When Vitamin Supplements Equal an Unhealthy Choice
by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Most vitamin supplements supply 100% of the daily recommended vitamins and when vitamins that are consumed within the daily diet are added to the equation, the end result may equal an unhealthy combination.
Let's use Susie as an example. Susie currently gets 100% of the daily vitamins her body requires through her daily diet but she has chosen to take a vitamin supplement to ensure that all her daily requirements are met plus she also takes several individual vitamin supplements, including a Vitamin A supplement. Therefore, Susie is consuming at least 200% of her recommended daily vitamins in addition to several hundred-percent of certain vitamins - which in the case of Vitamin A could be the culprit of her recurring vertigo attacks which are being triggered by an excess intake.
Unfortunately, there currently exists a misconception in society that taking vitamin supplements can achieve a higher level of health when the best method for getting the vitamins that our body requires is through the foods we eat and the beverages we drink in our daily diet. Adding vitamin supplements to a daily diet already rich in vitamins can actually create health issues while decreasing the level of health.
In some instances, vitamins may be necessary for optimum nutrition - such as restrictive dieting, pregnancy, ageing, and when the individual is unable to consume sufficient vitamins in their daily diet. For the otherwise healthy individual who embraces a daily diet based on the Food Pyramid, taking only the specific vitamins that are missing from the daily diet may make a more health-minded choice than taking a multi-vitamin supplement but the key is having the ability of identifying which vitamin supplements need to be taken.
In addition, vitamin supplements can prompt stomach and digestive disturbances. And because some vitamins are placed into our body's storehouse while some are not, a vitamin supplement may not always be necessary.
In Summary
Go natural! As vitamins go, we recommend getting them naturally from the foods consumed within the daily diet. And before taking a vitamin supplement, it's always best to discuss such with your doctor first.
If you found this article interesting, you may also like this Diet Bites article.
Return to Diet Index of Articles | Return to Diet Bites
|
