Are you taking vitamins and supplements? You might have seen lots of contradicting information in various sources on the dangers and benefits of vitamins. My personal opinion here is we all need to take high-quality vitamins, and I have been doing so for years. Let me share a story with you.
A few years ago my family drove via a rural area in the state of New York. We stopped to eat at a local restaurant, and by chance, we found a vitamin shop right in the same plaza. I wasn’t taking vitamins at that time. Things changed after I met the shop owner, an incredibly smart gentleman who knew a lot about health and nutrition. He had an impressive collection of organic foods, herbs, vitamins, and supplements. Who could imagine that in this location, in the village forgotten by the world, occasionally passed by a few travelers a day, there would be such an excellent shop managed by an amazingly knowledgeable person? We ended up talking for about an hour. Very rarely you can meet a person who is a living encyclopedia. He turned out to have the background in farming and had a keen interest in nutrition. To cut the story short, that day we learned three tips how to live long and healthy life:
1. Everyone should take high-quality multivitamins as part of balanced nutrition. Even if you are eating organic foods exclusively, you may be getting insufficient vitamins or, even worse, you may be vitamin-deficient. The reason is simple – North American soil is mostly deprived of nutrients due to extensive farming. Even though organic food is grown without pesticides and chemicals, it still lacks nutrients, since the earth is not nutrient-rich.
For the past five years, I have been taking well-balanced multivitamins by Garden of Life on a daily basis, and I feel this supplement serves well my nutritional needs when combined with balanced diet. I would not hesitate to recommend this supplement to family and friends.
2. Many North American people are lacking crucial vitamin D. So-called “sunshine” vitamin deficiency has been increasingly blamed for diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Prevention is incredibly simple. Take a shiny yellow pill. As a side note, remind your doctor to test you for Vitamin D deficiency when you go for an annual physical check-up.
3. Consume more alkaline and less acidic foods. Alkaline foods include vegetables, legumes, enzyme-rich fruits, nuts, green and herbal teas. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, grains, coffee are acidic. Starches and natural fats fall into the neutral category. Proponents of alkaline diet believe that acidic diet makes individuals vulnerable to illnesses while alkaline foods have protective effects. Even though the mechanism through which acidity of the food is linked to health outcomes have not been proven, still there is nothing wrong with alkalizing diet. Green leafy vegetables and digestive enzyme-rich tropical fruits are good choices for a healthy diet.
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