Supplements, vitamins and nutrition
But in today’s modern world, healthy nutrition is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve
NUTRITION is an important aspect of health and well-being, because getting enough proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients helps to fight off illness and keep THE body strong.
But in today’s modern world, healthy nutrition is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.
The nutritional decline
A 2012 study shows that our diets have changed significantly over the last few decades.
With modern diets too often dominated by processed foods, unhealthy fats and sugar, there have been sharp global spikes in statistics relating to lifestyle illnesses such obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Terrifyingly, even if one’s diet does contain fresh vegetables, they’re probably not providing the same nutritional benefit as 50 years ago.
According to Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss of Scientific American, soil depletion caused by intensive agricultural methods means that the nutritional value of our fresh fruits and vegetables is decreasing too.
Clairborne Ray, of the New York Times ‘Science Q&A’ column, says that this nutritional decline is caused by more than just soil depletion.
It can also be attributed to changes in farming methods, processing, preparation, pesticides, chemical fertilisers and the preference for high-yielding crops – which is associated with lower nutritional density.
The role of supplements
How can we get enough nutrients to keep us healthy?
Ray explains that the best approach is to eat ‘more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and beans, and less refined sugars, separated fats and oils and white flour and rice, which… have all suffered losses much greater than the potential losses for garden crops.’
Additionally, one can take nutritional supplements such as vitamins and minerals.
While they’ll never replace a healthy diet, many experts believe that supplements can help to bridge the gap between the nutrients one gets from one’s food and what the body needs.
These are some of the common supplements:
Multivitamins
There are 13 essential vitamins we need for healthy cell function and development, including vitamins A, C, D, E, K, multiple B vitamins and folate (folic acid).
A daily multivitamin can support one’s health in many ways, including helping you to manage stress, improve one’s skin, boost moods, detoxify the body, boost energy levels, support healthy ageing, maintain muscle strength and correct nutritional deficiencies.
Omega fish oils
WebMD explains that the Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are especially important for preventing and managing heart disease.
Studies have also found that Omega-3 helps to reduce triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce abnormal heart rhythms, slow the development of plaque in the arteries, reduce the likelihood of heart attack and stroke and reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in people with heart disease.
Probiotics
Probiotics are the bacterial micro-organisms that live in one’s gut.
When this stomach flora is out of balance, supplementing with a probiotic can help to reduce cholesterol, lose weight and belly fat, alleviate digestive issues, boost one’s immune system, improve several mental health issues and reduce the severity of some allergies.
Green supplements
Less than 6% of men and 9% of women between the ages of five and 34 consume the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables each day.
Leafy greens form an especially potent part of that fruit and vegetable count when it comes to nutrition.
According to Dr Mariam Alam, they may even prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s.
If you don’t get enough leafy greens in your diet (such salads or smoothies), taking a powdered or capsuled supplement can help.
Herbal treatments
EnCognitive.com author Nancy Kalish says there are many powerful herbal and natural supplements available:
• Turmeric for inflammation
• St John’s Wort for depression
• Cinnamon for blood sugar control and cholesterol
• Garlic for cardiovascular health and cancer prevention
Do they really work?
Not all nutritional supplements have been tested for efficacy, warns Harvard Health Publishing.
As Schedule 0 Category D substances, nutritional supplements are also relatively unregulated.
But they shouldn’t be underestimated.
So if you want to add a new supplement to your regimen, do your research and, most importantly, chat to your pharmacist or local health professional.
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