Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and Minerals are so important and when you begin to understand how important good nutrition is to a properly functioning body you will know a good vitamin supplement is vital to everyone! Good nutrition or lack there of can even affect your genetic expression and in pregnant mothers, affect the genetic integrity of her child!!
Two of my favorite books about nutrition and genetics are
Pottenger's Cats and Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
Vitamins and Minerals are so important and when you begin to understand how important good nutrition is to a properly functioning body you will know a good vitamin supplement is vital to everyone! Good nutrition or lack there of can even affect your genetic expression and in pregnant mothers, affect the genetic integrity of her child!!
Two of my favorite books about nutrition and genetics are
Pottenger's Cats and Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
According to the Journal of American Medical Association, every person should be taking a multi-vitamin to fill the nutritional gaps in their diet.
There is an archaic argument of "I can get everything I need from food."
Are You Really?
In a large 26,000 person study it was concluded that NOT one person received the nutritional requirements set forth by the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). 96% of the US population dies of disease--we are NOT getting proper nutrition!
Insufficient vitamin intake is one leading cause of chronic disease. The Majority of people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone.
Think this is overstated....our "current knowledge" is always faulty....there was a time when scurvy and pellagra where rampant diseases...now we know it is a lack of vitamin c and lack of vitamin B-3! Vitamins can and DO prevent disease!
Vitamin and mineral are lacking for the following reasons.
1. Crop nutrient losses - Decades of agriculture have overworked and depleted soils of minerals
2. Poor digestion - Eating too much or too quickly and stress can cause indigestion. Indigestion reduces the absoption of vitamins and minerals
3. Over-cooking - Can easily destry valuable food nutrients.
4. Microwave cooking - Studies suggest that microwave cooking alters the nutritional structure of food.
5. Food Storage - Length of storage and freezing deplete the nutritional value of most foods.
6. Food Selection - Eating a too limited range of different food groups will result in nutrient deficiencies.
7. Food Omission - Allergies to foods, crash dieting, etc. can omit significant dietary sources of nutrients.
8. Environmental factors - Herbicides and pesticides are used on crops, leaving them with low nutritional value
9. Antobiotics - Antobiotics interfere with the intake of essential nutrients and their effects can last long beyond the time of ingesting them.
10. Poor lifestyle habits - smoking, alcohol and caffeine can inhibit the absoption of vitamins and minerals or accelerate the loss of nutrients.
11. Stress - Be it physical or emotional, can increase the body's requirements of vitamins and minerals
12. Nutrient variance - There are substantial differences between one fruit or vegetable and another. One tomato can have 10 times more nutritional value than another - which tomato did you eat?
Now You know you need to take a vitamin, but running up to walmart and picking up a one a day or centrum is NOT what you need!
Every form of vitamin is absorbed and utilized by the body differently and the majority of vitamin and mineral forms in those and similar brands are not very well absorbed by the body if at ALL!!!. Though the bottle may say 100% daily vaiue, you may actually only be absorbing 10% or less of it and it may not be in the best form for optimal use in the body! In fact you may not be even absorbing ANY AT ALL. That is because vitamin manufacturer are NOT required to put usable forms in their supplements! Yes, You can be sold a rock that is full of minerals but completely unusable as long as they label the forms included! You need to do your research about what is in your vitamin supplement and their bio-availability!
For example, when it comes to forms of copper oxide...it is the least absorbed (10% or less) and actually forms the most free radicals (and uses up your antioxidants) during utilizations, while chelate forms are over 85% absorbed and offer up to 75% better free radical protection so your important antioxidants are not used up on it!
Another example of difference in some vitamin forms would be a differnce between vitamin d2 and vitamin d3! You do not want to take the artificial vitamin d2 form and it can be quite toxic, while the d3 form is how it is found in natural sources like cod liver oil and is far far better for the body, can be utilized in greater amounts by the body and is actually the type your own body makes when you are exposed to the suns UVB rays!
Another thing to look out for in the vitamin you take is unecessary ingredience like artificial sweetners and food coloring! I am appalled that ones like kids flintstones vitamins or Target Prenatals would include these unhealthly things. Look for natural sweetners and no artificial junk.
There are many more examples of inferior versus superior forms of vitamins and you can see why if you take an inferior cheap vitamin you would have to take 8-10 doses or more to equal the nutrition in a good quality vitamin and you would also subject your body to much higher free radical oxidation rates with the inferior ones which would lead to further oxidation damage to your bodies cells. You can see why one is not really not as good for you while another offers the protection you need.
A vitamin Supplement is NOT a substitute for a healthy diet, but an addition to a healthy diet to ensure your optimal nutrition.
Below is a breakdown of different nutrient forms and the best bio-available forms to look for in your vitamin and what you do not want to take!
There is an archaic argument of "I can get everything I need from food."
Are You Really?
In a large 26,000 person study it was concluded that NOT one person received the nutritional requirements set forth by the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). 96% of the US population dies of disease--we are NOT getting proper nutrition!
Insufficient vitamin intake is one leading cause of chronic disease. The Majority of people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone.
Think this is overstated....our "current knowledge" is always faulty....there was a time when scurvy and pellagra where rampant diseases...now we know it is a lack of vitamin c and lack of vitamin B-3! Vitamins can and DO prevent disease!
Vitamin and mineral are lacking for the following reasons.
1. Crop nutrient losses - Decades of agriculture have overworked and depleted soils of minerals
2. Poor digestion - Eating too much or too quickly and stress can cause indigestion. Indigestion reduces the absoption of vitamins and minerals
3. Over-cooking - Can easily destry valuable food nutrients.
4. Microwave cooking - Studies suggest that microwave cooking alters the nutritional structure of food.
5. Food Storage - Length of storage and freezing deplete the nutritional value of most foods.
6. Food Selection - Eating a too limited range of different food groups will result in nutrient deficiencies.
7. Food Omission - Allergies to foods, crash dieting, etc. can omit significant dietary sources of nutrients.
8. Environmental factors - Herbicides and pesticides are used on crops, leaving them with low nutritional value
9. Antobiotics - Antobiotics interfere with the intake of essential nutrients and their effects can last long beyond the time of ingesting them.
10. Poor lifestyle habits - smoking, alcohol and caffeine can inhibit the absoption of vitamins and minerals or accelerate the loss of nutrients.
11. Stress - Be it physical or emotional, can increase the body's requirements of vitamins and minerals
12. Nutrient variance - There are substantial differences between one fruit or vegetable and another. One tomato can have 10 times more nutritional value than another - which tomato did you eat?
Now You know you need to take a vitamin, but running up to walmart and picking up a one a day or centrum is NOT what you need!
Every form of vitamin is absorbed and utilized by the body differently and the majority of vitamin and mineral forms in those and similar brands are not very well absorbed by the body if at ALL!!!. Though the bottle may say 100% daily vaiue, you may actually only be absorbing 10% or less of it and it may not be in the best form for optimal use in the body! In fact you may not be even absorbing ANY AT ALL. That is because vitamin manufacturer are NOT required to put usable forms in their supplements! Yes, You can be sold a rock that is full of minerals but completely unusable as long as they label the forms included! You need to do your research about what is in your vitamin supplement and their bio-availability!
For example, when it comes to forms of copper oxide...it is the least absorbed (10% or less) and actually forms the most free radicals (and uses up your antioxidants) during utilizations, while chelate forms are over 85% absorbed and offer up to 75% better free radical protection so your important antioxidants are not used up on it!
Another example of difference in some vitamin forms would be a differnce between vitamin d2 and vitamin d3! You do not want to take the artificial vitamin d2 form and it can be quite toxic, while the d3 form is how it is found in natural sources like cod liver oil and is far far better for the body, can be utilized in greater amounts by the body and is actually the type your own body makes when you are exposed to the suns UVB rays!
Another thing to look out for in the vitamin you take is unecessary ingredience like artificial sweetners and food coloring! I am appalled that ones like kids flintstones vitamins or Target Prenatals would include these unhealthly things. Look for natural sweetners and no artificial junk.
There are many more examples of inferior versus superior forms of vitamins and you can see why if you take an inferior cheap vitamin you would have to take 8-10 doses or more to equal the nutrition in a good quality vitamin and you would also subject your body to much higher free radical oxidation rates with the inferior ones which would lead to further oxidation damage to your bodies cells. You can see why one is not really not as good for you while another offers the protection you need.
A vitamin Supplement is NOT a substitute for a healthy diet, but an addition to a healthy diet to ensure your optimal nutrition.
Below is a breakdown of different nutrient forms and the best bio-available forms to look for in your vitamin and what you do not want to take!
