Vitamins For Women

Is YOUR Vitamin/Health Supplement All It Claims To Be?

Using gender based supplement formulas to increase ones' intake of key gender specific vitamins for women has nowadays become a popular mainstream self health-care strategy for women!

Health conscious women have become savvy and knowledgeable about health issues and are using supplements as one part of a strategy to take greater control of their own health.

Since you've come to this page I think it's safe to say that at some stage you've thought about the issues of your regular nutritional intake, degenerative disease and supplements. If you already use supplements or are considering using or upgrading, then you'll be wanting to know exactly which are the best vitamins for women and exactly what key ingredients should be there in the most effective womens vitamin / health supplement formulas.

I was an executive for a premium nutritional supplement manufacturer. I understand the science underlying supplements and can teach you how to recognise a highly effective supplement from the weaker inefficient imposters posing as the best - which is the case with MANY major popular brands!

You need to be careful with terms like 'vitamins for women' because they've become widely used as an all encompassing 'shortcut' terminology used to refer to ALL the different micro-nutrient forms out there:

• vitamins


• minerals


• trace elements


• phytonutrients


• amino acids


• enzymes


• herbs, herbal extracts


• and so on.......

The consequence of modern 'civilized' living is that our health now needs greater amounts of ALL these micro nutrients on a virtual daily basis, (in quantities significantly larger than what our 21st century diets commonly supply).

As you read down this page and come to recognise what the anatomy of a HIGHLY EFFECTIVE (nutritional-science based) supplement must look like, you'll also understand the nutritional need for FAR MORE than primarily just vitamins and minerals in a 'Female version' vitamin/health supplement formula!

Anyway, to save typing out a long list of micro nutrient categories each time, I'll too resort to using the catch-cry 'vitamins for women' as an all encompassing shortcut if I believe the meaning at that point is perfectly clear.

Vitamins For Women
Ingredients From ALL The Following Nutrient Categories MUST Be Included!

NUTRIENT CATEGORY:

'Vitamins / Minerals'

When it comes to the vitamins and minerals category, the MOST IMPORTANT thing to understand is.............

You don't need a supplement with HIGH DOSES of vitamins and minerals (that for most people are SIMPLY NOT NECESSARY)!

There are of course some exceptions - for example sickness, pregnancy and junk food 'addicts' who eat virtually no fruit and veggies and live on fibreless, nutritionally poor junk and processed food.)

Vitamins and minerals are the cheapest ingredients for supplement manufacturers to include - very CHEAP! Good old vitamin C (ascorbic acid) costs about $15 for an ENTIRE KILO, while other key ingredients cost hundreds of dollars and in some cases over one thousand dollars a kilo!

You'll find around 40% or more of some leading supplements are JUST VITAMIN C!!!

Americans have been bombarded for years with the marketing of this supplement untruth: - "More is Better". Statistical graphs are presented showing deficiencies in certain vitamins for large percentages of the population. The supplement companies have to go to great lengths to try and justify the large amounts of (cheap) vitamins/minerals they use (under the 'optimal/necessary amount' ruse!)

What they are doing is simply filling up a significant portion of the tablet with cheaper ingredients so as to increase their profits. Three of the cheapest ingredients commonly used to 'fill up' supplement tablets are:

•    CALCIUM



•    MAGNESIUM



•    VITAMIN C

Health conscious women, who include supplements as part of their health-care regime are NOT part of the population demographics shown in those graphs.

Vitamins and minerals must of course be there but in low doses, to act PRIMARILY AS COFACTORS, and to top up any borderline deficiencies you may have. (Use this link if you'd be interested to read my vitamins and the immune system page.)

"What about calcium and osteoporosis"? I get asked this a lot. Calcium is another example of a cheap cheap cheap ingredient! Osteoporosis is, as you know, a serious condition for many women.

Sure, you need more calcium! But as I said above, supplement consumers are health conscious people who have a reasonable foundation to their diets to begin with.

A majority of them easily have adequate intake of calcium via their diet.

With respect to calcium the problem is often not so much not getting enough - but rather poor nutritional choices which cause a leaching of calcium from the bones due to negative calcium balance.

If you do take too much calcium it will pass straight through you. But, there is also the potential of upsetting the balance of this mineral in your body and creating complications.

For example, it is possible to get hypercalcemia if you ingest too much calcium. This has been found to be a problem with people who use liquid ionized calcium supplements. (4)

Calcium is so cheap that if you feel you need additional, or have been diagnosed with low levels, then you are best to purchase it separately - or better still drastically increase the daily amount, and variety, of fresh fruits and (preferably raw) vegetables in your diet along with increased amounts of dairy foods (low fat varieties!)

While most vitamins are cheap ingredients, the price manufacturers pay depends on the potency used. Ingredient potencies need to be examined and compared when choosing a vitamins for women type supplement.

No detail should be left unchecked. That's what supplement companies hope you won't do!

Here's the bottom line:

NUTRIENT CATEGORY:

'Phytonutrients and Other Antioxidants'

Phytonutrients are disease busting compounds that come from plant extracts - primarily flavonoids and carotenoids. They really are SUPER NUTRIENTS which you definitely want to see making up a significant part of your supplement.

I'm talking about high potency phytonutrients. The toxins, food additives and environmental stressors you face daily are creating havoc in your body by significantly increasing the production of free radicals.

"Free radical damage to organs, cells and DNA is at the heart of why we age and get disease."

ANTIOXIDANTS SCAVENGE FREE RADICALS, to reduce and repair their damage. So antioxidants protect and extend the lifespan of your cellular DNA. They manage the free radical process and keep it UNDER CONTROL!

So you need lots of potent antioxidants and that's where a premium grade health vitamin can make a HUGE difference to your health!

Most phytonutrients are POWERFUL antioxidants!

Here's a list of phytonutrients which have the MOST POWERFUL antioxidant capacities:

• Bilberry


• Cranberry


• Green Tea


• Resveratrol


• Lutein


• Zeaxanthin


• Quercetin


• Rutin


• Hesperiden


• Astaxanthin


• Grape Seed


• Lycopene


• Soy Isoflavones


• Myricetin


• Beta carotene


• Alpha carotene

The best vitamins for women formulas contain virtually ALL of these!

And here's some more well established, leading antioxidants. The most efficious health supplement formulas will once again contain most of these:

• L-Glutathione (low molecular weight form ONLY)


• N-Acetyl L- Cysteine


• Gingko Biloba


• Curcumin (Turmeric)


• Alpha Lipoic Acid


• Hawthorne Berry


• Tocotrienols


• Coenzyme Q10


• Oregon Grape (Mahonia)


• Ginger


• Black Cumin


• L - Carnosine


• DMAE


• Selenium


• Zinc

Of these key ingredients, the extremely expensive ones for supplement manufacturers to use are:

• L-Glutathione (low molecular weight)


• Bilberry


• Resveratrol (high potency - at least 40% )


• Turmeric (high potency - at least 90%)


• Zeaxanthin

KEY POINT: L-Gluthathione is a crucial compound in your cells. It is the most abundant antioxidant enzyme in your body and is essential for cell health and organ survival. Researchers have noted that in most diseases there are below normal levels of L-Gluthathione in the body.

As you age your body produces less and less of this crucial compound hence the need for it in your supplement.

In nutritional supplement formulas, L-Gluthathione MUST be included in the 'reduced - low molecular weight' form. (In healthy tissue 90% of the total Gluthathione pool is in the reduced form). (5)

The 'reduced - low molecular weight' form means the molecules are much smaller - they can penetrate your intestinal cell membrane walls. With the 'Regular' form of L-Gluthathione the molecules are too big and so absorption is very poor.

L-Gluthathione (reduced) costs around $800 per kilo wholesale price! It's very expensive so very few supplements contain it. It is however a key ingredient which absolutely should be there!

When purchasing expensive, premium grade supplements containing L-Glutathione, it's essential to understand that L-Glutathione Is DESTROYED BY STOMACH ACID!

Any supplement containing L-Gluthathione (and other key ingredients also susceptible to stomach acid such as Alpha Lipoic Acid, DMAE, L-Carnosine, N-Acetyl L-Cysteine, Resveratrol, Enzymes and so on) MUST BE ENTERIC COATED. Enteric coating is an expensive pharmaceutical grade delivery system which protects ingredients through the stomach until they reach the upper intestine. The coating then harmlessly dissolves and the ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream.

On your vitamins for women formula list please highlight the words 'low molecular weight ONLY' next to L-Gluthathione.

******Don't waste your money on supplements containing the regular form of L-Gluthathione! You won't benefit from this essential ingredient because it won't make it into your bloodstream.

NUTRIENT CATEGORY:

'Herbs'

Menstruation and menopause are two factors which influence the composition of vitamins for women formulas.

Hormonal balance is integral for well-being in women. If hormones are working incorrectly, or are depleted, PMS, menstrual disorders and menopause will bring on their problems, from general symptoms like hot flushes and night sweats, to monthly menstrual discomfort (at any age.)

When it comes to vitamins for women type supplements the safest way to re-balance a women's body is to provide it with specialized nutrients in the form of HORMONAL PRECURSORS.

The 5 key hormonal precursors which should be in your supplement are:

• Black Cohosh


• Red Clover


• Dong Quai


• Wild Yam


• Isoflavones

Then we have other well established (and in some cases 'legendary') MEDICINAL HERBS. These have been used over centuries to cure or improve numerous health conditions, as well as acting in a preventive health-care role for people without any problems.

Here is a list of the most beneficial, well established medicinal herbs. Most have broad spectrum capabilities which is why they are the leading choices for supplement formulas

The most effective supplements contain all or most of these herbs. The pharmacological actives are isolated and are included as (standardized) 'extracts' in the formula. They MUST be standardized - this guarantees consistency of the all important active ingredients when supplements are manufactured. The active ingredients can vary TREMENDOUSLY in non-standardized extracts.

Supplement companies slip some non-standardized extracts their formulas to save costs! (they are far cheaper than standardized extracts!)

Be sure to check your supplement label to learn whether ALL herbal extracts are standardized. These are critical ingredients for treating (and guarding against) the ROOT cause(s) of disease!

• Bilberry


• Black Cumin


• Ginger


• Gingko Biloba


• Grape Seed


• Gotu Kola


• Green Tea


• Hawthorne Berry


• Mahonia Grape


• Myrrh


• Olive Leaf


• Turmeric

NUTRIENT CATEGORY:

'Amino Acids

A (WIDE) range of amino acids must also be there in a cutting edge vitamins for women formula.

Amino Acids are the principal building blocks of protein and enzymes. They are an IMPORTANT CLASS OF NUTRIENTS. They play important roles in many metabolic processes involving energy, immune system, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, hormone balancing, balancing blood sugar and brain health.

Unfortunately with today's 'weight loss' mind-set, especially among women, and also the grossly insufficient amount of vegetables consumed in our general diets - MANY people do not consume the necessary amounts of protein foods to obtain the amino acids they need on a daily basis.

Yes - vegetables contain protein! Peas, broccoli and spinach, just to name three, have a lot!!

Most people are totally unaware that broccoli for instance has about TWICE AS MUCH PROTEIN AS STEAK!

Key amino acids and derivatives for health/vitamin supplement formulas:

• L-Taurine


• L-Arginine HCL (conditionally essential)


• L-Methionine


• L-Threonine


• L-Tyrosine


• L-Carnosine


• L-Glutathione


• L-Proline


• L-Lysine


• N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine


• Carnitine / Acetyl-L-Carnitine

NUTRIENT CATEGORY:

'Digestive Enzymes'

Time for another essential entry into your vitamins for women formula list - ENZYMES!

Without the action of enzymes, digestion would not be possible. As you age your bodies slow down the manufacture of enzymes. Without an adequate supply of essential enzymes the benefits of taking any of the other nutrients mentioned above would be largely negated.

So you need 3 classes of digestive enzymes in your supplement:

• 'Proteolytic' to digest protein (e.g. papain & bromelain)


• 'Lipases' to digest fat


• 'Amylases' to digest carbohydrates

FINALLY - THAT CRUCIAL CATEGORY:

'Anti Aging'

This is not a 'nutrient' category in itself but in relation to the way we live nowadays, anti aging ingredients are an absolutely essential part of your vitamins for women supplement formula. It's these ingredients in particular which separate the market's best formulas from (major brand) pretenders whose formulas cannot address the anti aging equation properly! Nutrients with anti aging capabilities are critical in countering 21st century living. It's a complex topic but to summarize as briefly as possible, it goes like this:

Modern, western 'civilized' living puts us in the most 'easy' and convenient period humans have every lived in BUT the consequences of this are generating devastating effects on the general health of an overwhelming portion of the population. We suffer a continuous daily bombardment of varying degrees from environmental and dietary toxins and stressors - a 'modern day' situation which is impossible to avoid (unless you pack up and go live with the hunza tribes in the Himalayas!)

The net result of this has been a significant increase in the rate at which many people are aging. The single greatest devastating health problem that an overwhelming portion of the population now face is PREMATURE AGING! The undeniable result is that each and every year an increasing percentage of the population is contracting major degenerative disease(s) at earlier and earlier ages!

The ever increasing incidence of MAJOR degenerative disease (EG. heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and so on) is the undeniable proof of the life-shortening consequences of PREMATURE AGING.

So, what you are looking for in a vitamins for woman supplement formula is a comprehensive range of ingredients which can COMPREHENSIVELY AND TANGIBLY ADDRESS:

• Premature Aging - by slowing and normalizing the rate of aging
  (a complex, multi-faceted task!)


• Strengthening overall health - by targeting every organ and system in the body with well established ingredients


• At the most basic level - correcting any borderline nutritional deficiencies that may be present

The best nutritional vitamins for women supplements do exactly that! Unfortunately there are very few in the market that fall into this elite category of the best vitamin supplements (although all the sophisticated marketing presentations would have you believe otherwise!) I've reviewed hundreds of multi nutrient nutritional vitamin/health supplements so I know just how small this elite group currently is!!!

99% of supplements (including ALMOST ALL of the really well known, so-called 'premium' brands, DO NOT contain the specialized ingredients to tackle the four causes of aging.

MARKETING AND 'SPIN' ASIDE - THE TRUTH IS THAT SIMPLE FOLKS!

If you expect a vitamins for women supplement to create significant and tangible anti aging results which will become increasingly apparent as you age, your supplement formula MUST contain the 'SPECIALIZED INGREDIENTS' which can address the four fundamental causes of aging:

• Free Radicals


• Glycation


• Methylation


• Inflammation

Why can't 99% of health/vitamin supplements address all causes of aging? It is simply because they are MADE TO A SET PRICE!

The supplement companies are under constant shareholder pressure for INCREASED PROFITS (aka. GREED) and with large, ineffective organizational structures and expense heavy marketing and distribution systems, they simply cannot afford to include the specialised ingredients (some of which are very costly) necessary to address these four CRITICAL 'aging components'! Their scientists are restricted in what they can include in a supplement formula. This prevents them from formulating to the very best of their abilities (and in accordance with the very best of the nutritional sciences).

So what exactly do they do when it comes to anti aging results?

They unsuccessfully approach the task by targeting ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR CAUSES OF AGING - that is the reduction of free radicals by including antioxidants!

To effectively and successfully slow down and normalize your rate of aging a vitamins for women health supplement must include special ingredients which can achieve the following:

• Reduce And Control Production Of Free Radicals - thereby minimizing oxidative damage in your body (a complex, multi-faceted task!)


• Prevent Or Reduce Glycation - which leads to health destroying Age's


• Balance Your Methylation- for Healthy undamaged DNA


• Reduce Chronic Inflammation - which leads to organ degeneration

The Names of Those Key Anti Aging Ingredients:

To learn the names of the specialized anti aging ingredients, some of which are rarely used in the supplement industry due to their cost and need for protection from stomach acid with an enteric coating, please use this link to visit my super supplements hubpage. Scroll down to the 'Free Radicals' sub-heading and read on from there.

Vitamins For Women
Which Supplement Wins My Vote?

Total Balance from Xtend-Life is a new generation, health supplement which I believe has set a new benchmark for multi nutrient vitamin/health supplements!

Total Balance is NOT a multi vitamin/mineral supplement! It's a Multi Nutrient Health Supplement which is worlds apart!

Comparing Total Balance to a multi vitamin/mineral supplement is like comparing the Titanic with a row boat!

The bio-scientist who created Total Balance is one of the world's most renowned scientists with both a pharmaceutical and natural substance background. Even NASA in the USA had him creating natural brain formulas for their astronauts program - that's how exceptional he is.

View Total Balance Men's (Regular)

View Total Balance Women's (Regular)



View Total Balance Men's (Premium) The one I use!

View Total Balance Women's (Premium)

THE TOTAL BALANCE FORMULA IS UNIQUE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY IT'S TOTALLY AFFORDABLE!

It costs the same as all the other (so-called) industry leading health/vitamin supplements which don't come close to matching Total Balance's efficacy or value for money!


The Total Balance formula contains ALL of these categories of ingredients:

• Vitamins 


• Minerals 


• Trace Elements 


• Enzymes  


• Antioxidants 


• Amino Acids 


• Anti-Glycation Agents


• Neuronutrients 


• Flavanoids 


• Carotenoids 


• Methylation Agents


• Adaptogens


• Calorie Restriction Mimetics


• Herbal Extracts


• Co-factors

What I particularly love is that the Xtend-life company keeps updating the formula. They are currently on their 6th generation formulas. That's 6 updates in 8 years since Total Balance was first formulated. The formulas always include any significant new breakthroughs in the nutritional sciences!

You can see how Total Balance nails its competitors by visiting my supplement comparisons on my best vitamin supplements page.

Read my complete no holds barred review of Total Balance here.

This link will take you directly to the Total Balance 'Which Version Is Right For You' product page on the xtend-life website



Good Health Always Ladies!




Some Related Sites I've Come Across Dealing With Womens Health Issues Not Covered In My Site:
Nowadays you have to admit it's a popular topic for many of you! Breast Enlargement, Breast Reduction & Breast Implants At this comprehensive site you can read about the mind/body/spirit approach to Breast Plastic Surgery featuring honest and informative commentary on a variety of breast health and improvement topics. Discover a full range of free articles about breast augmentation, reduction, reconstruction and mastopexy, as well as non-surgical breast aesthetic treatments. This is farrrr from any of my areas of expertise so I recommend you pop over to the breast-plastic-surgery.org site if this topic interests you

Hair loss is a devastating condition for many people. The majority of us dread the though of thinning hair or baldness. Diet and nutritional factors play a large part in hair loss - its' not just all about genetic factors. Learn more about Vitamins Hair Loss, Hair Loss Vitamins, DHT Removers, and Lecithin Hair loss" hair loss vitamins this site is well put together and the content is thorough and well researched. If you're thinning on top take a look at this site.

Ok - twenty first diets is a topic I could spend hours writing about. Most health savvy consumers have good nutritional dietary knowledge about what they should be eating and not eating but digestive issues are not well understood. Digestive herbs can help you with poor digestion and there's a terribly large number of people out there with poor digestion. What's the point of all that great food if you are not digesting all of the really important and effective nutrients you want from your regular dietary intake. I suggest you visit this site if you want to update your knowledge about digestion and nutrients which can help, particularly herbs for digestion Some of the medicinal herbs have strong properties which can help with digestive complications

Now, I couldn't cook to save myself but a female friend told me that a number of the healthy recipes on this next site are wonderful. They deal with some of natures super foods - the ones we should be eating every single day, like blueberries and broccoli for example. I rarely miss a day when I don't get in several servings of these potent functional foods (always raw so as to get all the goodness. All kinds of cooking destroys important components - like enzymes) Just wish that blueberries (actually, all the berries) were not so darned expensive!

No womens health issues section would be complete without some weight loss information. This next site is authored by a friend of mine. Weight loss is not one of my areas of expertise but I have a sound knowledge of the underlying science behind it. I've read through many of the posts on this weight loss help and tips site and I can tell you that the content is 'real' factual and presented in an extremely straightforward manner without all the usual gloss, fluff and silly BS! There are a ton of practical weight loss tips and strategies that are underpinned by the correct science of weight loss. The articles get straight to the point and tell you only what you need to know!

Here's a great quit smoking site. They show you how to quit smoking NOW, using the latest quit smoking drug and get not only immediate sucess but also enjoy the long term health benefits. So, for quit smoking aids, visit this site and get permanent relief from your addiction.

Ridiculously expensive health care costs affect way too many of us. There are however some fantasticly priced options out there if you know where to look. If you're struggling under the cost of healthcare then please visit the 'health plans plus' website. You can save up to 80% on healthcare costs with their discount dental and medical plans. That's huge (and the way it should be!) - Health Plans Plus

Vitamin pills are often very convenient. When time permits however we can create our own vitamin rich super green drinks. Making your own green alkaline drink, rich in nutrition is easy. All you require is a vegetable juicer and some of your favorite leafy greens to make your drink from. The taste of alkaline green drinks may not be for everyone but health benefits are.

There are probably just as many excuses why you think you can't stay in shape, as there are good reasons why you should. Unfortunately, these excuses often outweigh any motivation to exercise or eat right. Sure, you want to look and feel your best, but why does staying fit have to be so much work? Visit this site for health and fitness tips and learn why staying fit doesnt have to be hard work at all.

For all the new mum's reading this, are you tired of sleeping just a couple of hours a night? Find out how to get your baby to sleep in this wonderful book, (for just $7). My sister recently bought this book and I read through it the other day. Fantastic! healthy sleep happy baby is quite achievable and this easy to read book gives you tips and advice on how to create a safe sleeping enviroment for your baby.


Here Are Some Interesting, Factual and Practical Sites - Not Related To Womens Health But Which Should Be of Help To Many People!

I found these sites really interesting because I've often had problems with ants and termites - a common problem for many people. I picked up several easy little tricks which I have since successfully used! Facts about ants - how to kill ants These kind of sites are totally useful for learning how to deal with common everyday annoyances without having to call in professionals and spend a ton of money.

and on a related theme this next site deals with those horrible little pests - termites getting rid of termites If you've had termites (which I have) then you know what a horrible problem they are. See if this site helps you.