vitamins/supplements

bungaro79

is there much point starting taking supplements as part of my new years resolution?! i get more than my 5 a day mainly through my morning juice (using a proper juicer) and am wondering if this is more than enough?? i read link from here that alot of supplements aren't as great as they seem and that by eating a healthy diet that you get the majority of what you need anyway. but then i've heard from other people that swear by berocca or a daily centrum or high strength vitamin c tablet. so for those in the know (which there seem to be alot of here!) can you please tell me if theres some types you'd recommend or would avoid??
thanks

siochain

best way to guage it is how do you feel and hows the health.

Zorba

siochain wrote: »

best way to guage it is how do you feel and hows the health.

I'd agree, i've been taking a multivitamin and vitamin C along with Omega3 &6 tabs the last yr and i can personally say they definitely help me. The Omega's keep my skin in good condition and improve my memory no end while the vitamins are doing a great job of keeping me full of energy and keeping them colds away.

Romka

And what kind of supplements do you take?
I heard that Forever living does good ones, but there are so many different bottles, no idea what to use and if I need a few of them for myself, that will cost a bit of money.
The other company I heard of is Juice Plus, they have only 3 types of bottles, but again - they say it is vegetables and fruit, is that enough for our body?

Any other suggestions are welcome!

metamorphosis

A good fish oil is always wise to take imo, especially if you do not eat enough oily fish and it's even wiser to take if you get a lot of omega 6 on the body from refined grains and veg oils.

Vit d3 is another one as we are largly defecient in this vitamin at these lattitudes and this vitamin acts as a hormone in the body.

Other than that it's a pretty grey area. If you have a pretty varied diet and get in a variety of veg, fruit, good fats, protein and good carbs than you are not likely really too defecient in many things. Its a good insurance option though.

I use the solgar brand and get magnesium and vit k2 and fish oil off iherb.com.

The only time i find myself taking a vitamin supp other than fish oil, d and K would be a good b complex and c when im feeling stressed and run down. If i feel the onset of a cold id do a nice big dose of vit c, about 2-3 gms and i find it works, could be placebo though

Kimia

Hey didn't want to start a new thread on the same thing. I take several vitamins/supplements a day, although I still try to make sure I'm eating lots of nutritionally dense foods too. My thinking is why not, the more the merrier!

At the moment I take pysllium husk, vit b12 complex, multivitamin, garlic capsule, vit D & calcium and a fish oil supp. I have been doing this for the last 6-8 months and I haven't been sick a day since, not even a cold over xmas when everyone else was dropping like flies around me.

Is that too much? I know they're no replacement for the real thing but I don't mind taking them and what if any harm is there in taking them?

Kimia

I'm just going to bump this so it doesn't fall off the page. Any advice much appreciated!

El_Dangeroso

Kimia wrote: »

I'm just going to bump this so it doesn't fall off the page. Any advice much appreciated!

Long term supplementation of fish oil may not be beneficial, though we see good trends short term on people with established heart disease. At the end of the day it is a highly unstable fat and prone to oxidisation.

Calcium supplements are probably unnecessary. We consume on average a lot of calcium compared to non-western nations but have higher rates of osteoporosis. More likely to cause osteoporosis are lack of vitamin D, K2 and magnesium. But get a test for D, otherwise the dose is merely a shot in the dark.

Psyllium husks I'm not a fan of, they contain a lot of phytic acid and are an abrasive form of fiber. I'd look at the real reason for constipation rather than using these as a bandaid.

Kimia

Thanks El D. I might cut out the calcium then.

With regards to the Pysllium husks, I don't get enough fibre from veg and as I'm on a fairly strict paleo diet I don't eat any wheat etc. It's not that I'm constipated, it just makes things run smoother in a more consistent daily manner. If you are low on fibre are you better off taking them than not taking them?

Lantus

Most nutrients you can get from a sound diet and good wholesome food. However, I believe that only a few supplements are really required.

1/ A multi vit - This shores up any gaps in whatever you may be eating.

2/ omega 3/6/9 - hard to get naturally (except in fish) so good for the old grey stuff.

I also use protein powder

When it comes to everything else it's just personal choice. Many supplements don't have any medical proof to back them up, neither are they pharmacuetical products that have definitive or measurable results. They tend to cost a lot of money. If you feel they make a difference then by all means use them. I believe the ones I use do.....

metamorphosis

Id kind of agree with you there except i think you are leaving out vitamin d3 - you will not get enough from your diet tbh, it's essentially a hormone and the amount of scientific evidence now coming out about its importance is no longer been ignored.

ciagr297

Kimia wrote: »

With regards to the Pysllium husks, I don't get enough fibre from veg and as I'm on a fairly strict paleo diet I don't eat any wheat etc. It's not that I'm constipated, it just makes things run smoother in a more consistent daily manner. If you are low on fibre are you better off taking them than not taking them?

Just be aware, Psyllium husks are quite a rough form(insoluable i think) of fiber. I prefer oats/oat based products instead cause Psyllium drives my IBS insane

Lantus wrote: »

I also use protein powder

which type of protein powder do you use? Whey? And why are you using it - like for muscle building or?

Kimia

ciagr297 wrote: »

Just be aware, Psyllium husks are quite a rough form(insoluable i think) of fiber. I prefer oats/oat based products instead cause Psyllium drives my IBS insane

Thanks ciagr, to be honest I've found them grand. Have been taking them for about 6 months now and there's been no ill effects. I just wasn't sure if taking them was better than not taking them and having a fibre deficit, ya know?

El_Dangeroso

Keep taking them if you like but be aware that all the benefits of fibre observed in studies come from real food, not supps. Fibre is good and all but I'm not sure if there's such a thing as a fibre deficiency.

Red Cortina

Kimia wrote: »

Thanks El D. I might cut out the calcium then.

With regards to the Pysllium husks, I don't get enough fibre from veg and as I'm on a fairly strict paleo diet I don't eat any wheat etc. It's not that I'm constipated, it just makes things run smoother in a more consistent daily manner. If you are low on fibre are you better off taking them than not taking them?

I don't eat any wheat or oats or the like, mainly meat, fish, eggs, veg, fruit, sweet potatoes etc and things run pretty smoothly in that department nowadays. I read this blog post by Dr Michael Eades yesterday with regard to fibre which I thought was v. interesting and think is defo worth a read http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/fiber/a-cautionary-tale-of-mucus-fore-and-aft/

Also think that this article is worth a read http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=1077 It made me re-look at the amount of starch in my diet. The jist of the article was that a couple of the main proponents of the Optimal Diet (which is basically a low carb diet) have died from gastrointestinal cancers. Now I accept that this might be a bit scare mongering but it gave me pause for thought all the same....

El_Dangeroso

Red Cortina wrote: »

Also think that this article is worth a read http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=1077 It made me re-look at the amount of starch in my diet. The jist of the article was that a couple of the main proponents of the Optimal Diet (which is basically a low carb diet) have died from gastrointestinal cancers. Now I accept that this might be a bit scare mongering but it gave me pause for thought all the same....

While I think zero-carb is a terrible idea for a number of reasons, it's worth noting that poland (the home of the OD) has really high rates of stomach cancer anyway, they eat a lot of processed meats and not a lot of iodine, both risk factors for stomach cancers. In any case, the optimal diet prohibits ketosis.

My main reason for being medium carb is 'cos I get depressed on VLC. This only started happening when I reached goal weight. Even Atkins said not to stay at <30g for more than 6 months straight.

Red Cortina

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

While I think zero-carb is a terrible idea for a number of reasons, it's worth noting that poland (the home of the OD) has really high rates of stomach cancer anyway, they eat a lot of processed meats and not a lot of iodine, both risk factors for stomach cancers. In any case, the optimal diet prohibits ketosis.

That doesn't make sense to me that the Optimal Diet prohibits ketosis?? Does the OD not recommend 30g of carbs per day?? Either way, thanks for the info on the Polish diet, don't exactly know a whole lot about it myself!

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

My main reason for being medium carb is 'cos I get depressed on VLC. This only started happening when I reached goal weight. Even Atkins said not to stay at <30g for more than 6 months straight.

That article on the Perfect Health website (along with another written about fish oils by Chris Kesser at The Healthy Skeptic website) gave me much pause for thought about my diet. I re-looked at how many carbs per day and what type of carbs also I was eating. I am now trying to eat some kind of starchy tuber twice a day. There is no doubt that I feel a lot better on it and my workouts are certainly not half as painful:)

El_Dangeroso

Red Cortina wrote: »

That doesn't make sense to me that the Optimal Diet prohibits ketosis?? Does the OD not recommend 30g of carbs per day?? Either way, thanks for the info on the Polish diet, don't exactly know a whole lot about it myself!

Nah, there was a formula on it somwhere. On a 2,000 cal a day diet you consumed 65g of carbs, they explicitly avoid ketosis.

Red Cortina wrote: »

That article on the Perfect Health website (along with another written about fish oils by Chris Kesser at The Healthy Skeptic website) gave me much pause for thought about my diet. I re-looked at how many carbs per day and what type of carbs also I was eating. I am now trying to eat some kind of starchy tuber twice a day. There is no doubt that I feel a lot better on it and my workouts are certainly not half as painful:)

I change my mind when I see new evidence, it's crazy not to. I'm constantly tweaking my diet to balance a combination of what feels best and the latest research. I've come a long way from eating deli ham, crappy sausages and Hellman's mayonnaise as my staples for my 'healthy low carb diet' . I'm pretty sure about the saturated fat thing though, the evidence for that is just getting stronger and stronger.

Red Cortina

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Nah, there was a formula on it somwhere. On a 2,000 cal a day diet you consumed 65g of carbs, they explicitly avoid ketosis.

I read it wrong so:)

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

I change my mind when I see new evidence, it's crazy not to. I'm constantly tweaking my diet to balance a combination of what feels best and the latest research. I've come a long way from eating deli ham, crappy sausages and Hellman's mayonnaise as my staples for my 'healthy low carb diet' . I'm pretty sure about the saturated fat thing though, the evidence for that is just getting stronger and stronger.

I hear ya!