September 02, 2021

Vitamins: Part 2

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.