Supplementing 101 The doctors say all you need is to eat right and you will get all you need and no need to supplement. This statement has probably kill millions of people. First how do you get good vegetables well you grow them using fertilizer either natural or artificial another words you supplement them. They have known for almost 100 years the soils are mineral deficient a document sent to the government in 1934 stating that fact. Most all plants only need 9 minerals to be healthy and you need to supplement them with NPK to get healthy vegetables. This means you supplement the plant by 1/3 of its needs. People need 60 minerals not all are essential but have the ability to double the life span in animals. Most all farmers supplement their animals to have healthy cattle, horses, ect. Most all animal foods are heavily supplemented with minerals. Dog food has over 40 minerals in it and dogs live longer now than ever before. Baby formulas have 7 – 11 minerals and food chemistry said that formulas only have 40% of the need of an infant. The elements in the periodical table are mostly all minerals and all things are made from them. Plants cannot make minerals but the can make vitamins and amino acids but they need the building elements to do that. The vitamins in fruit and vegetables are becoming less every year.
Point well taken, Martin, but here's the thing…we have to pick the lesser of two evils; supplements, or produce that's been supplemented. So here's what I do. When I get my yearly physical, I ask for a simple blood test called a CBC (complete blood count). That checks all my levels of everything. Whatever I'm deficient in I either take a supplement or add foods to my diet that are high in that. Organic Whole Foods are my preference. CBCs are not usually covered by insurance unless there's a reason. The doctor can always think of a reason. I always say I'm concerned if I'm a diabetic and that seems to do it. I'm not diabetic so I did have a doc ask me why I was concerned and I told her the truth…my mother used to say I'm going to be diabetic if I eat too much ice-cream….um, guilty as charged. But I do exercise a lot. I know I tend to be a little low in B-12 and D3 (unless it's the season for Wild Caught Alaskan King Salmon mmm) so I just take those two to make sure I get it. I feel much more energized when I supplement those two. Otherwise my CBC is perfect. I look for the Non-GMO label too. The US is so far behind Europe when it comes to banning GMOs…it's ridiculous!
Blood test for mineral deficiency might be very misleading. For example if you have high calcium levels in the blood means you are calcium deficient and not have too much. The calcium in the blood just came from your teeth and bones and not from your diet. A hair annalists is a better way of finding mineral deficiencies. Although I like organic there is still no way of knowing what minerals are in the product. For example if you want selenium they will tell you to eat Brazil nuts as they are high in selenium but that is only true if there is selenium in the soil where that tree is growing and the tree doesn't need selenium to grow. If you take a supplement from a good source you know your getting that mineral/ vitamin/ amino acid.
Interesting posts for sure. Thank you. But supplements have their issues too. So we just have to do what works best for each individual…which is varied.
I know it is suggested that we get all we need from food and do not need supplements. I don't trust that statement, the soil is poor and been over worked. Farmers have put chemicals in the food for the animals to get them to be bigger which means we are eating those chemicals. I like the idea of adding supplements to help fight some of the damage that the chemicals have done to my body or what the food is lacking. I can't say it is working but I have to try.
Pat, I'm sorry to here of how these chemicals have damaged your body. Hopefully you have cut out all processed foods and sodas. And I trust you are drinking more water to clean out your system. We have good tap water where I live but just to be sure I bought 2 BPA-Free 2 Gallon containers with a spout, and then for 78 cents each for 2 gallons I just refill them with Reverse Osmosis Water at our Whole Foods store. I use it for drinking water including coffee. What about pro-biotics? I don't do those and don't know much about them but my daughter is a Certified Health Coach and Nutritionist and is a big believer of it.
Most people have little knowledge on minerals and sweating and drinking RO water will soon deplete your mineral supply.. Sweat is a soup made up of all your body minerals and replacing it with water that has no minerals is not good. This is why that professional athletes die early even having all these sports doctors. Pat look up ORAC score this is a measurement of the antioxidant capability of a particular food .to destroy oxidation damage in the body if you can get 100,000 ORAC points you can reverse a lot of damage caused by bad food and if you stop eating things that have free radicals it is even better. A lot of spices have high ORAC score
I like supplements and take them every day. If fact I've done some research into what some supplements can do like taurine for people with afib. I think supplements are an essential part of life and the earlier you start the better. Take care and I agree with you that supplements and vitamins are needed.
Martin, which spices have a high ORAC score? Krissttina, whatever you're doing keep on doing it because you look healthy and beautiful!
Here is where you can find some. Modern Survival Blog Superfoodly These are based on 100mg so you have to go from there. I personally make capsules with a lot of the spices so I can keep my ORAC score high.
Pardon me for this comment if it runs counter to yours. My opinion on supplements is this - plain business. Our forefathers, huh, I mean great grandparents and grandparents and parents as well grew up and lived with no supplement. Like the great uncle of my husband who is now 102 years old (last June 13) has not tasted any food supplement. By the way, food supplements here has that label - no approved therapeutic claims - to mean there is no proof of their efficacy. And would you believe that since food supplements have an easy time to be approved with our Food and Drug bureau, there are thousands of such including herbal and natural supplements. So for me - take away the supplement. With supplement, you will die. With no supplement, you will die. So where's the difference?
It's hard to believe, I know, but in the whole world, there are no two people alike! It has to be an individual choice. I take a multiple vitamin daily.
Corie your great grand parent did not supplement because the food had nutrition. When they eat fruits and vegetables there were a lot more minerals in the soils so there was a lot more minerals in their food. 1 Apple in 1950 and 26 apples today have the same amount of iron so that means you would have to eat 26 apples to get the same amount of iron in your diet. Any time the medical industry comes out and says you no not need vitamins and minerals they should go to jail. Statements like that only show their ignorance or they want you sick to make money. See this link from Simply Natural Products.
I rarely take supplements, only when I feel a specific need, such as vitamin D during times when I can't get outside for long periods. I think a daily multi-vitamin is at best a waste of money .