Vitamins.
I know they are important, but I just cannot seem to get into the habit of taking Vitamins. I need help! I have a whole bottle of a Women’s Multi-Vitamin that I need.to.start.taking.each.and.every.day.
How about you? So many of you mentioned it in your anti-aging tips. Do you take a daily Vitamin? A Women’s Vitamin? One for special dietary or health concerns? One for anti-aging?
I am making a pledge, that starting today, I will take my daily multi-vitamin every day. Really, I will. And once I get into the habit, I am going to look for a Vitamin that may address some of my special needs. Promise.
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Tags: multivitamin, Vitamins, women's vitamins
20 opinions for Vitamins.
Liberty
Apr 28, 2008 at 8:35 pm
This is ridiculous, but multi-vites make my stomach all wiggy. So instead, I take a Flintstones chewable with added calcium every day. Yes, I’m serious.
I also take fish oil and flaxseed capsules with each meal. Even though they’re giant, they don’t mess with my belly.
Good luck with your vitamins, Teri. Once you start seeing/feeling the benefits, you’ll never forget to take them again. ;)
jeni
Apr 28, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I have the same problem! I have like 10 different vitamins that I “try” to take each day - to address skin/health/hair issues, but then I find weeks go by and I have totally forgotten my vitamins. I hate swallowing pills, so it’s a chore to try to keep up with so many vitamins. But my hair has been falling out like crazy (which is normal for me) since I have taken a month hiatus from the vitamins, so I think they were actually helping.
Teri
Apr 29, 2008 at 8:26 am
I get a very upset tummy after taking my multi-vitamin, so I have been taking it right before bed. I guess maybe it is a problem and I need to find something that doesn’t make me feel like that.
Lori
Apr 29, 2008 at 10:07 am
I take whole food vitamins everyday that help with anti-aging, skin, hair detox etc. That I feel make a real difference in my health. My husband is a chiropractor and has a vast background in nutrition. He has a website called Nutritionanswerman.com. If anyone has questions they can go on under ask dr.ray and he will anwer any questions about vitamins or nutrition.
Left Brain
Apr 29, 2008 at 11:40 am
Don’t feel too bad about taking your vitamins. There is really no proof that taking a multi-vitamin has a positive benefit for your health. Better would be to make sure you eat foods high in antioxidants. At least that’s what the researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggest (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070908001613.htm)
Lori
Apr 29, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I agree with left brain about eating these healthy foods. The problem with that is in the US they irradiate our food and spray almost everything with pesticides making alot of our food dangerous to eat and then in cooking our food we loose alot of the nutritional value.
Teri
Apr 29, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Thanks for the links, guys. My problem is that I do not eat all that healthy and I KNOW I do not get my daily doses of important vitamins. I know I need to make a commitment and do it!
RyanNY
May 1, 2008 at 2:16 pm
It’s interesting this post got so many comments. I used to work at Whole Body and had a lot of time on my hands. I read an article in a magazine there (wish I could remember it) that spelled out completely what amount of each vitamin & mineral different people need according to certain criteria (age, m/f, special needs). I did the homework to find out exactly what I needed and then I went through ALL of the multi-vitamins they had until I found one that was almost perfect. It was Country Life’s MAX for Men (yes I’m the only man here). They have one for women, but that’s not the point. Point is, do the research and find one that’s right for you and you won’t have to worry about it for a while when you get older or your needs change. It’s worth the work. A Flinstone’s chewable is not going to suit a grown woman! No offense, but you had to have thought of that Liberty!
Now, there is no doubt that getting your necessary vitamins and minerals from food is best. Taking a supplement DOES improve your overall health though!
As far as hair falling out Jeni, girl… there’s a millions ways to make your hair fall out. First thing is eating though. If you’re malnourished, your hair will fall out. Try nuts like almonds, get some natural vitamin E. Then there’s stress. It goes on and on. It could be lots of things.
Eat you fruits and veggies people!
Left Brain
May 4, 2008 at 7:58 am
Ryan,
What proof do you have that “Taking a supplement DOES improve your overall health though!” I can’t find any scientific studies that support that statement. In fact, the Mayo Clinic specifically says “When it comes to boosting antioxidant intake, recent research indicates there’s little benefit from taking diet supplements.”
Lori, the food in the US is not dangerous to eat. Irradiating kills pathogenic bacteria so people don’t come down with E. Coli infections. It actually makes the food safer.
RyanNY
May 5, 2008 at 7:44 am
OK OK, calm down… no I don’t have proof, but I’ll find some for you.
I went to the Mayo Clinic’s site to see what you’re talking about. What you’re referring to is talking about antioxidants: “When it comes to boosting antioxidant intake, recent research indicates there’s little benefit from taking diet supplements.” I totally agree with that. The best sources of antioxidants are fruits, and green tea, always food. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen an antioxidant supplement. Even if I did I wouldn’t want one. I’d much rather drink a cup of tea. I am talking about necessary vitamins and minerals though. Two different things. Antioxidants are not vitamins!
I found something on Mayo Clinic’s site about vitamins and supplements:
“If you’re generally healthy and eat a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and lean meats, you don’t likely need dietary supplements.
But if you seek assurance that you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals you need and you don’t mind the added expense and daily routine of taking a pill, taking a standard vitamin and mineral supplement with about 100 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for the various vitamins and minerals is generally fine. It’s always a good idea, however, to talk with your doctor, as he or she knows your history and specific situation best.” (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dietary-supplements/NU00635)
So this backs what I said, “…there is no doubt that getting your necessary vitamins and minerals from food is best.” I found a supplement that contained almost all 100% DV of all the vitamins and minerals I needed. Food is always the best source, but by taking the supplement I am sure I’m getting 100% of my DV (vit & min) needs, suggested by the FDA.
To get back to the main subject here though… Teri, maybe you could just put them somewhere you will see them every morning. That way you won’t forget to take your ever-so-necessary vitamins. : ) PEACE
Left Brain
May 5, 2008 at 7:57 am
After a little more research, I’m more convinced that you’re better off skipping the supplements all together.
According to this recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/297/8/842)
taking vitamin supplements may actually decrease your life expectancy.
“Treatment with beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase mortality. The potential roles of vitamin C and selenium on mortality need further study.”
Eat your fruits & veggies. Skip the pills.
RyanNY
May 5, 2008 at 8:16 am
Yes, I said food is the best source… twice… always. Putting anything in your body, or even on your skin, requires a little faith. Many things are not proven harmful either, but we still avoid them sometime. Live the plastics they just announced can release pthalates. Pthalates are suspected of being harmful by mimicking estrogenic hormones, but there is no substancial proof yet. It cuts both ways.
I’ll bet a soda is way more harmful than a vitamin though, and I still have one sometimes. I don’t want or need proof of that.
I also support herbs which are hardly accepted by any medical institute. I don’t care though. I believe the most natural and diverse diet will be the most beneficial. It’s a personal believe that doesn’t require any affirmations!
I will definitely support your choice of eating more vegetables and fruits. Even the Mayo Clinic said you may need a supplement in some cases though (see previous link).
TRUCE
Teri, maybe some Ginko Biloba will help you remember. : )
Left Brain
May 5, 2008 at 8:36 am
LOL. Truce of course. Thanks for all your comments Ryan. You inspired me to learn something.
Lori
May 6, 2008 at 10:05 am
To Ryan,
I agree with you. Eating healthy is always best, but with genetically modified food and pesticides and everything we do do our food it is very hard to ge all of our nutrients through our food. The supplements I take are the same as eating foods the is no additives to them. I also did my homework on my supplements.
To Left Brain,
Irridiating food is not a good thing. Microwaving a cup of water and letting it cool down, then water a plant, it will die. When you microwave something you change the structure of it. Microwaves are banned in other countries. Third world countries refuse our food in the US. Some of our food is genetically modified definitely dangerous to eat. It is hard to just eat health and get all of your vitamins and minerals. I’m sure if you are very careful and buy organic you could do it, but supplements do help me.
RyanNY
May 6, 2008 at 10:21 am
Gosh, this is such a hot topic! Teri, you should do more blogs on vitamins. : )
One of my goals in life is you live off the grid and grow as much of my own food as possible… organically, with raclaimed grey water from my eco-friendly house. It’s going to take a while though. In the meantime, buy local, buy organic. It’s best for your health to eat what is in season and all of this will reduce our carbon footprint. I have a local food coop I love to get produce from. I’m also lucky to have a local organic farmer that made his own store. Love it!
Lori
May 6, 2008 at 11:03 am
Totally agree with Ryan! I try to do the same with organic food as much as possible.
Left Brain
May 6, 2008 at 11:05 am
Lori,
Microwaving water and using it on plants will not kill it. That’s an urban legend that has been debunked in a variety of places (e.g http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp)
I disagree with all of your assertions that genetically modified food is unsafe but nothing I say will convince you so I won’t bother.
Ironically, you advocate the use of vitamin supplements when science has shown that people who take them actually increase their mortality risk and the people who make them are not regulated by anyone (but themselves). Unless it kills you, you have absolutely know way of knowing what a food supplement manufacturer is putting in the product. They could be using genetically modified food & pesticides in their pills. There is no government regulation.
RyanNY
May 6, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Love it!
Left Brain, you’re just jealous because Lori agreed with me (JK). : )
The vitamins I’m recommending from Country Life are manufactured under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices, http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/devadvice/32.html). They’re also vegetarian and all kinds of good stuff like that.
Who can keep up with all this data anyway. Is it better to live a long life, or a healthy but short one? Like I said before, it all involves some faith and personal beliefs. You do your homework and find something good for you (according to your beliefs, info and needs), start a routine, and as new information comes out you alter your routine.
Let’s put this baby to rest and find something else to obsess over. There’s been like a dozen posts since this one!
Lori
May 6, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Left brain,
It is not vitamins that are bad or cause an increase in mortality it is ISOLATED vitamins that are bad. For example Vitamin C will not cure scurvey but a slice of lime will. That is why a person should only use whole food live source vitamins. After speaking to my husband he said that Thiamin (B1) for instance is usually in vitamins in the form of Thiamin HCL or Thiamin mononitrate and neither of those forms are found in food or in the body. In the body it is in the form of Thiamin Cocarboxylase (Pyrophosphate). Another problem with most vitamins are that they have toxic excipients within them such as magnesium stearate, stearic acid, palmitic acid or sodium benzoate. Magnesium stearate for instance is a trans fat that coats the nutrients so that companies can make more vitamins faster - in other words it is for high speed encapsulation. Mag stearate can cause cell death within hours.
As far as irradiating food to kill pathogens - this does alter food, I’ll give 2 responses - one - just put food in a microwave and it tastes totally different, or take a bagel heat it in the microwave then let it cool and now it’s like a rock. The problem with food is that it is so much more devoid of nutrients today than years ago as well as the food is more contaminated. But thats not a reason to do something that causes more damage. The problem is that our bodies loose the ability to produce the proper amount of stomach acids (we produce approx 10% at 70 yrs old as we did at 21) this is due to cooking our foods and destroying the enzymes. If our HCL levels are adequate our bodies will destroy nearly every pathogen on the food. Dogs given septic meat were found that none had any signs of the bacteria in their system afterwards due to their stomachs having 5X more HCL than ours - which is why wild animals can often eat dead , septic, bacteria laden “rod kill”.
Left Brain and Ryan, I had to wait for my husband to come home to ask him about this - he had a ton to say - couldn’t write it all and didn’t want to. He spent years of finding what he feels are the best supplements - and probably he would agree with you with much on vitamins - since companies are always trying to get him to carry their supplements - and he will only carry the one brand since he says they check every single batch and only use whole food, live source, grade 10 excipient free supplements. You should go over to his site at http://www.NutritionAnswerman.com he loves to talk about this and knows much more than I do.
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Jun 19, 2008 at 9:49 am
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