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Why take Food Supplements and Which Ones are Right for You?
Many people don't come close to meeting their daily nutritional requirements even if they are trying conscientiously. Do you really need food supplements?
 You could say that if you ate the "right" foods in a well-balanced diet you would get all the vitamins you need. The problem is very few of us are able to arrange this mythical diet. Less than 20% of Americans eat the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA June 2002). "Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements." (Journal of the American Medical Association), June 2002 Even if you eat a healthy, plant-based diet, emphasizing fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, you can't be sure they are as nourishing as expected due to the depletion of soil minerals. The widespread use of chemical fertilizers has enabled farmers to produce market-acceptable, "wholesome- appearing" foods from nutrient depleted soils. These foods may have also been deprived of nutrients by modern processing methods that advocate preserving, freezing, heating, canning, coloring, etc.
OK...OK, so what do you do? Most people admit it's difficult, if not impossible, to eat a balanced diet, so taking multiple vitamin/mineral supplements as nutrition insurance just makes good sense. And you might be very surprised at the noticeable difference in your well-being by simply giving your body what it needs to naturally maintain good health. Be careful, though more may sound better, one little capsule jammed with too many ingredients cannot possibly contain enough of each nutrient to be of any noticable effect. It's not just a matter of what's in a capsule, but how much. Note that the JAMA recommendations underscore a concern among nutrition experts that recommended daily allowances for many vitamins are too low. Evidence is growing that higher levels of many vitamins are necessary for optimum health.
"All of us grew up believing that if we ate a reasonable diet, that would take care of our vitamin needs. But the new evidence, much of it in the last couple of years, is that vitamins also prevent the usual diseases we deal with every day-heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and birth defects."
Some foods, taken as supplements can also have beneficial health effects...Read our pages on:
Benefits of Co Enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Arabinogalactan for your immune system Colostrum for your immune system
Related Sites to Visit
http://www.Vitamins-Nutrition.org/ Vitamins ToHealth
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Additional stress may be placed on our bodies by chemical and pesticide exposure. With all the changes and stresses in our lives, we need all the help we can get.
Drs. Robert Fletcher and Kathleen Fairfield of Harvard University agree. According to them scientists' understanding of the benefits of vitamin supplements has rapidly advanced. "It now appears that people who get enough vitamins may have a lower risk of some common chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis."
