It's never too late to change your habits, and if you are not in the habit of taking a multivitamin supplement regularly, it's time you did. Altering your behavior in this one respect will greatly improve your chances of living a long and healthy life. Good nutrition is necessary to maintain optimum health, and a multivitamin supplement will ensure that you receive what your body needs to help prevent and fight disease and improve your state of well being.
What Does Good Nutrition Mean?
We can enjoy good health and heal ourselves of most ills through good health practices, which include giving our bodies the fuel needed from the things we eat. Good nutrition means obtaining the right balance and amounts of water, carbohydrates, proteins and fats, plus vitamins and minerals. Although there are many food-sources of these nutrients, here is a review of what you learned in school as the main sources:
? Complex carbohydrates can be found in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, peas, and beans. Simple carbohydrates are in table sugar, fruit, and processed foods like dessert, candy, and soft drinks.
? Proteins are in abundance in meat and dairy products, as well in as nuts, seeds, beans, wheat, and rice.
? The fats we need are usually picked up from dairy products, meats, fish, and oils extracted from various vegetables.
? Vitamins and minerals are most easily obtained from the vegetables and fruits we eat.
Can Good Nutrition Come From a Well-Balanced Diet?
Medical spokesmen no longer try to reassure us that we can get everything we need by eating well. We can't. Food itself is no longer the same as it once was. Vegetables and fruits are often grown in soil that has been depleted of nutrients, which means the foods are also. As well, foods lose many nutrients in the process of storing, shipping, refining, and even through cooking. We can't be sure, therefore, that the food we are eating has the nutritional value it is supposed to have. Not only that, it might not be a healthy choice for other reasons:
? Fruits and vegetables can be contaminated with insecticides that can't be rinsed or even washed off, and if the skins are removed, many of the nutrients are removed as well.
? Additives can help preserve food and make it tastier and more attractive, but we aren't sure of the long-term effects of these chemicals on our bodies.
? Some fruit and vegetables are now routinely genetically altered.
? Sugar, salt, and fat are inexpensive commodities that add flavor, and, therefore, are used in large quantities in most commercially prepared foods.
? Animals and fowl are loaded with hormones that are passed on to us when we eat them.
Food production and processing are not the only culprits that worry us and make it difficult to obtain the nutrition we need from the food we eat. We have to share the blame by our own practices of skipping meals, eating on the run, and choosing heavily processed, nutrient-poor food:
? We eat too much fat and too much of the most harmful ? read "saturated" ? kind, such as meat, eggs, and cheese.
? We eat too much sugar and salt, and not enough fruit and vegetables.
? Some of us eat too much food for good health; others are constantly dieting and don't eat enough.
? We are, for the most part, not active enough to eat the amount of food needed to maintain good health without a substantial weight gain.
(These last two points fall into the category of damned if you do; damned if you don't.)
Since we can't rely on our diets to supply us with the necessary building blocks to maintain good health a dietary supplement is the answer. Supplements can be in the form of a tablet, a capsule, a liquid, or in powders that can be mixed in water or juice, or added to bars, creams, or gels. Supplements are sold as individual vitamins or minerals, or in combination multivitamin formulas, which may include mineral additions as well.
Why Choose a Multivitamin?
Vitamins are required to maintain both physical and mental health. For instance, a deficiency of vitamin C will cause scurvy, a deficiency of vitamin D will cause rickets, and a deficiency of vitamin A will cause eye problems. Minerals are needed for healthy bones and teeth, normal cell function, the composition of body fluids, and for the proper utilization of vitamins and other nutrients.
In a multivitamin, the whole range of vitamins will be included, taking into consideration the amounts recommended by the government's determination, many years ago, of the minimum required daily allowance (RDA) for the prevention of serious deficiencies. Since research conducted in more recent years has shown us that the prevention of disease is also possible, multivitamins are now formulated with this feature in mind.
Unless you have symptoms that show you need a particular vitamin or mineral in larger than normal quantities to correct a specific problem, a multivitamin supplement is usually a better choice than taking several different individual vitamins. Nutrients work together in cooperative action, or synergy, and correcting a deficiency in one vitamin or mineral may be not only ineffective, it may also induce a deficiency in another vitamin or mineral. A multivitamin's balanced preparation, therefore, is not only effective, it is safe. A one a day multivitamin is also a convenient delivery method for most people. Taking several tablets or capsules a day to meet your needs can be not only expensive but also too much of a burden for most people.
What is the Best Multivitamin for You?
Multivitamins are designed for specific purposes, and you will find formulas that are particularly suited for a child or for an adult. Women have special needs at various stages in their lives and a multivitamin for women will be formulated to optimize prenatal, pre-menopausal, or post-menopausal health. For example, there are different amounts of calcium and iron needed by women at different ages, and pregnant women require folic acid, zinc and manganese to a greater degree than non-pregnant women. A man may be looking for help with hair loss and waning libido.
Good health requires good practices like eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly and a maintaining a positive attitude. A multivitamin supplement can help in all three areas. Start taking one today.
Scott Gray is currently a freelance writer and enjoys providing tips to consumers who are in the market for all types of vitamins, vitamins and vitamins.
last minute cleaning help Arlington Heights ..MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane) is a nutritional supplement derived from natural organic... Read More
There is a lot of confusion about weight loss supplementation,... Read More
In September 2004 Orange County, California published an article "OC... Read More
I've been feeling a tired and slow lately. Just don't... Read More
Many millions of people are affected by pain and suffering... Read More
The body needs a minimum amount of vitamins and minerals... Read More
A popular mineral today, coral calcium, is mainly calcium, but... Read More
When I first started down this path I was looking... Read More
It is well known and scientifically proven that vitamins and... Read More
Made from cow's milk, whey protein is a pure, all-natural,... Read More
What's the best muscle building supplement available today? You might... Read More
There are numerous herbal supplements on the market today that... Read More
Numerous studies and surveys have consistently shown that a majority... Read More
Antioxidants . . . The Nutrients Boost The Immune System... Read More
Since its discovery in the late 1950???s Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)... Read More
Nitric oxide is a free form gas produced by the... Read More
Some say that the benefits of this all-natural HGH releaser... Read More
Supplement ? what is it?Supplement is a term that means... Read More
It would seem that everyone is looking to squeeze the... Read More
GlutImmune? is a very convenient high absorption source of glutamine.... Read More
How Well Does Thyrin-ATC and Other Natural Thyroid Products Work?Hypothyroidism... Read More
Your Immune system Needs BalanceTaking an immune system supplement daily... Read More
There are a number of pros and cons for vitamin... Read More
"They", the "experts" all say how important vitamins are -... Read More
Finding out a little about amino acid basics enables you... Read More
same day cleaning service Wilmette ..With a high cholesterol and heart disease in the family,... Read More
Riboflavin is a common name for vitamin B-2 and was... Read More
Over recent years, mens herbal health care has become big... Read More
Bovine Colostrum is the form of "milk" taken from dairy... Read More
Did you know that most store bought vitamins and minerals... Read More
Made from cow's milk, whey protein is a pure, all-natural,... Read More
I often hear people say that they have smoked for... Read More
The science of Glycobiology, touted by the Massachusetts Institute of... Read More
According to Dr John Scurr leading Consultant Vascular Surgeon and... Read More
BROCCOLI Good Healthy Food, for Natural Healing, Good Health and... Read More
It's absolutely crucial that your body gets the nutrients it... Read More
The multi-vitamin market is rich with choice. It's also very... Read More
Taking good care of your body means that you are... Read More
It is clearly evident that hyaluronic acid in its oral... Read More
Bodybuilding supplements generally fall under the classification of dietary supplements,... Read More
If you're constantly digging your hand into a jar of... Read More
What exactly are phytoestrogens, and how can we use them... Read More
A naturally occurring compound, L-Glutathione (Tathion,) has demonstrated that it... Read More
There are a number of pros and cons for vitamin... Read More
If you think that smoking is a harmless little hobby... Read More
"But I eat healthy," you might say. That may be... Read More
Currently, there are no known side effects for most hyaluronic... Read More
Vitamins seem to be so good for everything. The newly... Read More
HMB stands for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate. It is a metabolite of... Read More
Difficulty sleeping can affect many aspects of life. People who... Read More
Nutritional Supplements |