|
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Multi Vitamins for Everyday Living
Originally published in Natural Living MagazineIs your diet complete? Our fast paced way of living has caused a lot of stress on our minds, bodies, environment and the foods we eat.
Modern farming techniques have become less oriented towards growing organic, nutrient-dense foods. Improper crop rotation, pesticides, and other chemicals deplete the soil of much needed nutrients. From nutrient deficient soil grows nutrient deficient food, which in turn leaves us without enough nutrients. Processing food removes Enzymes, B-Complex vitamins, and Fibre which leaves these foods very hard to digest. Hormones and antibiotics are being fed to the animals from which we obtain our foods, and environmental pollutants get into the water systems with which we grow our foods. All this makes good nutrition very difficult to attain.
A good quality Multi Vitamin should include basic antioxidants, such as Beta Carotene, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Selenium, and Coenzyme Q10. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that can cause cellular damage. Research shows that consuming higher amounts of antioxidants reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and many other age-related problems.
All B Vitamins should be included in a good Multi Vitamin. These are B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, Biotin, Folic Acid, Choline, and PABA. B Vitamins have to be used in proportion to one another and should be averaging at least 30mg or higher if an individual is active or under stress. B Vitamins play many roles in our bodily functions. They maintain the health of the nerves, eyes, skin, hair, liver, and mouth as well as proper brain function. Supplementing with them on a daily basis is necessary because they are a water soluble vitamin and are always being excreted.
Minerals to look for in a good quality Multi Vitamin include Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Iodine, and Chromium. Minerals are very hard for your body to absorb and should be in a chelated form. Minerals have to search out and attach to an amino acid in order to be absorbed properly. Amino Acids have many other functions in the body and are sometimes hard to come by. When a mineral is lacking an amino acid, it does not get absorbed properly and can leave you constipated. When minerals are chelated in a supplement, they are already bound to an amino acid and are absorbed without extra stress to your digestive system and intestinal tract.
Lipotropic factors are necessary for the proper breakdown of fats and the health of the protective sheaths around the nerves; they should also be included in a Multi Vitamin. Lipotropic factors include Inositol, L-Methionine, and Choline.
People's digestive systems are not as good as they used to be, so some of us have a very hard time digesting tablets. A good Multi Vitamin should have digestive aids such as Glutamic Acid, Betaine Hydrochloride, and Papain within them in order to properly digest the tablet and get the full benefit of its vitamins and minerals.
Proper absorption of these vitamins and minerals is essential to benefit from the supplement. Good quality Multi Vitamins should be in a food base of products such as Rosehips, Bioflavonoids, Unsaturated Fatty Acids, and Barley Grass Powder. Some Multi Vitamins also include Echinacea as an immune stabilizer. Multi Vitamin tablets should be taken with food for better digestion of the tablet and proper absorption of the nutrients.
The difference between Multi Vitamins bought from a health food store and those from mass market is that health food store brands have food bases, digestive aids, and chelated minerals, whereas most mass market brands do not. Health food store Multi Vitamins are also higher in dosage when compared to most mass market brands, especially in the essential B-Complex vitamins, and, if you consider that the absorption rate could be as low as 10 per cent as compared to 90 per cent with health food store brands, it is cheaper in the long run to take the health food store brands. One tablet of a health food store brand would equal nine tablets of a brand that is not as easily absorbed and has lower dosages of vitamins and minerals.
If you are like many people and cannot grow your own vegetables and you eat fast foods on the run, then a good quality Multi Vitamin may be what you need to gain some extra energy, improve digestion and increase your ability to deal with stress.
By Sharie Hohn, Symptomatologist and Master Herbologist
Entire contents ©1999, Sangsters Health Centres · (306) 653-4481
All rights reserved.< Company Info | Product Info | Order Online | Franchising | Search Site >
