[funchy]

Let me throw in my 2 cents worth...

Originally Posted by Chill of Eons

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?

The % is based on a government RDA which is just their best guess on what the average person needs.

It depends on the supplement: excessive doses of things like vit C won't hurt you -- you'll just excrete it. Very large doses of things like A or iron -- not so good.

As a general rule, I don't think you need to have 200% or 300% of the RDA. If you're supplementing your diet, look at your diet and see what you're missing. That's the whole idea of supplementing -- it's meant to fill in the gaps, not replace entire food types.

Try putting what you eat in a nutrition calculator for a few days and see what your diet is lacking. Ideally try to fill in the gaps first by adjusting what you eat.... then you can supplement the difference.

Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis – NutritionData.com

2. Another thing about supplements: Are they generally fresh until visibly spoiled?

Depends on the supplement! If the expiration date passed a year or two ago, I'd discard it. If it was stored improperly, that will shorten shelf life. It may not last as long once the seal is broken. If in doubt, throw it out.

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?

For something to spoil, that implies it degrades. Perhaps this amino acid does not degrade quickly, especially if you're keeping it in a sealed container, away from humidity and light.

5-HTP is supposed to be a precusor to serotonin. It's not conclusive that taking it orally (1) helps your body make extra serotonin or (2) fixes problems low serotonin might be causing. If you're not sure about supplements, this is one I'd probably not bother with.

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?

First off, good for you for going vegan! Its important health benefits aren't just immediate, but long term: lower risk of serious diseases such as cancer or heart attacks. Lower blood pressure, lower body fat, lower exposure to contaminants, etc. What you're doing will pay off years down the line.

I'm no doctor, but if I had to guess in minuscule amounts meat or sugar won't wreck your diet. I know when I stopped eating meat, I lost a taste for it. Give yourself enough time without the fish and I bet you'll lose any interest in eating it. I can send you some info on the contaminants in fish which, probably ruining your appetite.

By avoiding animal products, does that ever decrease the body's ability to assimilate them, since it gets used to their absence?

Supposedly I am told your gut loses its ability to digest animal flesh easily, and you may have a bellyache if you start suddenly eating lots of it. But I don't think that's worth worrying about. If you're going vegan, who cares if your body can handle a large cheesesteak or not?

5. Serotonin: Why does eating carbs increase its production but protein inhibit production? Why are serotonin levels usually lowest late in the day?

That is a complicated answer that a neurophysiologist could answer better than I could. The chemistry of the brain is a complex thing, and even the experts are learning new things about it all the time.

From a practical standpoint, I'd say it's irrelevant unless you are having a brain chemistry imbalance. If that is the case, I'd suggest talking to a psychiatrist or other doctor for proper diagnosis before trying to self medicate with help from a message board.

What makes you think you lack serotonin?

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?

That's an old idea of how proteins work.

Here's a quick overview: amino acids are building blocks, used to make the huge variety of proteins your body needs to function. You can make all but 9 of them from smaller building blocks. The missing 9 are "essential proteins". The (old outdated) idea was that if you didn't eat several groups in the same meal, they thought the body couldn't hold onto the amino acids and the complete proteins wouldn't get made. The newer outlook is that your body can hold onto the amino acids throughout the day, so as long as you're eating a variety of foods, you're getting the different essential amino acids.

There was also the old idea that if you didn't eat meat, you MUST go out of your way to eat "protein" foods such as beans. The reality is that all foods have amino acids. Even fruit or veggies have it. And calorie for calorie, vegetables can be just as rich in amino acids as "protein" type foods (you just need a larger volume of the veggies since it's less calorie dense).

7. Fortified nutrients: Let's take for example sugary cereal, which I'm sure many people consider unhealthy.

My first thought when I see "fortified" foods, I have to wonder why the food is so crappy they had to go to the trouble of adding vitamins? "Fortified" white bread is still over processed starch with little nutritional value, except for the additional added vitamins. I don't see the need for sugar cereals, except maybe in smaller amounts as a dessert/treat.