To Supplement Or NotThe importance of vitamins and minerals for overall health cannot be over-emphasized. So to supplement or not with vitamins and minerals is a real issue. Our bodies do not make the essential vitamins and minerals needed for cellular growth and health so they have to be gleaned from the food that we eat. The body takes the food that we eat and turns it into energy. There are many different aspects of the food that we eat that help to protect us. While there are many ways to get vitamins and minerals, a balanced and healthy diet is not only an effective means, it is the best way to ensure an appropriate mix of vitamins and minerals is gained. If we eat foods from all of the food groups in a balanced manner, we will obtain the correct vitamins and minerals and to supplement or not with something from the health store becomes less necessary. This means that our cells are going to be able to do the work that they need to do to make our body function correctly. Minerals are many, the most well known are calcium and sodium of course. Their best source is food. To Supplement Or Not However, if our dietary practice is such that we do not regularly have a balanced diet of essential foods, then the question of to supplement or not with extra vitamins and minerals comes up. A lack of essential nutrients simply impairs full functioning of the body – that is, the various systems in our physiological make-up, such as the immune system, do not operate optimally, and leave us susceptible to various diseases, infections and energy deficiency. So if lifestyle or unavoidable circumstances are present, then consideration of supplementation would be good. The body does not store most vitamins and we must consume them regularly to avoid deficiency. If though, we do have adequate dietary intake of vitamins and minerals, then supplementation is not required, though we might if we are seeking to reduce the effects of a cold and such like. The more neglectful we are of a good diet, the more we leave ourselves open to a body not fully armoured against harmful illness and other malfunctioning. This not to claim that full and appropriate vitamin and mineral intake is a guarantee against disease, but rather that a healthy body, working optimally, is our best chance for survival and prevention. Many infections and other ills can be prevented altogether or their impact lessened if the body is functioning well. In summary, two vital factors are required for an optimally functioning body.Regular intake of a balanced and healthy dietRegular exercise. [Implied in a healthy diet is reduction of alcohol and no tobacco.] Return to Vitamins For Women from To Supplement Or Not
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