SUPPLEMENTS Why Supplement? Wholefood vs Synthetic Supplements Designing a Supplement Program Why Supplement? Vitamin and mineral supplementation continues to be a contentious issue amongst health professionals. The common catch-cry of the medical community is that vitamins and minerals are adequately available from our food. It’s hard to appreciate the credibility of this advice, when it is delivered from a profession that receives negligible nutrition training. In Australia, this claim contrasts in stark hypocrisy against laws prescribing the mandatory fortification of bread with thiamine and salt with iodine. In addition, folic acid supplementation in pregnant women is a recommended requirement to protect an unborn child from developing spina bifida. But we’re meant to be getting that from our foods, right? The inconvenient reality is that food ‘ain’t what it used to be. The marvel of modern agriculture has robbed our soils of essential minerals and consequently, our plants are deficient in these nutrients also. As natural health expert Charlotte Gerson explains; plants need over fifty vitamins and minerals, yet our abused and overused soils only typically receive phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. If our plants are vitamin and mineral deficient and our bodies cannot manufacture these essential compounds, where else are we supposed to obtain them from? Whilst sustainable agricultural practices such as biodynamic farming aim to restore our soils to health, we have considerable work to do before this option is universally adopted and available to everyone. In the interim, most of us are opting to eat as best we can however the majority of people fail to eat even the bare minimum required fruit and vegetable servings. This is a tad worrying when you consider that even those who do are probably also missing key nutrients. Importantly, supplementation is not a substitute for a healthy diet. But until we can replenish our soils and eat produce freshly picked in season, supplementation can be a tool to atone for the shameful lack in our foods. Thanks to our current insidious exposure to environmental pollutants, we may also require higher doses of nutrients than any of our predecessors. It is well established in the medical literature that smokers require higher levels of vitamin C than non-smokers. Many cities around the globe already exceed the air pollution limits established by the World Health Organisation. Simple logic follows that in a depressingly polluted world, our bodies need all the ammunition that is possible to stay healthy. Whole Food vs Synthetic Supplements Ideally, we as humans should be consuming our vitamins and minerals through foods in their whole, natural and organic form with all the essential co-factors and enzymes essential for delivering the nutrients directly to our cells. We have however established that due to the state of our soils and planet, food is unlikely to always provide the essential vitamins and minerals required for optimal health. A reasonable option is therefore to supplement (in conjunction with a healthy diet). However, when confronted with the barrage of supplements available on the market, it is difficult to discern whether natural or synthetic supplements are appropriate for your individual needs. Supplements may be natural food derivatives or laboratory manufactured. The majority of vitamins that are sold in pharmacies, grocery stores, and vitamin shops are synthetic vitamins, which are only isolated portions of the vitamins that occur naturally in food. Vitamins and minerals in nature do not exist as single components that act on their own, they are made up of several different components – enzymes, co-enzymes, and co-factors– that must work together to produce their intended effects. In this context natural supplements are far superior to their synthetic counterparts however this is not the end of the story. In considering synthetic or natural supplements you must look into why you are supplementing in the first place. If you are looking to take therapeutic doses for a particular illness then it may be necessary to take synthetic supplements to achieve high enough doses for the program to have effect. There is much published work supporting this approach and in this context synthetic supplements play their part. If you are generally healthy and are looking to supplement your diet on a day to day basis then natural supplements are your best option. Designing a Supplement Program There are countless studies showing that by simply increasing your vitamin and mineral intake you can promote mental clarity, weight loss, boost your immunity, reduce stress, prevent cancer and other diseases, combat depression, lower blood pressure, reduce cravings, increase energy levels, improve sleep, and regulate digestion. Given this information is it little wonder that many experts now advise that an all-round supplementation program, in conjunction with a healthy diet, is a savvy health choice. The following supplement recommendations will cover the basic building blocks of a robust supplement program (recommended by Holistic Nutritionist Patrick Holford): https://fitlifestyles.zealforlife
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 00:09:23 +0000
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