Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
Once we realize that we cannot obtain the essential
nutrients we need form food alone, you can then conclude that some sort of
supplementation should be added to our diet.
There are good whole food vitamins on the market. I’m not
here to sell any of them. Do some research and find them. None of them will be
one pill a day. Most will need to have 4 or more capsules taken per day simply
because you can’t compress all the ingredients into one pill, it ain’t
possible! And that is your first clue to a good supplement. It takes more than
one pill to get the needed ingredients.
They must have essential vitamins at levels above the RDA
set by the government. The RDA’s, I believe, are bare bones numbers just to
stay alive, not for optimum health. Take the 400 iu RDA for Vitamin D, for
instance. Vitamin D at that level doesn’t even provide for essential body
functions, let alone provide enough to improve your dietary intake. You need 5
to 10,000 iu’s per day from sun and supplements for optimum performance of body
systems.
A good supplement will also provide many essential minerals,
especially magnesium, potassium and calcium. As in the above concept, more than
the RDA is needed for adequate utilization.
A good supplement should contain an abundance of nutrients
that combat free radicals. These are generally called antioxidants. Nutrients
such as beta carotene, vitamins C, D3, K2, E, selenium,
lycopene, L-cysteine, ubiquinol and astaxanthin are all antioxidants needed for
free radical elimination.
Not all of these necessities may be found in any one
supplement. That’s why some people take a separate multi-minerals and
multi-vitamins. They then add a free radical supplement, or more vitamin D,
krill oil or anything else your health conditions could benefit form.
Yes, you could spend big dollars on these things, or you can
do some research and find what you want and need rather than just throwing away
your money on worthless one a day supplements.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Isn’t that
exactly what those of us who spend time and money on our health are expecting?
Lousy products will leave you disappointed in the long run. Spend wisely, but
purchasing products with digestible ingredients will pay better dividends for
your health.
Critics of supplementation often point to research that
concludes taking supplements does not add to life expectancy. I would agree. I
don’t expect them to keep me around any longer, I just want to be as healthy as
possible in the God given years I have left. I assume most people trying to
take care of themselves are inclined to see it that way too.
Caring for your health means doing things that are within
your power, ability and finances. Do the best you can and better health can be
your reward.