Eating Whole Foods Do You Need Supplements

funnygirl0940

I don't need to debate this, I think I can get all my nutrition from whole foods but others feel that man has made the earth toxic and depleted from the original state that God made it. Of course this is true to some extent but I ask you. Where are the manufacturers getting the nutrition from the supplements that you take? They make me nauseous, therefore, my body is telling me they weren't made for me to ingest. We're suppose to believe that man can make a healthier supplement than whole food? I've retrained how I think and putting something processed in me just sounds so gross.

These are two very good articles about whether or not we need to take supplements. Something to consider. I think we should be outraged at how expensive whole foods are in the USA. It makes me angry! What can a family do to eat healthy? I suppose plant a garden?

http://hubpages.com/hub/Should-You-Take-Vitamin-and-Mineral-Supplements

http://www.nutrasanus.com/vitamin-mineral-supplements-use-with-care.html


Vitamin and Mineral Supplements: Article
Using Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Carefully

A summary of an article produced by the Mayo Clinic titled “Vitamin and mineral supplements: Use with care”

Many people believe that dietary supplements can be used to replacement healthy foods as a source of nutrition. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Whole foods, including grains, vegetables and many fruits, provide a unique combination of minerals, vitamins and fiber not easily duplicated in most nutritional supplements.

While vitamin and mineral supplements shouldn’t be used as replacement for a health diet they can be used to compliment your diet. If you suffer from a deficiency, have a poor diet, or have trouble getting enough nutrients, you could benefit from taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.

The ABCS of Vitamins and Minerals
For small yet consistent amounts of normal function, growth and health your body requires the right amount of essential vitamins and minerals. When taken together vitamins and minerals are referred to as micronutrients. Your body is unable to product most micronutrients on its own so you must obtain these nutrients from the foods you eat, or in some instances from supplements.

Vitamins: Help Regulate Body Functions
Vitamins are required by the body for a variety of important biologic processes, including growth, digestion, alertness, to fight away infections, and for proper health. Vitamins also allow your body to effectively process, store and use carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and they serve as biological catalysts — starting or speeding up biochemical reactions in the body. Even though vitamins are involved in converting food into energy, it is important to remember that most vitamins supply no calories.Vitamins fall in to two general categories.

There are water-soluble vitamins or fat-soluble vitamins.

Water-soluble vitamins include biotin, Vitamin C, and the seven B vitamins including thiamin (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin (B-3), pantothenic acid (B-5), pyridoxine (B-6), folic acid (B-9) and cobalamin (B-12). Water-soluble vitamins easily dissolve in and are not stored by the body in any significant amounts. Water-soluble vitamins that are not used by your body are expelled in your urine.

Fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin A, D, E or K when not used by your body after ingestion are stored in your liver and in your body fat. Many people don’t realize that excess fat-soluble vitamins can accumulate in your body and become toxic. The human body is especially sensitive to excessive amounts of vitamins A and D. And because vitamins E and K affect blood clotting, any one taking a blood thinner, such as warfarin and who wants to supplement with either of these vitamins should consult with their doctor first.
Minerals: Building blocks for your body
Minerals are the main ingredient that make of your teeth and bones, and are the building blocks for other cells and enzymes. Minerals help to regulate the balance of fluids in your body and control the function of nerve impulses. There are even some minerals that aide the body in delivering oxygen to cells and carrying away harmful carbon dioxide.Minerals fall into one of two general categories:

Major minerals which include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur and chloride are classified as major minerals because most adults require them in large amounts — in excess of 250 milligrams (mg) per day.

Trace minerals including chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc are referred to as trace minerals because the human body needs them in smaller amounts — less than 20 mg a day.
Whole foods: Your best source of micronutrients
Most professionals now agree that whole foods are the best source of vitamins and minerals. There are three reasons you should consider eating whole foods instead of just supplementing:
Whole foods are complex – they can provide the body with a variety of micronutrients not just one or two. For example, an orange not only provides the body vitamin C but also beta carotene, calcium and other important nutrients. A basic vitamin C supplement may lack many of the nutrients obtained by simply eating an orange.

Whole foods provided dietary fiber – Fibers is a very important nutrient that aides in digestion and helps to prevent many diseases including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. And as many of us know only too well fiber helps to prevent constipation.

Whole foods contact other substances essential for proper health – many whole foods include phytochemicals, which are believed to help protect against a variety of diseases, among them cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc., etc. Whole foods are also a good source of antioxidants.
So who needs vitamin and mineral supplements?
A lot of people should still take vitamin and mineral supplements. Many people, especially those in Western society, don’t receive all of the nutrients they require from their diet because they can’t or simply don’t eat enough health foods. For these individuals multivitamin-mineral supplements can provide the vitamins and minerals that their bodies are not receiving via their diet. It is quite common for pregnant women and older adults to benefit from a supplementation.

Choosing and using supplements
Supplements are intended to “supplement” not replace. They can’t replace the many hundreds of nutrients found in whole foods. However, if you are going to take a supplement we suggest you do the following:

Check the label – Read the label on the supplement you are going to purchase very carefully. Find out what the active ingredient(s) are, which essential nutrients are included, the serving size, and the amount of nutrients per serving. The label should also include directions for use and storage, the manufacturer, distributor and company contact information.

Don’t buy supplements that offer “megadoses” – Only purchase a supplement that provides 100 Daily Value (DV) of all the vitamins and minerals the body requires. You don’t need a supplement that provided 500 DV of one vitamin or mineral and only 20 DV of others.·Beware of gimmicks – Synthetic vitamins are usually the same as most natural vitamins. Most natural vitamins only cost more.

Look for expiration dates – Many supplement can lose potency given enough time, especially when stored in hot humid climates. If a supplement doesn’t have an expiration date don’t buy it.

Store all supplements safely – Make sure to store supplements in a dry, cool location, away from children. We recommend keeping all supplements in a locked cabinet. Be especially careful with any supplements containing iron. Iron overdose in children often caused death.

Be safe – Before starting a serious supplementation regiment check with your doctor. Careless supplementation can do more harm than good.