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"NOTHING IS MORE VALUABLE THAN YOUR HEALTH"
Nutrition Tip No.4
WHY DO WE NEED SUPPLEMENTS?
Primarily, we should aim to obtain as many nutrients as possible from our diet, as this is obviously the best and most natural way. However, modern lifestyles and food production methods mean that it is not always possible to get all the nutrients we need for optimum health.
Stress, pollution, exposure to illness/disease, and non-organic and processed foods, all contribute to depletion of nutrient levels in the body.
The following examples show how easily we can become deficient in essential nutrients:
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) – this is a government guideline aimed at staying alive and avoiding disease. For optimum health, however, RDAs of vitamins and minerals should be much higher.
Modern Agriculture & Farming – nutrients such as selenium are depleted from the soil, due to intensive farming and over-use. Pesticides have an adverse effect on health, using up vital nutrients during the body’s detoxification process.
Food Production & Distribution – fruit and vegetables are picked before they are ripe, transported worldwide, and stored for weeks. Refined and processed foods are low in nutrients, high in calories, and contain additives.
Cooking – when boiling green leafy vegetables, for example, most of the vitamin C and beta carotene ends up in the water – which is then poured down the sink! Frying food creates ‘free radicals’, which destroy cells, cause premature ageing, and affect the immune system.
Lifestyle – chronic stress increases the need for B vitamins and vitamin C. Cigarette smoke deletes vitamin C by 25mg per cigarette. Alcohol depletes B vitamins, magnesium and zinc. Consuming fizzy soft drinks leaches calcium from bones, due to their high phosphorous content.
So, yes, occasionally we may need supplements to address any shortfall, even if we do endeavour to eat a balanced diet.
Note: Supplements should not be used as a replacement for particular foods or entire meals. Some nutrients may interact with certain prescribed drugs, so always consult your doctor before taking any supplements
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