| Why bother taking vitamins at all? Our | | | | Vitamins began being "discovered" by scientists |
| forefathers survived just fine without multi | | | | and surgeons around 1914, and the word "vitamin |
| vitamin packs, why can't we? The answer to that | | | | " comes from the word "vital" as in vital energy |
| question is easy, go look in your cupboards. Our | | | | for life, but as far back as the 1600's sailors knew |
| forefathers ate a lot better than we do. High | | | | to eat citrus fruits to prevent scurvy. It wasn't |
| processed, homogenized, pasteurized, canned and | | | | until later that they knew it as vitamin C. |
| prepackaged fast food means less chance of | | | | Now we will skip forward to the future. Many |
| natural occurring vitamins surviving for any length | | | | vitamins are now available as liquids. Remember |
| of time. | | | | cod liver oil? Well now most vitamins can be |
| While some of us pick our own fruit and grow our | | | | taken from a spoon rather than choked down |
| own vegetables, most of the country chooses to | | | | (although if you were one of the kids forced to |
| rely on packaged, store bought fruits and veggies. | | | | down cod liver oil, you were choking anyway), |
| These aren't as healthy as they look, either. The | | | | what's more, they taste good now as well. |
| longer the apples and tomatoes are off the vine, | | | | Now before you get all excited and run out to |
| the faster they begin to lose their nutritional value, | | | | stock up on each vitamin that you are deficient in, |
| losing vitamins during processing and shipping. | | | | let me remind you that you can, in fact, |
| Your body needs vitamins to boost your immune | | | | 'overdose' on vitamins, kind of. The water soluble |
| system, ward off colds and other viruses, and | | | | vitamins such as B's and C's will simply be |
| even keep you even tempered, so to speak. Did | | | | expressed through your urine if you've taken in |
| you know with a vitamin deficiency that you are | | | | more than your body needs, but fat soluble |
| less likely to clot when you cut yourself? Vitamins | | | | vitamins such as D and E can accumulate and |
| play a much bigger part then we think, and the | | | | cause problems such as diarrhea, nausea, |
| average diet does not include all the vitamins | | | | vomiting, and rash. |
| necessary to keep the body in top shape. | | | | I recommend contacting a homeopath to test for |
| A good multi-vitamin is your best choice, but here | | | | vitamin deficiencies before you run out and spend |
| again you can be misled into believing that 100% | | | | a lot on vitamins. Knowing exactly what you need |
| of the USDA recommended dosage is good | | | | the most and in what daily dosage will save you |
| enough. They mean 100% total, not 100% of | | | | some money, because again, you really need to |
| each vitamin necessary. Think about it, they can't | | | | purchase each vitamin separately, rather than in a |
| possibly pack the right amount of every kind of | | | | multi-vitamin pill. |
| vitamin that you need into one pill a day, and | | | | DISCLAIMER: This information is not presented by |
| most multi vitamins sold in your local grocery | | | | a medical practitioner and is for educational and |
| store are cut with fillers and preservatives. Nope, | | | | informational purposes only. The content is not |
| you'll have to visit your local food co op and get | | | | intended to be a substitute for professional |
| some natural, all inclusive vitamin supplements. | | | | medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always |
| Along with eating well, these supplements contain | | | | seek the advice of your physician or other |
| everything you need for balanced vitamin intake, | | | | qualified health care provider with any questions |
| with none of the fillers and preservatives that I, | | | | you may have regarding a medical condition. |
| for one, resent paying for. | | | | Never disregard professional medical advice or |
| So let's talk B vitamins as an example. You need | | | | delay in seeking it because of something you |
| several different kinds of B vitamins alone. B6 and | | | | have read. Since natural and/or dietary |
| B12 are just two, but the most commonly talked | | | | supplements are not FDA approved they must be |
| about. Vitamin B6 promotes the development of | | | | accompanied by a two-part disclaimer on the |
| red blood cells, and 12 helps promote energy and | | | | product label: that the statement has not been |
| fights Alzheimer's disease. You need these and | | | | evaluated by FDA and that the product is not |
| other vitamins to be in the purest form possible in | | | | intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any |
| order to be the most beneficial. Let's skip back | | | | disease. |
| for a moment, the history of vitamins, if you will. | | | | |