We All Need To Add Nutritional Supplements To Our Diet.

By Welldec in Nutrition on February 15th, 2008

-->

by Welldec

Many people consider it unnecessary to take supplements. They believe that we get all the nutrition we need from our food. Maybe that used to be so. Our ancestors didn’t need nutritional supplements. The food they consumed was mostly fresh and unprocessed so, therefore, rich in vitamins, minerals and micronutrients.

The majority of our foods now are processed, and even when we do consume fresh fruits and vegetables, the same nutrient content that was evident just 50 years ago is not always evident today. Soils have become depleted through constant farming and toxic fertilizers and insecticides are used all too frequently. In many cases fruit is harvested before it has reached its full nutritional value. It is picked before it has fully ripened and is sometimes gassed to ripen and then held in cold storage for many months.

It would seem to me, then, that it is becoming more and more difficult to get the nutrition that our body requires, directly from our food, and it would appear that supplementing our diet would be a wise thing for us all to do.

It seems hard to believe but a study was conducted that showed that to get the same level of nutrition that was once available in one peach, we would need to eat 53 peaches. That’s a lot of peaches!

If you do happen to eat the now recommended 8 servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and they are all grown organically and left to ripen naturally, you’ll be in better shape than someone who doesn’t. It seems very clear to me, though, that in today’s toxic environment our body needs all the help we can give it if it is to repair and regenerate as it should.

It is known now that dietary deficiency and imbalance is a leading cause of ill health in the Western world. Nutrition plays a critical role in the prevention of many diseases like, coronary heart disease, cancer, hypertension, obesity, gingivitis and periodontal diseases, dental caries and non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Even the The American Medical Association (AMA) has reversed its long-standing position and stated in an article published in the June 2002 edition of JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) that everyone should be using nutritional supplements.

Here are seven essentials to consider adding to your diet to ensure optimal health.

* Vitamins and minerals are essential for the creation of healthy cells

* Glyconutrients for cell-to-cell communication and immune support

* Plant Nutrients or Phytonutrients, to detoxify the system

* Phytohormones (plant hormones) for glandular function

* Essential fatty acids (EFAs), to regulate hormonal function and metabolism

* Essential amino acids, the building blocks for all proteins

* Antioxidants, to give protection from oxidative stress

There are so many supplements available today and we do need to be careful about which ones we are taking. Many companies use cheap ingredients and many on the market are made using synthetic vitamins, which are not readily absorbed, or recognized by the body as being food. This is why often it will be suggested that your supplement be taken ‘with food’ with the hope that the body will think it is food.

About the Author:

You have learnt that you should be adding nutritional supplements to your diet. Learn now why you should think about carefully just what supplements you should be taking. Learn more about nutrition here.