I was asked by a client the other day if I take vitamins, and they seemed surprised that I do. They didn’t believe taking supplements was necessary if you eat properly and take good care of yourself. However, there are 3 reasons why I will always take some form of supplement.
Most fruit and vegetables are grown to maximise their size and appearance, not for the best nutrition. The CSIRO did a comparison of the nutritional value in Australian-grown fruits and vegetables for 1948 and 1991, and found a huge drop in many of them. The level of Vitamin A in carrots dropped by a whopping 99.96%! (Download the Nutrition in Food Comparison Table.) How something tastes can often tell us how nutritious it is; you know how strawberries these days look amazing but taste like cardboard. There are some fruits that I love to eat when I am overseas where they taste fantastic, but I can’t bring myself to eat them in Australia, because here they taste so incredibly bland.
One of the reasons for this, is that Australian farming soils are becoming more and more depleted of the essential nutrients that are needed by the plants (and by us). Some foods are being kept in storage for long periods before being sold, or picked green and artificially ripened, and these also decrease their nutrient levels.
Without eating foods grown organically in good quality soils, it is virtually impossible for us to get the optimum level of nutrients we need from our diet alone.
I have a very busy and sometimes stressful life, so my body’s demand for some nutrients is higher. I am also around sick people all the time, so I need to keep my own health and immune system in very good shape.
Everybody is born with health strengths and weaknesses, and as we get older, these weaknesses start to show up more. Most people accept that their bodies will deteriorate as they get older – I don’t! I want to live long and be healthy, so that I can enjoy my life to the full. To do that, I have to be proactive, to be aware of any health weaknesses in my body, and to look after them properly now so that they don’t develop into problems later.
Stress, illness, increased physical activity, pollution, coffee and tea, medications, and many other factors all increase our nutritional requirements. Very few people eat all the right foods all the time, or have the perfect lifestyle. Our bodies are made up of what we eat and drink, and if we don’t give them what they need, sooner or later something will start to go wrong in our body. Our future is determined by what we do now, and it is far easier to treat a small problem now than a big problem later.
However, not knowing what nutrients you specifically need and just taking a multivitamin won’t help you much, and you could even be wasting your money. Australians spend more than half a billion dollars a year on vitamin and mineral supplements, and most of the time they see little or no results from them. To maintain or improve your health, you need to have a professional assessment of what your body’s specific needs are, and then take the right quality and quantity of supplements to get results.
If you have a health issue, we recommend booking in for a free Comprehensive Assessment at our clinic. We can then look at what is going on in your body, what is causing the problem, and the best way to sort it out. (Terms and Conditions- the Assessment is a completely free service, with no obligations whatsoever.)
Valued at $120, your Assessment will help to uncover:
All this will be fully explained to you, and you can ask as many questions as you like. That way we can be sure to give you all of the right information, understanding and advice you need. Terms and conditions: This is a free, no obligation offer.