Go Easy on the Vitamins & Supplements

The best way to get nutrition is from eating balanced and varied meals. One can't always eat perfectly though, especially if dramatically reducing food input which happens with some diets. Some vitamins are not readily available in foods.

A multi-vitamin pill seems a cheap insurance policy. Mega doses of vitamins can be harmful and if not harmful are wasted money. So we recommend a basic multi-vitamin that contains 100% of the US recommendations.

Too much vitamin A can be harmful. Many people don't get anough vitamin D. D is produced by our skin when exposed to sunshine. People who live in the high latitudes likely don't get enough sun in winter to produce the optimal amount of D. Elsewhere people use sun screen to block the sun reducing skin cancer risk. There are studies suggesting the minimum recommendation of D is too low.

Don't take two multi-vitamins to get more D! That could mean taking too much of another vitamin. Try to get outside. Walking is good for you in many ways. If it isn't too cold you can expose some skin to the sun.

Fish oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are beneficial for heart health among other things. Many people, especially those who don't eat fish, don't get enough. Fish oil soft gels or even spoonfuls of cod liver oil are a helpful suplement and a good idea for almost everybody. Fish oil contains some vitamin A and some D.

Women may take calcium supplements. Vitamin D is required by the body to metabolize the calcium. Any calcium supplement should also contain D. Take 1 with a meal. If your doctor wants you to take more than it is best to spread them out so taking one with each meal is better than taking two at the same time.

So there you have it. In our opinion almost everyone can take one regular multi-vitamin daily. People who eat fewer than 4 (or so) servings of fish weekly should take fish oil soft gels daily. Women should take a calcium (with D) supplement daily.

bon appetit!
-----
Read the full article and lose weight with us at: Diet Inn