[Chill of Eons]

Hello to all. I am wanting to know many things that I do not know, so therefore I dare to ask them, many as they are. No one person is going to know the answer to all of them, but that's fine. I'll try to be as specific as I can.

1. Supplements. I notice that almost without exception they have percentages in the thousands of the daily value of whatever nutrients. Why so much? I don't suppose the body absorbs more than a small fraction of that, right? And if it did, wouldn't it be overwhelmed and intoxicated?

2. Another thing about supplements: Are they generally fresh until visibly spoiled? If they are spoiled somewhat, does that generally affect the smell, if there is one? The reason I ask this is because I got some B12 from Trader Joe's like half a year ago and have barely used them simply because I didn't see any difference in energy levels after a week, but now I want to try them again. They look and smell the same to me. Concerning expiration dates, does it mean before or after the bottle is opened? Because one supplement I take, 5-HTP, says it has no preservatives, but the expiration date isn't until 2011. How could it last that long with no preservatives, even if it means only before opening the bottle?

3. Veganism: I've been 98% vegan as of 12/31/08. Every couple months I end up eating some fish, and now and then (probably no more than once a month) a couple cookies. What I'm wondering is, does that make any remotely significant difference in the supposed effectiveness of veganism? I really haven't noticed any improvement in mood, energy level or cognitive function from eliminating animal products. By avoiding animal products, does that ever decrease the body's ability to assimilate them, since it gets used to their absence? I've had no bad effects after eating the fish or cookies, so probably not.

4. Unused aminos are stored in the liver. Do they rot/wither/die if left there long enough? And what happens if it gets too full of them, does it reject new ones?

5. Serotonin: Why does eating carbs increase its production but protein inhibit production? Why are serotonin levels usually lowest late in the day? Is serotonin produced in the brain only when you're asleep? If so, is that also the only time when it's released? That one's doubtful.

6. Protein: Someone told me recently that protein from something like, say, black beans, can only be absorbed if you eat it with something like whole grain or soy, to make a complete protein. If this is true, why?

7. Fortified nutrients: Let's take for example sugary cereal, which I'm sure many people consider unhealthy. I look on the back of a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and it says it has 50% DV of iron. How genuine and absorbable is that? This also goes for juices, from concentrate, like say Trader Joe's Dynamo Plus Calcium that has 100% DV for the following: Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, biotin and folate, in just 8 ounces of the liquid. Is any of it anywhere near as effective as getting it from actual produce, or is it all synthetic and potentially harmful?

This is a sufficient start. I'll surely have more questions generated from the answers I get. Thanks for your input. Be as technical as you care to be!