Convenience in a busy world. Who needs it?
We do! Daily vitamins can be a convenient way to insure you’re getting most of your nutritional needs met. But, what if you’re unsure of what to look for and how to know if your Daily Vitamins will be effective?
Here are some questions to think about that will steer you in the right direction:
We are what we eat, right?
Really, we are what we absorb. Think of your digestive system as a very long hose that has many different types of hoses attached, based on their job. Digestion starts in the mouth with how well you chew and mix your food into your saliva. When you take vitamins, digestion skips straight to your stomach. Stomach acids begin the work of breaking down the supplement so it can be absorbed. Which is why a daily vitamin that is designed to be easily tolerated and absorbed is important.
What your supplement is made of is important in this process. How it’s made, the science, and the quality of the ingredients are a huge part of how effective it will be.
There are two physiological factors that weigh in here about how our bodies absorb vitamins. These two classifications of vitamins are:
Water-soluble vitamins
Fat-soluble vitaminsare absorbed into the body with the use of bile acids, which are fluids used to absorb fat. The body stores the unused excess for later use. Vitamins A, D, and E follow under this classification.
Non-GMO supplements?
Something new to consider is, that along with reading the label to see what fillers might be added and to look for what nutrients are in your daily vitamins…you should verify they are non-gmo. The definition of genetically modified organisms (GMO) is: an organism or microorganism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering.
Your body does not recognize GMO’s as food. We are what we absorb. So why go and put something that your body doesn’t recognize as food in your mouth? This should make you stop and think…and read labels.
What else should I know about a daily vitamin supplement?
Research shows that majority of people get some benefit from taking supplements and the need is as individual as what you eat, how your body assimilates what you eat, your physiological makeup and the amount of toxins, environmental and food toxins.
The problem comes in, not only when you aren’t eating what you should, but when what you eat is counter-productive due to its toxic nature (GMO’s, pesticides, preservatives, artificial dyes and colors, and even heavy metals) or lack of nutritional value (processed sugar is depleted of nutrition and nutrient depleted soils produce nutrient depleted produce). If you are eating foods that have little to no nutritional value or they are filled with preservatives, sugar, artificial dyes and flavorings, your body has to work to detox itself. Your body will use the available vitamins and minerals to detox. This is counter productive. In the long run your body works overtime and isn’t as efficient. Basically, you are not as healthy, like a car that isn’t able to use all its cylinders.
Something else you may want to know is that some nutrients are harder to get into your diet. Folate deficiency, for instance, is one of the most common for people to be deficient in. Keep your eyes open for Folate B9 because it occurs in nature, whereas Folic acid is synthetic.
Other nutrients that you may be lacking are A, C, E, and K.
Heavy metals. I’m not talking about music here, but it really is a heavy subject. Lead, cadmium, mercury, zinc, arsenic, and selenium are found in our food and in increasing amounts. Mercury in fish is probably the commonest metal you may hear about. Are you eating rice? Some rice has cadmium, lead, arsenic, and other metals known to deplete your body of iron, vitamin C, and other essential nutrients.
Selenium will increase the metallothionein levels which optimizes the zinc metabolism and the control of heavy metals.
By taking a Daily Vitamin that addresses your need for the vitamins that you may be deficient in and by detoxing regularly you increase your bodies over all ability to function. Your body’s immune system is stronger when you fuel your body with all it needs.
Happy label reading!
Sources for this article:
- http://www.nutri-facts.org/content/dam/nutrifacts/pdf/Nutrients-pdf/Vitamin_B9.pdf
- http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/10-missing-nutrients
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344681/
You May Also Like…
