Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Do You Need To Take Supplements?

One of the most important questions in nutrition and certainly the most controversial is whether you need to take supplements. Almost weekly on the newscasts, in magazines and in newspapers you will find expert commentary for and against the need to take supplements. Those opposed state with conviction that there is absolutely no need to take any supplement or vitamin. They make the case that there is no evidence that you need more of those things then you can get from the food that you eat.

Those who are advocates for the need to supplement make a very strong case with two key points. The first is that most of us do not eat a balanced diet with adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables and good protein. For example in order to get an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids it is necessary to consume three servings of cold water fish a week. How many of us follow this advice? The American Dietetic Association estimates that only one in ten people eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables.  Most of us eat the SAD (Standard American Diet) This diet is skewed toward a lot of white flour, sugar, high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy fats. 59 per cent of the calories come from nutrient poor food sources.  In fact the food is so nutritionally depleted that many Americans are on the verge of serious vitamin deficiencies.

The second key point is that even if you follow the food pyramid and consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, there is no assurance that the produce you eat was grown in soil that has not been depleted in nutrients by years of farming. We will present more evidence to prove this point in future blogs.

Get more information in our book Live Longer Live Healthier

or visit our website at trienergetics.net