According to experts, the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables are five servings for children, seven servings for women and nine servings for men. If you're like most people you probably never reach your goal on a daily basis. And, if you're like most of us, your fruits and vegetables did not come from an organic source; so, it's possible that the fruits and vegetables (if you happened to eat them) may have been lacking in nutritional value.
Most nutritionists will agree that staying on top of our nutrient reserve is important. Since our bodies make millions of new cells every day: heart cells, brain cells, bone and blood cells, it's important to replace a cell every time a cell dies. Again, experts say, if we don't have the right amount of nutrients to construct a new cell we will either make an incomplete cell or none at all. In either case, the outcome is bad. So in all reality, we need to keep all nutrients on board at all times. This is I, and many nutritionists suggest a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement.
So, what are Supplements: According to Dr. Brazos Minshew, Chief Science Officer of TriVita, he says, "The word supplement means in addition to something - to make up for a deficiency. Vitamin and mineral supplements should be taken in addition to a healthy diet. They make up for the deficiency we face due to the poor nutrient density in our foods. Supplements also help out when our diet is less than perfect."
He goes on to say, "the simplest way to help support your nutrition is to take a general multi-vitamin and mineral supplement that provides a broad range of nutrients at standard nutritional levels. However, please keep the following points in mind:
Some supplements contain very high doses of certain nutrients. When you take nutrients in extremely high doses, you are no longer in the world of nutritional supplementation and have passed into the riskier world of megadose treatment."
Calcium and magnesium minerals are very bulky, and few multi-vitamin/mineral supplements provide the daily requirement. These minerals generally must be taken in the form of additional pills. Note: It isn't possible for your body to absorb a day's worth of calcium in a single dose. At least two doses are necessary.
The most common nutritional deficiencies are calcium, chromium, folgate, magnesium, vitamin b6, vitamin c, vitamin b12, vitamin d, vitamin e, and zinc.
Continuing, Dr. Minshew says, "very few of us are so deficient in these nutrients as to show symptoms of outright malnutrition. However, subtle deficiencies may increase the risk of a number of conditions. For example, insufficient intake of calcium and Vitamin D may increase your chances of developing osteoporosis, and inadequate folate and Vitamin B-6 may speed the development of heart disease."
We know that food contains many substances other than vitamins and minerals that may enhance your health.
Dr. Minshew concludes by saying, "supplements won't make up for bad dietary choices. We simply must commit ourselves to eating more fruits and vegetables. Still, the reality of life is that we don't always attend to our diet perfectly. So, appropriate nutrient supplementation can help make up for the deficiency we face because of poor nutrient density in our foods and an imperfect diet."
