Can't we just eat real food?

In an ideal world, yes, we would all be eating a varied diet of fresh, whole foods, grown in our back yards and which were then eaten within a few hours of being picked.

The fruit and vegetables would be grown in nutrient rich soils (soils which had had organic green crops hoed into them and then left for the nutrient levels to rise again after the previous crop had been removed) and the crops would not have been sprayed with insecticides and pesticides. The crops would be fully ripened on the trees or vines by the sun, not by gas, or other unnatural methods commonly used.

We would then consume the fruit and veggies in their natural state so that the vitamins, minerals and enzymes were pretty much intact and available to our bodies.

If our fruit and veggies were grown and treated in this manner, then yes, there’s a very good chance the level of nutrients in them would be high, but the reality is far from this today.

Also, we have to take into consideration the fact that not everyone can absorb the nutrients in their food. For example people lacking certain enzymes are unable to absorb and assimilate certain nutrients. Elderly folk are more likely to be deficient in some nutrients because they are often unable to absorb them efficiently.

Some people will lack sufficient digestive enzymes or gut flora, meaning that they will get varying levels of nutrients from the food they consume. So, it’s not only about what is in our food in the first place, but what we are able to absorb from that food, and everyone is different.

Taking all of the above into consideration, then we look at what are the implications if indeed we are lacking in vitamins and minerals – and of course we don’t actually know whether or not we are.

Antioxidants (especially Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A and betacarotene) are very much involved in protecting our cells from free radical damage. Cholesterol levels per se are not the be all and end all of artherosclerosis, it is now thought that oxidized (damaged) cholesterol is more of an issue and to prevent oxidization of cholesterol we need the antioxidants Vitamin C, Vitamin E, betacarotene, etc.

As we don’t generally test for levels of antioxidants in our bodies, it makes good sense to take a multivitamin and mineral each day, to ensure that our levels are topped up and thus help prevent future health issues. It is now thought that many health conditions are actually as a result of inadequate nutrition.

Phew, that’s a long answer and there are other reasons too why I consider it prudent to take a supplements, including the fact that daily our bodies are faced with stress which depletes our own body’s antioxidant reserves. Stresses we can’t avoid like traffic fumes, chemicals in our air, water and products we use at home, etc, never mind the stresses we face at work and in life every day.

What do you think, have I given you a fairly convincing argument for considering using a supplement each day? Let me know!