Why Supplement?
By Mary Porter
If you are relying on your diet to deliver all of your
nutritional needs, you may be coming up short. food today
does not have the same value as it did 50 years ago. Back
then, farmers restored nutrients to the soil by mulching with
natural fertilizers, and by rotating crops. Today there is
extensive use of chemical substances that eventually deplete
the soil of some of the essential components necessary for
adequate nutrition. The end result is the supply of beautiful
produce that looks great, but doesn't have near the vitamins
and minerals it should have, and did have 50 years ago.
Today's food also loses value in the processes it is subject to.
Canning, freezing, and even cooking fresh food all cost in
nutritional value. The very popular added convenience of "quick
to fix" or "ready to eat" takes away even more necessary
elements.(Not to mention the chemical food preservatives,
stabilizers, flavor enhances, artificial colors, and other
stuff you are ingesting!)
The FDA Food Pyramid recommends the following:
Fats, Oils, Sweets - use sparingly
Milk, Yogurt, Cheese - 2-3 servings/day
Meat, Poultry, Fish,
Dry beans, Eggs, Nuts - 2-3 servings/day
Vegetable Group - 3-5 servings/day
Fruit Group - 2-4 servings/day
Doesn't look TOO terribly tough to accomplish. If you are
focused, and plan your meals, and are organized enough to fulfill
all of the requirements. Then you have to make sure everyone in
your household actually CONSUMES all of the carefully planned and
presented meals.(Does everyone at your house like spinach? I am
the only one here!)
Most people today are too busy to plan and deliver balanced,
adequate meals every day. I can't imagine being in one place long
enough to eat 5 servings of vegetables in one 24 hour period, let
alone finding that many that my daughter will eat.
But even if you ARE resourceful enough to accomplish this task,
based on the information at the beginning of this report, you are
probably going to come up short anyway.
Information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reflects that
it would require as many as 75 servings of spinach (my favorite!)
grown today to deliver the same amount of iron in one serving of
spinach grown in 1948.
I DO like spinach, but not that much!
Also, consider that Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) only direct
you to get enough of any nutrient to prevent you from developing
a nutritional deficiency disease, such as Rickets. That isn't the
same as directing you to take as much as you need to keep you in
optimum health.
In addition, one size does NOT fit all. Many health conditions,
age, gender, and other variables may determine what your
nutritional needs are. They can change on a daily basis. Is a
nursing mother's requirements the same as those of an 80 year
old man? Not likely.
Nutritional supplements are most definitely a little insurance
to protect, maintain, and enhance your optimum level of health.
However, all supplements are not created equally. It will do you
little good to go to the local discount store and purchase the
weekly special they are running in order to get rid of 2 year
old stock that may not have been easily used by the body, even
when it was fresh. You want supplements that are of high quality,
and easily absorbed and used by your body.You want supplements
that have been researched, tested, and proven to be effective.
Supplementation has been known to
Increase Energy
Assist with Weight Loss
Improve Quality of Sleep
Decrease Mood Swings
Increase Mental Clarity
Improve Learning Ability
Reduce or Eliminate Some Affects of Chronic Disease
Enhance Immune System
It is recommended that you find some quality supplements as soon as you can.
Mary Porter-Editor of Hot Health Tips
A Simple Source for Natural Solutions
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