More and more reports are telling us that obesity is one of the biggest problems our society faces today. Obesity negatively affects our health in so many ways. It aids in keeping blood pressure high, has a negative affect on diabetes, and puts a severe strain on our health.

People are constantly searching for a pill that will help them lose weight, control appetite, and give them more energy. The drugstore shelves are full of over-the-counter pills that promise to melt fat away. Hoodia, Carb blockers, and others are all advertised to help cut appetite and help you lose weight.

Our own body’s metabolism plays a very significant part in the number of calories we burn, our appetite and the amount of weight we are able to lose. Those over the counter solutions are tried by many people, however many do carry unpleasant side effects such as an increased heart rate, sleeplessness and increased iritability. Over time, your body will become used to the drugs and their effect will reduce. In increasing number of people are now looking to vitamins as a safer and more effective solution to their weight problem.

Weight loss and weight control can be significantly aided by taking the right vitamin supplements because when we are healthy, our body works much more efficiently. There is no one perfect vitamin to take to control weight but there are a few that are well worth taking into consideration because of their effect on the appetite, fat and sugar metabolism and calorie burning.

Vitamin B and Vitamin C are two of the most important vitamins you should be taking for controlling weight apart from their part in contributing to general good health.

The riboflavin vitamin B2 plays an important part in the function of the thyroid and body metabolism. Vitamin B2 can be found in milk products, leafy green vegatables, liver and kidneys, hard cheese, eggs and almonds.

Important for controlling the thyroid function and the body’s glucose toleration is the B3 vitamin Niacin. This is particularly important each time our blood sugar levels rise. Foods rich in vitamin B3 include turkey, chicken, meat, fish, oats, wheat flakes, eggs, dried fruit and brown rice.

Vitamin B5 is another of the B vitamins that helps the body control the use of fat. It also helps the adrenal gland and has positive benefits in raising energy levels. Good sources of vitamin B5 are barley, oats, green vegetables, eggs, molasses, beans, wheat flakes, wheat bran and wheat germ.

B6 vitamins include Choline and Inositol is important in thyroid function and metabolism. Choline is also needed for fat metabolism. Foods you can find these important vitamins are, poultry, beef, fish, eggs, and dried fruits. Choline can be found in beef organs, egg yolks, wheat germ, and peanuts. Inositol can be found in citrus fruits, whole grains, eggs and nuts.

Vitamin C provides many health benefits including converting glucose to energy. You can find this important vitamin in lemons, oranges, strawberries, blackcurrants, and vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage.

If, you make sure that you eat, as part of a balanced diet, as many of the foods I have discussed as possible, you will be significantly increasing your body’s ability to keep your weight under control. As always, moderation is the keyword and it is far better to eat a variety of these vitamin rich foods rather than to focu on just a few.

Eating a healthy balanced diet is always going to be the best way of getting these important weight controlling vitamins into your body. Our busy lifesyles these days means that this is not always possible and this is where a good quality vitamin supplement can help, although under no circumstances should you just rely on supplements to provide you with your nutritional needs.