THE GREAT DEBATE

Politics is not as controversial, as getting nutritionists to agree on vitamin supplementation. Remember, a multivitamin cannot replace a healthful well-balanced diet. The purpose of a multivitamin is to fill nutritional gaps .It provides only a hint of the vast array of healthful nutrients and chemicals naturally found in food. It cannot offer fiber, flavor or enjoyment of foods.

Eating a balanced diet may be difficult. We struggle with processed grains, hydrogenation, bleached flour, unfit growing conditions and canning, and freezing which reduce the vitamin and mineral content of food. Boiling food drains away much vitamins and minerals from food also. If this were not enough we have to contend with environmental antagonists which affect our ability to absorb and utilize nutrients and increase the need for specific ones. Smoking, dieting, stress, pollution, medication, surgery, age and exercise are just a few.

The key is an optimal diet. However, multivitamins can play an important role when nutritional needs are not met through diet. When this is the case, an expensive brand name is not necessary. Even standard store brands will deliver results. Look for one that contains the Recommended Daily Allowance amounts and one that bears a reputable seal of approval.

Stay away from single vitamin mega doses as vitamins and minerals work synergistically, which means that they work with each other.

Dr. Deanna Minich in the following article titled : Vitamin and Mineral Interactions: The Complex Relationship of Essential Nutrients, published October 19th, 2018, shows why complete multi vitamins and minerals are the way to go when supplementing and the synergistic qualities of these micro nutrients. The link to her Blog is: https://deannaminich.com/vitamin-and-mineral-interactions-the-complex-relationship-of-essential-nutrients/