BLOG
Is your diet a balanced diet ? Do you get all the nutrients needed ?
Are you currently taking a multivitamin supplement ? Thinking of taking one ?
Unless you grow your own fruit and vegetables, don't spray them with any products, grow your own meat and fish and don't inject them with anything, you can't guarantee that what you're eating has the full nutritional value of that specific food.
And even if you do grow your own, the soil you're growing it in might not be the ideal soil.
You might think that if you do buy fresh fruit and vegetables in the supermarket you will be covered. Unfortunately, if you look at the country of origin, you will see that lots of it is coming from far, hence has been plucked or unearthed quite a while ago.
Obviously, the nutritients content will be reduced to the full potential of that fruit of vegetable.
So although you might have a healthy, varied diet, you might still not get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
On top of that, every body absorbs vitamins and minerals differently at different stages in life.
So what is a multivitamin ?
A multivitamin is a preparation intended to supplement a human diet with vitamins, dietary minerals and other nutritional elements.
By supplementing the diet with additional vitamins and minerals, multivitamins can be a valuable tool for those with dietary imbalances or different nutritional needs.
However, it can't be a replacement for bad diet habits.
While multivitamins can be a valuable tool to correct dietary imbalances, it is worth exercising basic caution before taking them, especially if any medical conditions exist. In particular, pregnant women should generally consult their doctors before taking any multivitamins.
Severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies require medical treatment and can be very difficult to treat with common over-the-counter multivitamins.
Multivitamins in large quantities may pose a risk of an acute overdose, due to the toxicity of some components. So be careful when choosing a multivitamin. Unless you have iron deficiency, try and pick one with low or no iron content.
The trick to taking multivitamins is finding the right one for you. There are some for kids, adult men, adult women before and after menopause, women planning on having a baby, women already pregnant or lactating and people over 60 years old. There are also multivitamins specifically targeted for vegetarians and vegans. Some vitamins claim to give you energy or aid in weight loss, but you should be wary of these -- their effects have not been clinically studied.
You can also go and have a blood test done via your GP to check what type of multivitamin might be best for you.
There are lots of clinical studies about the benefits of taking a multivitamin. Some are in favor, some are against.
Personally, I would say that if you are eating a balanced diet, exercise regularly, but sometimes have the blip due to work circumstances, family issues, etc, then taking a multivitamin on a regular basis might be worthwhile.
If you don't have a balanced diet, and don't exercise regularly, start by making changes to that.
And if you exercise a lot, do some endurance training or heavy strength training, then I definitely would recommend a multivitamin. As even though you probably stick to a healthy diet, your body probably need more than the vitamins and minerals you're consuming from your diet.
As a weight management coach, I can help you with a full nutritional review and check your mineral and vitamin intake based on a full food diary.
If you need any advice, contact me on 07880627944 or email me on anne@barnetpersonaltrainer.co.uk
Write a comment
Posts: 3
Reply #3 on : Wed February 01, 2012, 17:00:07
Posts: 3
Reply #2 on : Mon January 30, 2012, 16:28:24
Posts: 3
Reply #1 on : Sun January 29, 2012, 08:16:22