Body and Weight

ABOUT FRUIT JUICES AND SMOOTHIES!

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:59:00 +0000

A FUN and EASY way to get more vitamins & minerals into your diet is by drinking freshly made fruit juices, vegetable juices, and by blending thick and frothy smoothies and shakes from frozen fruit. If you have never taken a mouthful of cantaloupe juice or strawberry juice mixed with apple, you simply have not lived. Blueberry juice is a taste of liquid heaven.

Freshly made juices are a tremendous source of bio-available vitamins and minerals which are the partners of enzymes and co-enzymes. Vitamins activate enzymes and without vitamins, enzymes could not carry out their work, and we could not live.

Enzymes act as catalysts in hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that take place throughout your body, and are essential for digesting, absorbing and converting food into body tissue. Enzymes produce energy at the cellular level and are critical for most of the metabolic activities taking place in your body every second of every day.

Another benefit of drinking fresh juices and smoothies is that your body can absorb MORE of the vitamins and minerals than if you were to eat the fruits and vegetables whole! Many of the nutrients are TRAPPED in the fiber and by blending fruits and vegetables, you break down the fiber and release the vital nutrients.

Example:
When you eat a raw carrot, you are only able to assimilate a small percentage of the available beta carotene. When a carrot is juiced, removing the fiber, a LARGE percentage of the beta carotene can be assimilated by your body.

Of course, you still need to eat whole produce because fiber is also an important part of your daily diet. Meeting you or your children's need for energy and nutrients is essential for good health. Children who do not meet their needs for energy may stop growing and gaining weight. In severe situations, they can develop a condition which is life threatening called protein energy malnutrition. Vitamins and minerals are only required in very small amounts, but a diet insufficient in these can cause SEVERE deficiency diseases.

You may be showing signs of malnutrition if you ...
Vitamins and minerals

EAT ONLY WHEN HUNGRY

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:06:00 +0000

If we do this we eat only to supply the demands of the body. We cannot repeat too often the admonition, do not eat if not hungry. If this plan were followed the present three meals-a-day plan would end. Also the practice of many of eating between meals and in the evening before retiring would cease. For most people real hunger would call for about one meal a day, with occasionally some small amounts of fruit during the day.

Hunger is the "voice of nature" saying to us that food is required. There is no other true guide as to when to eat. The time of day, the habitual meal time, etc., are not true guides. Although genuine hunger is a mouth and throat sensation and depends upon an actual physiological need for food, muscular contractions of the stomach accompany hunger and are thought by physiologists, to give rise to the hunger sensation.

Carlson, of the Chicago University, found that in a man who had been fasting two weeks, these gastric "hunger" contractions had not decreased, although there was no desire for food. The same has been observed in animals. Indeed these contractions are seen to increase and yet they do not produce the sensation of hunger. I do not consider these so-called "hunger-contractions" as the cause of hunger. Real hunger is a mouth and throat sensation.

But there is a difference between hunger and what is called appetite. Appetite is a counterfeit hunger, a creature of habit and cultivation, and may be due to any one of a number of things; such as the arrival of the habitual meal time, the sight, taste, or smell of food, condiments and seasonings, or even the thought of food. In some diseased states there is an almost constant and insatiable appetite. None of these things can arouse true hunger; for, this comes only when there is an actual need for food. One may have an appetite for tobacco, coffee, tea, opium, alcohol, etc., but he can never be hungry for these, since they serve no real physiological need.

Appetite is often accompanied by a gnawing or "all gone" sensation in the stomach, or a general sense of weakness; there may even be mental depression. Such symptoms usually belong to the diseased stomach of a glutton and will pass away if their owner will refrain from eating for a few days. They are temporarily relieved by eating and this leads to the idea that it was food that was needed. But such sensations and feelings do not accompany true hunger. In true hunger one is not aware that he has a stomach for this, like thirst, is a mouth and throat sensation. Real hunger arises spontaneously, that is without the agency of some external factor, and is accompanied by a "watering of the mouth" and usually by a conscious desire for some particular food.

Dr. Gibson says that, "The condition known as appetite, … with its source and center in nervous desire, and its motive in self-indulgence, is a mere parasite on life, feeding on its host--the man himself whose misdirected imagination invites it into his own vital household; while hunger, on the other hand, is the original, constitutional prompter for the cell-world calling for means to supply the true need and necessities of man's physical nature.

… Appetite does not express our needs, but our wants; not what we really need, but what we think we need. It is imagination running riot, fashioning out of our gluttonous greed an insatiable vampire which grows with our wants, and increases its power until finally it kills us unless we determine to kill it. … As long as our attention is absorbed in the pleasures of the table, in the gratification of eating for its own sake, and in the introduction of new combinations to bring about stimulating effects, we are increasing the power of our appetite at the expense of our hunger." The hungry person is able to eat and relish a crust of dry bread; he who has only an appetite must have his food seasoned and spiced before he can enjoy it. Even a gourmand is able to enjoy a hearty meal if there is sufficient seasoning to whip up his jaded appetite and arouse his palsied taste. He would be far better off if he would await the arrival of hunger before eating.

There is no doubt of the truth of Dr. Geo. S. Weger's thought that "appetite contractions in the stomach are often excited by psychic states, as influenced by the senses." Appetite contractions thus aroused, are of distinct advantage in digesting a meal if they are super-added to preexisting hunger contractions. We know that these psychic states increase the flow of the digestive juices make the stomach "water" as well as the mouth and enhance digestion.

Dr. Claunch says, "the difference between true hunger and false craving may be determined as follows: when hungry and comfortable it is true hunger. When hungry and uncomfortable it is false craving. When a sick person misses a customary meal, he gets weak before he gets hungry. When a healthy person misses a customary meal, he gets hungry before he gets weak."

If we follow the rule to eat only when truly hungry, those people who are "hungry" but weak and uncomfortable would fast until comfort and strength returned. Fasting would become one of the most common practices in our lives, at least, until we learn to live and eat to keep well and thus eliminate the need for fasting.

There are individuals who are always eating and always "hungry." They mistake a morbid irritation of the stomach for hunger. These people have not learned to distinguish between a normal demand for food and a symptom of disease. They mistake the evidences of chronic gastritis or of gastric neurosis for hunger.

Hunger, as previously pointed out, is the insistent demand for food that arises out of physiological need for nourishment. Appetite, on the other hand, is a craving for food which may be the result of several different outside factors operating through the mind and senses. Anything that will arouse an appetite will encourage one to eat, whether or not there exists an actual need for food.

Hunger may be satisfied and appetite still persist, a not unusual thing. Our many course dinners, with everything especially prepared to appeal to the taste and smell, are well designed to keep alive appetite, long after hunger has been appeased. No man is ever hungry when he reaches the dessert, so commonly served after a many course dinner. Few, though filled to repletion and perhaps uncomfortable in the abdomen, ever refuse to eat the dessert. It is especially prepared to appeal to appetite. This style of eating necessarily and inevitably leads to overeating and disease. Too many articles of food at a meal overstimulate and induce overeating. Hunger and the sense of taste are the only guides as to the quantity and character of food required. If we eat when we are not hungry, and if the delicate sensibilities of taste have been dulled and deadened by gluttonous indulgence and by condiments, spices, alcohol, etc., it ceases to be a reliable guide.

The unperverted instinct of hunger craves most keenly the food that is most needed by the body and the unperverted taste derives the most pleasure and satisfaction out of the food or foods demanded, and will be satisfied when we have consumed sufficient of such food or foods to supply the body's needs. But, if we have been in the habit of crowding the stomach when there is no demand for food, just because it is meal time, or because the doctor ordered it, and we know no other indication that enough food has been consumed, than that the stomach can hold no more, we are headed for disaster.

The existence of a natural demand for food indicates that food is required by the body and that the organs of the body are ready to receive and digest it. Eating when there is no time, or as a social duty, or because one has been able to stimulate an appetite, is a wrong to the body. Both the quality and quantity, and the frequency of meals should be regulated by the rules of hygiene rather than by those of etiquette and convenience.

RAW FOOD HEALING DIETS

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Next in declining order of healing effectiveness is what I call a raw food healing diet or cleansing diet. It consists of those very same watery fruits and non-starchy vegetables one juices or makes into vegetable broths, but eaten whole and raw. Heating food does two harmful things: it destroys many vitamins, enzymes and other nutritional elements and it makes many foods much harder to digest. So no cooked vegetables or fruits are allowed because to maintain health on this limited regimen it is essential that every possible vitamin and enzyme present in the food be available for digestion.

Even though still raw, no starchy or fatty vegetables or fruits are allowed that contain concentrated calories like potatoes, winter squash, avocados, sweet potatoes, fresh raw corn, dates, figs, raisins, or bananas. And naturally, no salad dressings containing vegetable oils or (raw) ground seeds are allowed. Nor are raw grains or other raw concentrated energy sources.

When a person starts this diet they will at first experience considerable weight loss because it is difficult to extract a large number of calories from these foods (though I have seen people actually gain weight on a pure melon diet, so much sugar do these fruits have, and well-chewed watermelon seeds are very nourishing). Eating even large quantities of only raw fruit and raw non-starchy vegetables results in a slow but steady healing process about 10 to 20 percent as rapid as water fasting.

A raw food cleansing diet has several huge advantages. It is possible to maintain this regimen and regularly do non-strenuous work for many months, even a year or more without experiencing massive weight loss and, more important to some people, without suffering the extremes of low blood sugar, weakness and loss of ability to concentrate that happen when water fasting. Someone on a raw food cleanse will have periods of lowered energy and strong cravings for more concentrated foods, but if they have the self-discipline to not break their cleansing process they can accomplish a great deal of healing while still maintaining more or less normal (though slower paced) life activities. However, almost no one on this diet is able to sustain an extremely active life-style involving hard physical labor or competitive sports. And from the very beginning someone on a raw food cleanse must be willing and able to lie down and rest any time they feel tired or unable to face their responsibilities. Otherwise they will inevitably succumb to the mental certainty that their feelings of exhaustion or overwhelm can be immediately solved by eating some concentrated food to "give them energy." Such low-energy states will, however, pass quickly after a brief nap or rest.

Something else gradually happens to a body when on such a diet. Do you recall that I mentioned that after my own long fast I began to get more "mileage" out of my food. A cleansed, healed body becomes far more efficient at digestion and assimilation; a body that is kept on a raw food cleansing diet will initially lose weight rapidly, but eventually weight loss slows to virtually nothing and then stabilizes. However, long-term raw fooders are usually thin as toothpicks.

Once starchy vegetables like potatoes or winter squash, raw or cooked, or any cereals, raw or cooked, are added to a cleansing diet, the detoxification and healing virtually ceases and it becomes very easy to maintain or even gain weight, particularly if larger quantities of more concentrated foods like seeds and nuts are eaten. Though this diet has ceased to be cleansing, few if any toxins from misdigestion will be produced and health is easy to maintain.

"Raw fooders" are usually people who have healed themselves of a serious diseases and ever after continue to maintain themselves on unfired food, almost as a matter of religious belief. They have become convinced that eating only raw, unfired food is the key to extraordinarily long life and supreme good health. When raw fooders wish to perform hard physical work or strenuous exercise, they"ll consume raw nuts and some raw grains such as finely-ground oats soaked overnight in warm water or deliciously sweet "Essene bread," made from slightly sprouted wheat that is then ground wet, made into cakes, and sun baked at temperatures below about 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Essene bread can be purchased in some health food stores. However, little or no healing or detoxification can happen once concentrated energy sources are added to the diet, even raw ones.

During my days at Great Oaks School I was a raw fooder for some years, though I found it very difficult to maintain body heat on raw food during chilly, rainy Oregon winters and eventually struck a personal compromise where I ate about half my diet raw and the rest fired.

WEIGHT LOSS BY FASTING

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:51:00 +0000

Loss of weight indicates, almost guarantees, that detoxification and healing is occurring. I can"t stress this too much. Of all the things I find my patients seem to misunderstand or forget after being told, it is that they can"t heal in a rapid manner without getting smaller. This reality is especially hard for the family and friends of someone who is fasting, who will say, "you"re looking terrible dear, so thin. Your skin is hanging on your bones. You"re not eating enough protein or nutrient food to be healthy and you must eat more or you"re going to develop serious deficiencies. You don"t have any energy, you must be getting sicker. You"re doing the wrong thing, obviously. You have less energy and look worse every day. Go and see a doctor before it is too late." To succeed with friends like this, a faster has to be a mighty self-determined person with a powerful ability to disagree with others.

Medical personnel claim that rapid weight loss often causes dangerous deficiencies; these deficiencies force the person to overeat and regain even more weight afterward. This is largely untrue, though there is one true aspect to it: a fasted, detoxified body becomes a much more efficient digester and assimilator, extracting a lot more nutrition from the same amount food is used to eat. If, after extended fasting a person returns to eating the same number of calories as they did before; they will gain weight even more rapidly than before they stated fasting.

When fasting for weight loss, the only way to keep the weight off is to greatly reform the diet; to go on, and stay on, a diet made up largely of nonstarchy, watery fruits and vegetables, limited quantities of cooked food, and very limited amounts of highly concentrated food sources like cereals and cooked legumes. Unless, of course, after fasting, one"s lifestyle involves much very hard physical labor or exercise. I’ve had a few obese fasters become quite angry with me for this reason; they hoped to get thin through fasting and after the fast, to resume overeating with complete irresponsibility as before, without weight gain.

People also fear weight loss during fasting because they fear becoming anorexic or bulimic. They won’t! A person who abstains from eating for the purpose of improving their health, in order to prevent or treat illness, or even one who fasts for weight loss will not develop an eating disorder.

Eating disorders mean eating compulsively because of a distorted body image. Anorexics and bulimics have obsessions with the thinner-is-better school of thought. The anorexic looks at their emaciated frame in the mirror and thinks they are fat! This is the distorted perception of a very insecure person badly in need of therapy. A bulimic, on the other hand stuffs themselves, usually with bad food, and then purges it by vomiting, or with laxatives. Anorexics and bulimics are not accelerating the healing potential of their bodies; these are life threatening conditions. Fasters are genuinely trying to enhance their survival potential.

Occasionally a neurotic individual with a pre-existing eating disorder will become obsessed with fasting and colon cleansing as a justification to legitimize their compulsion. During my career while monitoring hundreds of fasters, I"ve known two of these. I discourage them from fasting or colon cleansing, and refuse to assist them, because they carry the practices to absurd extremes, and contribute to bad press about natural medicine by ending up in the emergency ward of a hospital with an intravenous feeding tube in their arm.

HOMEMADE BEAUTY RECIPES

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:34:00 +0000

Avocado Facial

Avocado is a naturally rich moisturizer. Mash the meat of the avocado into a creamy texture. Massage into the face and neck. Leave on for 15 minutes and gently rinse off.

Facial Mask
Squeeze half a lemon and mix the juice with one beaten egg white. Leave on your face overnight or, for a quick pick-me-up, just 15 minutes. Splash warm water on your face to rinse. It helps to removes blotches, because the lemon works as a bleaching agent.

Egg & Honey Mask
Mix together 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon almond oil and 1 tablespoon yogurt. Honey stimulates and smoothes, egg and almond oil penetrate and moisturize, and yogurt refines and tightens pores.

Cornmeal Facial Mask
Two tablespoons of cornmeal mixed with enough water to make a thick paste makes a great inexpensive facial mask. Gently apply to face and wash off.

Lighten Circles under Eyes
To lighten dark circles under your eyes, wrap a grated raw potato in cheesecloth and apply to eyelids for 15-20 minutes. Wipe off residue and apply an eye cream.

Egg, Avocado & Mud Facial Mask
(best for oilier skin types)
Clay is available in powder form at any health food store. Mix 1 tbsp. dry clay with 1 egg yolk, 1/4 of a mashed avocado and enough witch hazel to create a smooth mixture. Mud dries excess sebum while the egg yolk and avocado replenish lost moisture. Witch hazel tones.

Egg & Olive Oil Hair Mask
Mix two whole eggs with four tablespoons of olive oil. Smooth through hair. Wrap head with plastic wrap, and leave in hair for 10 minutes. Rinse well.

Fruit Smoothie Hair Mask
Blend 1/2 a banana, 1/4 avocado, 1/4 cantaloupe, 1 tablespoon wheat germ oil and 1 tablespoon yogurt. For extra conditioning, squeeze in the contents of a vitamin E capsule. Leave in hair for 15 minutes.

Facial Exfoliater
2 heaped tsp. fine oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
Combine ingredients, and add enough water to make a paste. Apply to skin and rub gently. Rinse and gently pat dry.

Banana Wrinkle Fighter
Banana is wonderful as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Mash 1/4 banana until very creamy. Spread all over face and leave for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water followed by a dash of cold. Gently pat dry.

Grape Cleanser
Grape juice makes an excellent cleanser for any skin type. Simply split one or two large grapes, remove pips and rub the flesh over face and neck. Rinse off with cool water.

FRUIT SMOOTHIES

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:48:00 +0000

All the recipes serve one. You can double or triple the recipes to serve more people.

Apricot-Pineapple-Strawberry Shake
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, canned or fresh
1 fresh apricot, diced, seed removed
6 strawberries, frozen
1/2 banana, cut in chunks, frozen
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 heaping tbsp. high-quality protein powder (optional)
In a blender, process fruit with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Banana-Strawberry Shake
1 banana, cut in chunks, frozen
6 strawberries, frozen
1 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 heaping tbsp. high-quality protein powder (optional)

In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Tropical Shake
1/2 mango, peeled, seed removed
2 tbsp. frozen pina coloda mix (or 1/8 tsp. natural coconut extract)
1/2 banana, cut in chunks, frozen
4 strawberries, frozen
6 ice cubes
1 1/4 cup water
1 heaping tbsp. high-quality protein powder (optional)
In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Banana-Berry Shake
1/2 banana, cut in chunks, frozen
1/2 pear, cored and sliced
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 heaping tbsp. high-quality protein powder (optional)

In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Banana-Orange-Strawberry Shake
1/2 banana, cut in chunks, frozen
6 strawberries, frozen
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 heaping tbsp. high-quality protein powder (optional)
In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly blended and serve.

SMOOTHIE AND SHAKE TIPS

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:42:00 +0000

A smoothie is basically a blended fruit drink. The best-tasting smoothies are made from fruit that is fresh or frozen, and not canned.
All smoothies begin with a liquid base. This can be orange juice, milk or another liquid.
You can make a frostier drink by freezing fresh fruit before making a smoothie.
Smoothies are best when they're fresh out of the blender, but they can be frozen the night before, as well - just remove the smoothie from the freezer about an hour before drinking.
You can replace a meal with a smoothie or shake by adding a scoop of high-quality protein powder and a tbsp. of high-quality olive or flax oil.

5 STEPS TO MAKING THE PERFECT SMOOTHIE

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:33:00 +0000

Put the fruit in the blender first. Make sure that the items are smaller than a golf ball so they will blend completely. Add the liquid ingredients next.
Fasten the lid and press the start button. Use high speed for about 20-30 seconds.
Stop the blender and check to see if the ingredients are well blended. Sometimes the frozen fruit will jam under the blade. If there is jammed fruit, use a spatula to unjam the fruit, and blend again.
Once the mixture is evenly blended, slowly add two ice cubes through the opening of the blender lid. Keep adding one or two ice cubes at a time until the blender sounds smooth instead of gravelly. If your blender is not strong enough to blend ice cubes, omit the ice and substitute just enough ice cold water so that the shake will have a milkshake consistency.
If the shake/smoothie is too thin, add more fruit or ice. If it’s too thick, add more liquid.

FRUIT JUICE RECIPES

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:26:00 +0000

All the fruit juice recipes serve one. You can double or triple the recipes to serve more people.

Lemon-Lime Ginger Ale
1 apple, cored and sliced
½ inch fresh ginger (less if you find the taste too strong)
handful of grapes
1/4 lemon
1/2 lime
sparkling mineral water

Remove the grapes from the stem. Juice the apple and ginger together, then juice the rest of the fruit. Pour the juice in a large glass and fill to the top with sparkling water and serve with ice.

Fruit Punch
1 apple, cored and sliced
6 strawberries, fresh or thawed from frozen
1/2 orange, peeled and sectioned
Process the fruit in a juicer and serve.

Sparkling Tropical Juice
1/2 mango, peeled and sliced
1 orange, peeled and sectioned

Peach-Pear-Apple Juice
2 peaches, remove seed
1 pear, sliced
1 apple, cored and sliced
Process through a juicer and serve.

Gingered Apple Cidar
3 apples, cored and sliced
1 inch piece ginger
Process through a juicer and serve.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICES

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:22:00 +0000

You'll need an inexpensive juice machine.
All fruits and vegetables should be juiced raw.
Small seeded fruit, such as watermelon and pears, may be juiced with their seeds with the exception of papaya and apple seeds. Orange and grapefruit seeds might impart a bitter taste to your juice. Remove the large pits from fruits like peaches and nectarines, etc.
Peel all fruits and vegetables that are not organically grown because the peel is where most of the chemical residues can be found. While most skins of organically grown fruits and vegetables may be left on, with the exception of waxed produce, the skins of pineapples, kiwis, oranges, grapefruits and papaya should be removed.
Choose fresh ripe produce. Rubbery vegetables, bruised fruit, wilted greens and over or under-ripe fruits will produce juices that are neither tasty nor healthful.
Cut the fruits or vegetables into pieces that will fit into the mouth of your juice machine. Turn the juice machine on and push the pieces through the mouth of the juicer. As you juice, pulp will collect in a large receptacle. If you don't clean the pulp out right away, it will develop a sour odor and tiny gnats and fruit flies may appear after 8 to 10 hours.
It is best to drink freshly made juices within one day.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:08:00 +0000

reduce your risk of getting a stroke or heart attack!
strengthen your nails!
improve your hair condition, strength and growth by providing certain essential nutrients to the hair follicle!
beautify your skin by keeping it smooth, soft and disease-free!
provide essential compounds that are necessary for growth, health, normal metabolism and physical well-being! Without them, you would die!
promote normal growth and development!
maintain bone density and strength!
regulate blood clotting!
help in the function of nerves and muscles, including regulating a normal heart beat!

When it comes to choosing a healthy diet for their children, many parents don't realize the important role that beverages play. For example, fruit flavored drinks and soft drinks are not a substitute for real fruit. Many of these drinks only contain 10% real fruit juice. The very best drinks are made from whole fruit and you can make great fruity healthy drinks at home.

YOU MAY BE SHOWING SIGNS OF MALNUTRITION IF YOU...

noreply@blogger.com (MH) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:06:00 +0000

feel tired and weak.
feel like you never have the energy to clean your home,
make meals or even do the dishes.
have difficulty losing or gaining weight.
can't easily get to sleep.
feel stressed and/or nervous.
feel drowsy during the day.
sometimes can't concentrate, you're mind feels numb, or you get
confused easily.
have problems with your digestion.
have constipation and/or hard dry stools.
have mood swings, or get easily upset.
don't have patience for anything.
sometimes feel depressed.
have overly dry or oily skin.
sometimes have nausea and/or abdominal pain.
have annoying eye twitches.
bruise easily.
have muscle cramps and/or low back pain.
sometimes get cracks and sores in the corners of your mouth.
notice that your nails have become thin and/or brittle.
are losing your hair.
have water retention.
have uncontrollable temper outbursts.
don't eat a well-balanced nutritious diet EVERY DAY

Natural vitamins are found only in living things, that is, plants and animals. Your body, with a few exceptions, can't manufacture vitamins. They must be supplied in your food or in dietary supplements but supplements can't replace food, especially fruits and vegetables which provide thousands of substances, some of which have well-known functions, and some whose roles in the human body are not yet understood or recognized.