Why take supplements?

"You don't need supplements if you eat a healthy diet!"

We are sure you have heard  this said.  Or in fact have you ever told yourself this? You can even read this statement in the media and on some websites. Well, essentially this is true. But only if you can say, that the food you and your family eat is freshly picked, has been grown on nutrient rich, hearty soil, that no herbicides nor pesticides have been splashed all over them several times in their growing cycle and in the case of livestock have only been fed on their natural food – then you are right.

But, the majority of us don’t live the ‘Good Life’, we lead busy lives and shop for our food in the nearest supermarket in a one stop shop and there lies the problem. It is widely recognised that food shipped in from miles away and in some cases even thousands of miles away has about as much nutrient value as the cardboard box your cereal comes in. We do not eat seasonally and therefore local anymore and we are not surprised to see strawberries on sale in the supermarket at Christmas.

And what about the vitamin content of our food?

Bananas and citrus fruits are picked green and are then ripened by gas in storage sheds and sometimes on the ships bringing them in. But, vitamin C is synthesised from the amount of sun the fruit is exposed to. So, it doesn’t take Einstein to work out that gas ripened citrus fruit must have very little vitamin C in them. To compound the problem, by the time the fruit gets onto the supermarket shelf it is old, old, old.

When it comes to vegetables the same applies and even if there is a local product, the supermarkets cannot resist processing and mucking about with it.

Kale is a very good example. A wonderful food, usually grown locally - so what do they do? Shred it, bag up the bits and charge you for the labour and the packaging that they have incurred.

It is worth remembering that the minute a fruit or vegetable is harvested it starts to leach nutrients, then as you start chopping and cutting, more nutrients leach out. So your shredded bag of Kale has reduced this fabulous vegetable to a load of brown stalks and bits of leaf with arguable nutrient value.

Refined and processed foods

Refined and over processed food have had all the goodness stripped out and then manufacturers put them back synthetically.  This  especially true  in the case of bread and cereals.  The really annoying thing is that on the packaging the marketing message shouts full of Iron  and vitamins etc!!!!

Ready meals have taken the place of good wholesome family cooking and if you look at the ingredient listing you may wonder what some of the items listed have to do with food. Because there is very little real food components with any taste, the manufacturers overload with salt and synthetic flavourings to make it more appealling and palatable.

The above is what we can see and what we know, but consider the following:

• Food is irradiated to lengthen shelf life
• Pollution from chemicals is allowed into watercourses and then into soil  or runs off soil into the waterways.
• Genetically Modified Foods produce crops are designed to fit in with the supplier and manufacturer
  not for the customer.
• Food additives and artificial flavourings are routinely used to enhance food

Underpin your health with Supplements

So, if the Good Life is not an option, what can you do to ensure that you and your family have the nutrients vital for a healthy life and to feel well and healthy? For a start you could take a good quality Multi Vitamin and Mineral Supplement for your age range (these are formulated to take into account changes during life such as menopause etc). See your choice of Multi Vitamins & Minerals here

If you have a specific problem and you have read our advice  you may need a boost with  an extra supplement.  Vitamins do not work in isolation and by taking the Multi Vitamin you will be taking a broad range that will work and unlock the nutrients in your added supplements making them much more effective. For instance for skin problems and hormone changes Evening Primrose Oil is a great supplement. But, it works best with B vitamins and these will be in your Multi Vitamin.

Arguments against

There are arguments against taking supplements and these are usually funded by the big Medical Companies and by Government trying to convince you that we live in Utopia but the reality is that there is always an economic reason in their favour not yours.

At the end of the day it is your choice – do read all the for’s and against’s and make the right choices for you, your family and your lifestyle.