It seems there's a controversy over vitamins and the benefits they provide to the human body. I know this may not be a new concept, because for every positive statement, no matter what the subject, you will always have someone to disagree, or have a negative comment. That's just a way of life. However, in this article, we're going to focus on vitamins and minerals, and the question, are there any health benefits to taking vitamins?
Let's look at some facts first. Everyone needs vitamins, which are critical for the body. I think we can all agree with that statement. Vitamins are essential to build healthy bones, and muscles. Vitamins are essential to keep the body's cells healthy.
"For most people, the micronutrients we get from foods usually are adequate to prevent vitamin deficiency, which is rare in the
If you happened to read her article, it seems that Ms. Parker-Hope is not a proponent of vitamin supplements. As a matter of fact, in her article, she links to studies which have warnings and/or false hopes with regards to vitamin supplements, and questions regarding their benefits. Like I said before, for all of the positive information, you can always find someone to bash or discredit what has, for the most part, been recognized as good by the majority.
So, are vitamins beneficial, or is it a waste of money adhering to a daily vitamin and mineral regimen? Can we get the proper nutrition expressly from the food we eat?
I believe we cannot get the proper nutrition just from our daily intake of food. If what I say is true, we need to supplement our diet with vitamins and minerals in the form of supplementation. Given our diets and lack of access to healthy foods, and given the dwindling nutritional quality of food generally available today, our bodies need vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements to fill in this nutritional gap. We also have guidelines to follow which are set forth by the government. These guidelines are helpful to us if we plan to attain the proper nutrition on a daily basis.
The guidelines come in the form of the US RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, National Academy of Science. The RDA has helped to educate people about the various vitamins and minerals they actually needed. However, according to Dr. Michael Janson, a leading authority on preventive and alternative medicine "The RDA is actually a useless guideline for today, because it was designed to prevent deficiency diseases such as scurvy and beriberi ... [not for] achieving optimal health and treating disease..." [2] Similar things can be said for the Daily Value (DV) that are referred to on many supplement labels.
Taking a supplement based only on a label that says it fulfills your daily mineral and vitamin requirement may not mean your body is getting what it requires. In order for the the supplement to be effective, it has to be properly absorbed in to the body. That's where some problems arise when trying to test and/or compare vitamin supplements. Not ALL supplements are the same. There have been cases where the supplements pass right through the body and never get absorbed.
Consuming nutritional vitamins and minerals in a liquid or powder form is easier for your body to breakdown and absorb the nutritional content, which in turn, gives your body the daily mineral and vitamin requirement it needs. Liquid and powder supplements start entering your system in your mouth as soon as it comes in contact with your saliva. The next best option is gelatin-free capsules that easily dissolve in stomach acid. Supplements in hard tablet form - especially time released varieties - are most likely to pass through your system relatively intact.
What type of foods do we need to eat to get the recommended daily requirements of vitamins and minerals? Are vitamin supplements only needed in cases, like child-bearing years, women over 65, and extreme vitamin deficiency cases?
Searching Google for the most nutritious foods to eat, I found this article on about.com called Healthy Foods Instead of a Diet. Here is a quote from that article:
"The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, so eat more green, orange and yellow vegetables. Steam them to retain the most nutritional value and be careful with sauces, they may be high in calories and fats that aren't good for you."
"Any pasta or baked goods should be made from whole grains. Avoid sugary snacks and pastries as well. An apple is good for you, an apple pie really isn't."
"Shop for lean meats and don't forget the fish. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in ocean fish are often deficient in our diets, so serve seafood two or three times per week. Baked fish and chicken are healthier than fried, and lean meats like bison or venison may be healthier than higher fat beef." [3]
How many of you have time to eat the types of foods listed above? Yes, I know it all sounds good and healthy, but quite often (ok, everyday) our hectic schedules get in the way of eating the proper food. We have more of a tendency to stop at a fast food restaurant to grab a quick "processed food" lunch. Or we may make slap a sandwich, made of processed lunch meat, together before we leave for work. "Processed lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages have a lot of saturated fat and nitrates in them you don't want in your body." [3]
Sticking to a healthy and nutritious diet can be tough. I know there are people whom are not advocates of vitamin and mineral supplements. I also understand there are different points of views regarding the types of supplements we need to take. However, if I've learned one thing over the years it's you only get what you pay for. So a one-a-day multiple vitamin is not the same as a high quality vitamin and mineral supplement.
So it only makes sense that when comparisons between supplements are being done, or better yet, when doing scientific research, we need to know the types of supplements that are being used. Are they ones that can be purchased in the drug store, or are they from a top notch nutritional company like TriVita? The bottom line is, it's up to us to make a decision based on the facts and information we receive.
As mentioned earlier, any good information found, may have a counterpart. It's up to each of us to draw our own conclusion to the information we receive. It's also good to consider the source when it comes to your health and wellness. With that said, the best source would be your doctor or healthcare professional. As a matter of fact, before starting any vitamin supplementation regimen, always check with either of the individuals listed above.
Jeffrey Sloe
440-725-3729
jeff@internetmarketingadvisors.net
TriVita Independent Business Affiliate, 12871028
Internet Marketing Advisors
Sources
[1] http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/news-keeps-getting-worse-for-vitamins/
[2] http://www.drjanson.com/articles_whyvitamins.htm
[3] http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/keepitsimple.htm
The above information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
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