Vitamins

I’m feeling sassy now, so why not tackle and tickle another industry, the multi-billion dollar business of vitamin supplements. Vitamins are essential to the normal functioning of our bodies. They are key for growth, vitality and general well being.

Many people operate under the misconception that vitamins can replace food. They cannot! In fact a little known factoid, that probably 75% of the vitamin popping junkies out there don’t consider is that vitamins CANNOT be assimilated without first ingesting food. Vitamins help us to regulate metabolism, help convert fat and carbohydrates into usable energy and assist in forming bone and tissue. You’re probably saying, “fantastic then, why shouldn’t I be scarfing down all the vitamins I can get my grubby little hands on”?

Consider this, vitamins, as pills should be taken as a supplement. Most of us don’t get enough vitamins in our diets because we are a society on the go, and often times what we eat is not a balanced diet, and vitamins have the potential to help fill in the nutritional gaps. However, many people don’t understand that all the “MEGA” doses of vitamins they are ingesting could be doing more harm than good. The body only needs so much of anything, and giving it 10 times, or in some cases 100 times more than it needs of any substance can be quite taxing on the kidneys and liver. This can also be potentially toxic to the body over time.

I’m not saying categorically that taking vitamins is not good for you dude. Not so! But like anything else, too much of a good thing generally isn’t a great thing. A good multi-vitamin is generally all that is needed to supplement an overall decent diet. Anything beyond that generally finds itself being flushed out of the body via the Urine River and into the septic system, along with your hard-earned dollars. Save yourself some money, get a good multi-vitamin... If you’re spending more than $20 to $40 per month on vitamins, you’re getting ripped off!

If you are in the market for a good multivitamin – mineral supplement, check out the tips below to make your best choice:

• · “Natural” supplements generally have no nutritional advantage over synthetic.
• · If you are taking medication check with your doctor for possible interactions.
• · Never take a vitamin that provides more than the recommended daily allowance for that nutrient
• Always check the expiration date of vitamins. Nutrients lose their potency the longer they are used after the expiration date
  

Remember that no pill can take the place of a well balanced diet. Do not look to your multivitamin and mineral supplement to do more than they are designed. They are meant to do exactly what they suggest…supplement an otherwise balanced diet.

To answer the question before it's asked... the only supplementation I do at this time is Vemma and PERNAX (www.Pernax.com), an amazing combination of the world's best liquid vitamin and nature's most powerful all natural anti-inflammatory wrapped around an amazing Omega-3 supplement found only in New Zealand.