18 reasons why you should take vitamins & supplements · you may not sell, auction or barter...

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18 Reasons Why You Should Take

Vitamins & Supplements

Malaysian Dietary Supplement Association

18ReasonsWhyYouShouldTakeVitamins&Supplements

2 ©2017MalaysianDietarySupplementAssociation|AllRightsReserved

ContentsLEGALESE................................................................................................................................................3

1. DoYouReallyNeedVitamins&Supplements?..............................................................................4

2. WhichFoodsWillProvideYouTheseVitamins&Supplements?...................................................5

3. LifestyleDiseasesandConditions...................................................................................................6

4. EssentialNutrientsfromWholesomeFoods..................................................................................7

5. 18ReasonsWhyYouCan’tDependOnFoodAlone.......................................................................8

6. Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................18



LEGALESE

Terms of Use This Electronic book is Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. You have automatic permission to distribute the book in whole in any electronic format. You have the permission to photocopy and distribute the book. You may not transmit or distribute this book as an audio or video recording or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder(s). You may not sell, auction or barter this ebook.

Disclaimer The advice contained in this material might not be suitable for everyone. The author provided the information only as a broad overview by a lay person about an important subject. The author used information from sources that they believe to be reliable and from their own personal experience, but they neither implies nor intends any guarantee of accuracy. The results you obtain will depend largely on your own efforts, climatic and other factors beyond the knowledge and control of the author, publisher and distributors. No particular result or outcome is promised or guaranteed in any way. New theories and practices are constantly being developed in this area.

The author, publisher and distributors never give legal, accounting, medical or any other type of professional advice. The reader must always seek those services from competent professionals that can apply the latest technical information and review their own particular circumstances.

The author, publisher and distributors particularly disclaim any liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals who directly or indirectly act on the information contained herein. All readers must accept full responsibility for their use of this material.



1. DoYouReallyNeedVitamins&Supplements?Everyone knows that the human body needs a certain amount of vitamins and minerals everyday to function properly and remain healthy. A well balanced diet can supply your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs.

Therefore the short answer is, ”No, you don’t need to take vitamins and supplements.”

Dr. Charles Mayo, who founded the world famous Mayo Clinic in the US, said this…

“Normal resistance to disease is directly dependent upon adequate food – normal resistance to disease never comes out of pill boxes. Adequate food is the cradle of normal resistance, the playground of normal immunity, the workshop of good health and the laboratory of long life.”

The reverse of what Dr. Mayo said is that bad nutrition is the cause of many diseases and conditions. Here is a simple list (not exhaustive) of some diseases and conditions that are directly caused by poor nutrition and lifestyle practices:

1. Heart disease 2. Diabetes 3. Kidney failure 4. Liver failure 5. Skin diseases 6. Infertility 7. Sexual dysfunction 8. Obesity and being overweight 9. High blood pressure 10. Macular degeneration 11. Stroke



2. WhichFoodsWillProvideYouTheseVitamins&Supplements?The straightforward answer is Wholesome Foods.

But what exactly are wholesome foods? There is some misconception of what constitutes wholesome foods.

Any food that qualifies these characteristics is a wholesome food.

1. Non-processed foods 2. Not foods in cans, boxes and often even bottles. 3. Non-frozen foods 4. Not ready made snacks 5. Not fast foods – yes, we are talking about the KFCs, McDonalds,

Pizza Huts, Dominos and Burger Kings. Even Ramli burgers and frankfurters too.

6. Non-junk food

Look carefully at this list. Are you and your family able to get hold of these types of foods today?

How often are you able to fend off temptation to indulge in these foods, although you know they are nutrient dead. The ads your children view seduce them to make sure you take them to the nearest fast food restaurant or supermarket their junk-fix for the week.

Even if you wanted to eat wholesome foods every day, how much will it cost you? Furthermore, even if you do find wholesome foods, they may also be nutrient deficient. We’ll come back to this further down this book.



3. LifestyleDiseasesandConditionsAlmost all the diseases and conditions listed on page 4 are considered as lifestyle diseases. This is because they are brought about by changes in our lifestyle, especially the types of food we eat. Some emerge because we lead a sedentary life.

Humans from their existence have suffered from these ailments. Even wild animals succumb to these diseases. However, the point is that modern man (and woman) suffer more from these diseases compared to our ancestors from 10,000 to 40,000 years ago.

The reason for this is because our ancestors ate wholesome foods and they didn’t even have to pay for it. It was free! But they had to work for it. Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. They had to forage for food.

Being hunter-gatherers they ate fresh, wholesome food. They never even used salt to process and preserve food. The type of foods they consumed were fresh meat, fruits, seeds, nuts, leaves, roots.

Modern man is still a gatherer - supermarket gatherer. J

And what type of food do supermarkets stock – definitely not wholesome foods. Almost everything not classified as organic is processed foods.

Don’t be fooled. Even food listed under the organic section may not be nutrient packed. We will come to that in a while.



4. EssentialNutrientsfromWholesomeFoodsA wholesome food diet should provide you with all the essential nutrients you require for the day.

These essentials are:

ü 2 essential fatty acids ü 8 essential amino acids for adults and 10 for children ü 13 vitamins ü 70+ minerals ü water ü light (well this isn’t really a wholesome food, but sunlight).

Now that we know what a wholesome food contains, or rather should contain, we shall look at the arguments why any food you consume today (including most organic foods) will not supply you with these 6 essential types nutrients.



5. 18ReasonsWhyYouCan’tDependOnFoodAloneThese are the reasons why you can’t depend on food alone to obtain your daily essential nutrient supply.

1. Commercial Food Processing

Commercial food processing kills food literally because it washes away essential nutrients. This is the average amount of essential nutrients that disappear when food is processed:

ü 60% calcium ü 40% chromium ü 85% magnesium ü 77% potassium ü 16% selenium ü 72 – 81% vitamins B1, B2, B3 & B6 ü 86% vitamin E ü 33% protein ü 95% fibre ü cobalt ü copper ü iron ü manganese ü phosphorous ü zinc ü ALA (alpha linoleic acid)

Let’s take the example of processing rice. The rice mill will start with rice that is surrounded by the husk. In the process of milling and removing the husk and other parts, 26% to 83% of each mineral found in brown rice vanishes! This is the reason white rice is not healthy at all.

Here’s one more example. If you were to chew on sugar cane, you’ll get all the minerals present in the stem. However, if you eat processed sugar either in cubes or granules, you would have lost 83% to 100% of the minerals that existed in the raw cane. This is the reason that processed sugar is called white poison. There’s nothing in it that is nutritional for the body. It only adds to your fat and weight.

Processing food in factories bleaches it of most vitamins and minerals. This is the reason why processed foods in cans, boxes and bottles have added vitamins and minerals. Doing this is like trying to embalm a dead person – the body may look pretty but it’s still dead.



2. Soil Depletion

When humans consume plants, the vitamins and minerals found in the plants are absorbed by the human body. If the soil where plants are farmed at has high mineral content, we get high mineral content as well. If the content is low, then we get less minerals.

If you remember your high school geography, we were taught that it was good agricultural practice to switch crops in the farmed areas, so that optimal mineral composition is always maintained.

Unfortunately, modern agricultural practices are aggressive and not such crop rotation takes place. So, you find that the same plants are planted in the same plot after each harvest and you find a diminishing amount of minerals in that area.

The Earth Summit Report of June 1992, stated that every continent has experienced a depletion of minerals in the soil. These are the amounts depleted over a 100-year period.

Continent % depletion Africa 74% Asia 76% Australia 55% Europe 72% North America 85% South America 76%

This indicates that we are getting less nutrients that our grandparents. Our grandparents didn’t need to take vitamins and minerals supplements because they got enough from the food they ate.

A couple of contributing factors to this mineral depletion are floods as well as heavy usage of synthetic fertilizers, which have a high content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.



3. Food Storage and Transportation

Food deteriorates as it ages. Therefore, the extend the shelf life of foods, preservatives are added. Some manufacturers use artificial preservatives and some use natural types. There are some who don’t use any preservatives.

Although these preservatives aim to extend the shelf life and the product looks fresh, its nutrient has already started decomposing. This is why it’s always recommended you eat fresh food rather than one that has been preserved for any length of time.

Even when you see the “Fresh Foods” sign in the grocery store or supermarket, it has been sprayed, gassed or fumigated. Even vacuumed preservation doesn’t the nutrients from degrading. Radiation doesn’t help one bit, either. Nutrients will still disappear.

4. Cooking

Cooking basically destroys nutrients in food. The longer you cook, the lesser its nutrients value.

A study conducted in 1998 in Singapore indicated that among the races there, the Indians had the lowest level of vitamin C and selenium and these could be a major contributing factor to the higher incidence of heart attacks among the Indians compared to the Chinese and Malays. The study evaluated 941 Singaporeans of 30 – 69 years of age and concluded that the lower levels of vitamin C points to the prolonged cooking methods of the Indians that destroy vitamin C.

Omega 3 fatty acids are considered as heart protective fats and are found in abundance in fish. In 2003 a study that evaluated 3910 adults over a period of 9.3 years discovered that those who ate more broiled or baked fish had higher levels of omega 3 and therefore lower incidence of heart disease. But those who ate fried fish had lower omega 3 and therefore more heart disease. Frying (especially deep frying) destroys more omega 3.

The raw food diet is an ideal diet to ensure you get the maximum amount of nutrients from food. This diet is difficult for most of us because we’re so accustomed to processed, cooked food.



5. Home Storage of Food

At home we store left over cooked food in the refrigerator. When it’s time to eat it, reheat the food and return the remainder to the fridge again. This refrigeration and reheating cycle slashes the nutritional value of food.

6. Food Irradiation

There’s been a new method of food preservation mentioned earlier – food irradiation. This involves irradiating food with gamma rays or x-rays. Among the common food items that are irradiated are onions, potatoes and spices.

Irradiating food causes it to lose anti-oxidants and fat soluble vitamins.

Moreover, most food that are irradiated don’t carry labels stating that they have been irradiated.

In 2003, a group of researchers showed that when sun-dried dehydrated paprika were irradiated with gamma rays, there was a significant decline in almost all the carotenoids in the spice.

7. Pesticides in Food

Pesticides are used by farmers while the vegetables, fruits and grains are being grown. Even after they are harvested, pesticides are used to make sure no bugs eat the produce.

This is the curse of modern agriculture. The amount of pesticides used is a huge quantity to ensure that farmers maintain a high yield.

Pesticides that contain organochlorides affect our endocrine system and can even impair the reproductive system. This was highlighted by the National Research Council of Canada and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

As a defense mechanism, the plants on which these toxic pesticides are used, will eliminate these toxins through vital nutrients and therefore they nutrient value is diminished.



8. Genetically Modified Food

The abbreviation for these types of food are GMO and they are highly controversial. Their acceptance is high in the North America but the Europeans are horrified by these types of food and they have nicknamed them Frankenfoods, after Frankenstein’s Monster.

GMOs are actually genetically modified foods that are hardy and can withstand bug attacks and don’t need as much pesticides while growing.

Although the idea is noble, it’s still a new area and no long term data exists on what it will do to humans. If you are old enough you may remember when margarine became a household sensation and everyone used it and dumped butter. Now after 50 years, we find out the heart attack causing effects of margarine and many have returned to using butter. The same scenario may play out for GMO.

9. Environmental Pollution

Every year, 12 billion tons of pollutants are spewed into the air. These contaminants eventually seep into our food and water, not mentioning the air we breathe.

Any food we eat, will provide us with more than enough daily recommended dose of pollutants. That’s why it’s a great idea to detoxify your body at frequent intervals. One of the best detoxifying agents are anti-oxidants supplements as well as detox diets.

10. Bioaccumulation

Mercury being dumped into our oceans are finding their way into our stomachs via the fish we eat. According to the US Food and Drug Administration ocean mercury fills up big fish like:

v Sharks v Swordfish v King mackerel v Tilefish v Tuna



Mercury is a neuro toxin that affects your nerve cells and your brain. It causes your nerves to degenerate.

11. Chronic Stress

Everyone undergoes stress. Stress can be classified as positive stress and negative stress. Positive stress helps us to accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively.

The problem is negative stress that you may experience over long periods of time. This is termed chronic stress. This has been identified as one of the causes of high blood pressure and heart disease, plus several other conditions.

During continuous negative stress, adrenaline is produced continuously. This leads to chronic degenerative diseases.

Several types of vitamins have been found to be beneficial.

12. Lifestyle

We had earlier mentioned about lifestyle changes that affect our health. Some of the more common ones are smoking, stress, unhealthy food, overindulging in drinks and even food.

These effect our nutrition intake.

13. Gastrointestinal Problems

Gastrointestinal problems like poor digestion and poor absorption of food means less nutrients from food enter our body. Some other GI problems include food allergies that prevent some people from obtaining nutrients from certain foods and they will have to rely on supplementation.

Other people have intestinal injuries and insufficient good bacteria in the gut, so absorption of nutrients is decreased.



14. Senior Citizens

If you are a senior citizen, then you have special requirements. Being of advanced age, you need increased vital nutrients to ward off diseases. Food will not be able to provide you enough of these disease blockers.

15. Children and Teenagers

At the other of the age spectrum, children and teenagers also have special needs as they are growing. Insufficient nutrient intake can compromise their mental and physical development that will remain with them their entire life.

Children also tend to consume more junk and fast food than adults and so have poor nutrition habits. They need to be supplemented.

16. Women and Pregnancy

Pregnancy calls for an increased level of certain crucial supplements so that the baby can develop normally. Among these vital nutrients are:

v Iron v Calcium v Folic acid v DHA

The Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing advises women who intend to become pregnant to start taking folic acid before conceiving.

17. 1992 USDA Food Pyramid

The Food Pyramid that the US Department of Agriculture recommended in 1992 is another reason most people don’t get sufficient nutrients.



That food pyramid is illustrated below:

The problem with it is that it recommends a huge intake of carbs, which as we have already seen earlier is totally processed food, meaning nutrient deficient.



Hence a couple of Harvard School of Public Health researchers suggested an alternative food pyramid as follows:

Notice that white rice, white bread, potatoes, pasta and sweets are to be used sparingly and not at the bottom of the pyramid.

18. Endorsement by Medical Bodies

In June 2002, the American Medical Association reversed it long held anti-vitamins policy. Their new recommendation was that is prudent for all adults to take dietary supplements. This was published in their journal, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).



The reason for their turn around was their realization that most people don’t consume the optimal amount of vitamins from their food. Furthermore they realized that inadequate intake of vitamins have caused a jump in heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.

The same year (2002) the cardiologists in the US also threw their support behind dietary supplements by publishing their recommendation in the journal of the American Heart Association – Circulation.



6. ConclusionIn the 1990s, the Mayo Clinic had recommended that if you don’t take your 5 daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, then it’s reasonable to take dietary supplements.

Based on what we have read so far, there’s a caveat here – make sure the 5 servings give you all the daily recommended amounts. But we have already seen that there’s no way you will get all the recommended daily amounts from food because of nutrient depletion.

We started off this book with this question, “Should you take vitamins and supplements.” We gave the answer as NO.

We have to qualify that answer. No, you don’t need to take vitamins and supplements if you lived a hundred years ago and ate your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables.

Since you’re living in the 2nd decade of the 21st Century, your food has about 70% less vitamins and supplements compared to more than 100 years ago. So you should take vitamins and supplements to make sure you remain healthy or are able to reverse diseases and conditions.

Earlier in the book, we also discovered that poor nutrition causes a multitude of diseases and conditions. We shall this book with an illuminating (pun intended) quote from Thomas Alva Edision…

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame and diet and in the prevention of disease.”

If you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected]

18 reasons why you should take vitamins & supplements · you may not sell, auction or barter...

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