“Should I take supplements?”  As a nutritional consultant, this is the question that I hear most often. The short answer is yes, I feel that most of us can benefit from some type of supplement.  It is often difficult, if not impossible, to satisfy our nutritional needs through food alone.  Most women my age, for example, require fewer than 2,000 calories a day.  Ideally, everything I put into my mouth should be highly nutritious and good for me.  Dream on!  This isn’t the reality for me, and I’m sure it isn’t for most people!
The Standard American Diet, SAD for short, is woefully deficient in nutritional value. A sweetened, fruit flavored drink fortified with vitamin C may be a little better than a soft drink, but it doesn’t come close to measuring up to the goodness of a fresh orange.   Don’t even get me started on the fast food diet that many Americans eat on a daily basis!
Synthetic fertilizers, fast growing hybrids, and crops that are picked green for shipping mean plants have less time to absorb fewer nutrients from the soil.  The soil itself contains fewer nutrients, though the trend toward sustainable and organic agriculture is improving this situation.  Studies are beginning to show that organic produce, along with  grass fed and free range animal food products, do have significantly better nutritional profiles than their conventionally raised counterparts.  The popularity of our own farmers’ market proves that people know locally grown produce tastes better than fruits and vegetables that have spent weeks traveling. But how many of us actually eat enough of the right foods all year long?  Most people are so busy that those who do cook tend to fall back on a very limited range of foods. Can you honestly say that you eat five to seven servings of different types of fruit and vegetables each day?  Do you include seeds and nuts in your regular diet?  How about whole grains?   You should also be aware that some important nutrients are found in very small amounts in the foods we commonly eat. Would you prefer several pounds of wheat germ and seeds, or a dozen avocados to get your daily vitamin E?! 
Then there’s the age factor.  If you are over 40, your body has already begun to lose the ability to absorb, make, or use many nutrients. A recent study for the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance suggested that if older Americans regularly took calcium with vitamin D, lutein with zeaxanthin, and omega-3 oil supplements, over one million hospitalizations could be avoided each year!  That certainly got my attention!

Taking supplements can be an important way to bridge the gap between what you need and what you eat.  This doesn’t mean you can eat junk food all day and chase it down with a handful of vitamins that night!  Supplements are meant to be taken in addition to a healthy diet, and most importantly, according to the unique needs of the individual. 
So, which ones?  How much?  What kinds?   There are no short answers here.     While there is a wide margin of safety for some of them, others must be used with greater care.  Many supplements can interact with prescription or over the counter medications. If you have specific health issues, you and your nutritionist may need to coordinate your supplement program with your physician.  Like foods, supplements have the potential to cause negative reactions or gastrointestinal problems in some people. 
As a holistic nutritionist, I may ask you about your present and past lifestyle behaviors, your health risks, your eating habits, as well as your personal preferences when helping you plan a supplement program. If you are pregnant, or thinking about starting a family, I will tell you how you can impact your health as well as your child’s health for life by being in an optimal state of nutrition before and during pregnancy.  Did you know that a mother who takes in plenty of calcium during the last trimester can help strengthen her unborn child’s developing teeth?  Now, that’s preventive dentistry!
What about the safety and quality of supplements?  It is important to know that the supplement you take is safe and contains what it should, in a form that the body can absorb and use.  Some manufacturers are taking advantage of the growing interest in supplements by producing cheap products that may be useless at best, but that could be contaminated or harmful.  An excellent source of reliable information on specific supplements is www.consumerlab.com.  I strongly encourage you to check out their website if you are taking, or considering taking any type of supplement.  

In the coming months, I will continue adding articles dealing with specific supplements and their uses. 

As you have probably realized by now, I do not make recommendations about supplements without knowing some important information about an individual. 
If you are interested in having me help you design a supplement program for your specific needs,
I am only a phone call or e-mail away!

Holistic health information is not intended as diagnosis, prescription, or treatment for any illness or disease, and is not intended to be a substitute for regular medical care.