nutrient facts carefully, disregard the manufacturers claim. The product may have less fat than their regular product, but it still may not be a good choice for your diet.

Breads can be another source of confusion. Both the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society recommend that we choose "whole grains", thus we see numerous food manufacturers proudly displaying the "whole grain bread" label. If you read the ingredients, you will find that they all contain "enriched wheat flour", as their primary ingredient. The 79 cent, store brand white sandwich bread contains exactly the same ingredients, compare the labels.

The best advice is to skip the bread whenever possible. Whole grains are oatmeal, barley, rice and other whole grain foods. These can be included on your nutrient dense food list, but choose the low-fat, low-sodium varieties if you are buying a processed, pre-packaged version. The first ingredient on the package label should be a recognizable grain, such as oats, barley, rice, not "oat flour, barley flour or rice flour".

The best choices for meats are fish and skinless chicken breasts. The worst choices are hot dogs and bologna. We need some fat in our diets, but 30% of our total caloric intake is enough. In addition, all fats are not the same. Omega 3 fats, found primarily in fatty fish like salmon and to a lesser extent in tuna and other fish, are necessary for the proper function of the brain and heart.

There are a number of different kinds of fats; trans fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, etc. Trying to figure out this whole labeling thing can be very confusing. The source of the fat is important, animal fat is bad, vegetable fat is not so bad, but 30% from any source is enough.

If you eat around 2000 calories a day, 30% is 600 calories. There are about 100 fat calories in every tablespoon of mayonnaise, cooking oil, margarine, etc. And, you still need to add in the fat calories from fish, chicken, cheese and other sources.

If you need to lose some weight and you are shooting for 1500 calories per day, then 450 total calories from fat is enough. Opinions vary on whether or not less fat is better, but, not to be repetitive, experts agree that 30% is enough.

A complete nutrient dense food list would be book length, at least. A good place to start is to look at the foods that you eat everyday and start replacing the high calorie, high fat, highly processed foods with fresh fruits and vegetables. For more information about nutrient dense foods and heart disease prevention, please visit Heart Healthy Diet Tips.com.

Nutrient Dense Food List Summary

Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a freelance writer. Currently she is writing a series of articles about heart health. Read more at http://heart-health-diet-tips.com

Nutrient Guide for Endurance Athletes

Body's nutrient need increases with the intensity of exercise or sport that the athlete takes up. In order to keep your performance optimum, make sure that you are fulfilling your nutrient needs as outlined by the following account:

Calcium's recommended dietary intake ranges from 1,000 mg to 1,500 mg daily, and it forms an integral part of the overall nutrient plan. However, in a survey conducted recently, fewer than half of the 10,000 male and female athletes questioned were found to be consuming 1,000 mg of calcium daily. Women who are not consuming adequate calcium are facing a grave threat of Osteoporosis. Research indicates that even male athletes can be affected by osteoporosis due to testosterone deficits, in cases of calcium deficiency.

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Iron's importance as a nutrient has to be especially stressed. Low iron levels can be a persistent problem for athletes training for more than six hours per week. In severe cases, they may even experience anemia. Other side effects of low iron stores include an increase in muscle fatigue and a significant reduction in V02max. Iron stores are used up more readily by athletes than by sedentary persons. Nutritional experts recommend 20-25 mg of iron per day for endurance athletes. However, levels higher than 20-25 mg are shown not to be beneficial, and even toxic.

Nutrient Guide for Endurance Athletes

Drop in magnesium can lead to early fatigue, nausea, and muscle cramps. Magnesium salts are constantly lost through sweat and urine. Thus, arises the need for magnesium supplementation for creating a balance overall among all nutrients. Recommended daily intake is 500 to 800 mg for athletes.

Potassium is lost rapidly during exercise at an approximate rate of 200 mg per kilogram of weight lost during exercise. Nutrient supplementation immediately after exercise (less than 2 hours) is absolutely essential, to be administered at a rate of 435 mg for each hour of exercise, but limiting to 5 grams.

Selenium, a nutrient required only in small amounts, is shown to benefit athletes' immune response and help in the repair of cellular damage. 200 mg per day supplementation is considered safe and is crucial for athletes.

Sodium helps in water retention, and prevents dehydration. It also plays a role in ATP production. For extraneous exercises lasting longer than 5 hours, especially in hot weather, a dangerously low sodium level is an imminent threat. Athletes, when involved in such activities, should aim for a nutrient intake of 100 to 300 mg each hour. Most energy drinks can be used for this purpose. For events that are even longer, Electrolyte caps are a better source.

Zinc helps in tissue repair that occurs after exercise. Athletes have a lower serum zinc level as compared to the rest of the population. A fall in zinc levels leads to fatigue and decrease in endurance. Athletes should go for a nutrient intake of 30-60 mg of zinc daily.

Vitamin E is shown to decrease cellular damage in athletes. The daily requirements of vitamin E cannot be obtained through diet alone. A total intake of 400-1200 I.U. should be aimed for.

Studies prove protein needs rise during strenuous exercise. Endurance athletes basically use protein for the maintenance of oxidative metabolism, and for tissue repair. Protein intake that is inadequate, leads to a reduced recovery from exercise, and can hamper wound healing. It is generally recommended that endurance athletes should eat 1.2 to 1.4 g of protein per kg of body weight body. This means that a 55 lb. person should eat about 85-100 grams per day of protein.

Glutamine is an amino acid that helps in the fuelling process of the immune system. Prolonged exercise gradually lowers glutamine levels, which reduces the effectiveness of body's immune system. Glutamine supplementation, after exercise is linked to a lowered risk of infection in athletes. Experts recommend 2.5 grams of glutamine per day.

Nutrient Guide for Endurance Athletes

Saman Rashid is an experienced writer. She has been writing articles and web copies since 3 years. To contact her, kindy visit http://www.mscopywriters.com