Quote:
Originally Posted by DQueens  i would suggest not taking a vitamin at all. if you eat a diet that follows the food guide pyramid, eating the proper amounts of fruits and vegetables, dairy and grains then there should be no need for a suppliment. your body will not utilize extra vitamins and some vitamins are not beneficial in high amounts. it is really just extra work for you liver and kidneys to excrete them. also, you dont need to worry about getting every vitamin that is required every day as your body can store some vitamins for several days at a time.
if you still believe you should be taking suppliments try using fitday.com to record your dietary intake for a week. i believe that that database spits out all the vitamins and minerals you've ingested and tells you where you are lacking. if you are a vegetarian, you may need to take b vitamin suppliments, as those are only present in animals products.
also, keep in mind that most vitamins that come in suppliment form are not absorbed as well as the ones present in whole food. many require other vitamins or some fats to be absorbed properly.
all in all the best way to be healthy is to stick as close to nature as possible. eat a variety of whole foods, and stick to the food guide.
hope that helps. |
I'm currently studying to be a nutritionist. I haven't completed my course yet (about half way), so take my advice with a grain of salt, however from what I've learned, and you can verify this with your own nutritionist, the pyramid guide such as the one here (
http://www.fldoe.org/nutrition/images/pyramid.gif ) is not very healthy. Most of it is influence by big corporations and not nutritionists. For example, just look at the picture, it shows a muffin at the bottom. Is that a chocolate chip muffin? It's hard to tell. Is that white bread? Also it doesn't go into food combining either.
Anyway, personally, I got fedup with listening to people telling me what's good and what isn't. Meaning, relatives, friends, the TV, newspapers, magazines, etc. All you hear is contradicting stories from these sources. I decided to take my own nutrition course instead and also to consult a nutritionist. You'll be amazed at the information they will tell be able to tell you which is in many cases the exact opposite of what you hear on TV and in the general public. I realize that not everyone will want to take a formal nutrition course just to figure out which vitamins to take, but I would recommend you go visit a nutritionist and get setup with a proper plan for yourself.
Your needs for vitamins will vary depending on your sex, age, activity level, medical conditions etc. There are some supplements which you might be allergic to or might worsen your condition if you have things like Croh's disease or diabetes or high blood pressure etc. From what I've learned so far though is that unless your current diet is VERY good, and you're eating a lot of organic vegetables and fruits, nuts etc., it's very difficult to get all the vitamins and minerals from foods nowadays. The older generation, like my parents, might tell you "just eat balanced and you'll be ok" but we don't live in the same times as the 1930's or 40's or 50's anymore when they were establishing their eating habits from their parents. Today we have to worry about things like bio-engineered foods, synthetically created supplements, tomatoe's the size of grapefruits, onions the size of watermelons (well, almost), pestisides, chemicals, sprays, etc.
Take the time to educate yourself and see a nutritionist. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel.
I have a multi-vitamin, but I'm not going to say which one because it is meant for my body type, size, weight, age, activity level etc. so it doesn't matter what I take, it only matters what is right for you.