Imagine you live in a perfect world. You sleep as much as you want, stay hydrated without stress or rush, and you eat all possible fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, life is not like that. This is why the body needs supplements – because we do not provide it with all the necessary nutrients and vitamins. You should take dietary supplements, no matter how healthy your lifestyle is.
Man is not a set of various organs plus a psyche, but a coherent organism in which everything is interdependent and has a great influence on each other. Only a holistic approach allows us to understand how we function on a daily basis.
There are many healthy eating methods flooding the internet. It is difficult to know 100% who is telling the truth about what we should (or shouldn’t) apply. We hear many times health professionals or nutritionists say that we should take all vitamins and supplements. But this approach is not the healthiest. Let’s look at some of the reasons why and when you should take supplements.
Taking dietary supplements makes a lot of sense for our body
Not only in Western countries, but almost everywhere in the world, we eat unhealthy food. We’ve found a way to make food cheaper, which often means it’s heavily processed. The foods that most of us eat are nutritious – not organic or even fresh. They most often contain salt, fat, sugar, or other unhealthy additives.
Of course, we all eat foods that are not processed, such as red meat and poultry, but even then they are usually full of growth hormones, GMOs, and other mysterious undesirable elements. Many studies have shown that societies are deficient in key nutrients. In addition, we now encounter more toxins every day than our ancestors did. We inhale harmful substances in the air, and many of us do not even know what lives in the body.
In the modern and ever-changing world, the bodies need more nutrients to deal with and fight these toxins. Taking vitamins and supplements can help combat the unhealthy poisons we experience in our daily environment.
Is what we deliver to the body really so healthy?
Some producers, including those from fruit and vegetables, create hybrid forms of these products to enrich them in some way. They change color, weight, and even how long items stay on the shelf. This type of genetic manipulation reduces nutritional value. The more we try to manipulate nature and the way it brings its gifts to us, the less these values we keep. Supplements can help balance nutrient deficiencies in your daily consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Even our water is devoid of minerals. For centuries, people have relied on nutrient-rich water sources to obtain the essential minerals that the body needs. For example, the World Health Organization revealed in 2005 that many important minerals such as magnesium are removed from water throughout North America. It is not known what it looks like in other countries, but we can suspect that in today’s world we filter water excessively.
The soil itself is also becoming less and less rich in nutrients, and what we eat is only as good as the minerals in the soil.
Many of the products you see at your local grocery store come from all over the world. We know from research that vitamins in some products are negligible, precisely because of long transport and storage in inappropriate conditions. Sometimes crops are harvested weeks or months before being purchased. Buying local and organic produce is your best option. You can even think about visiting farmers’ markets or setting up your own mini garden.
Modern man does not absorb nutrients very well
As we age and the food in our world changes, it becomes harder for us to digest food and retain the nutrients we need. Especially since we also take more medications with age, which may interfere with the absorption of micronutrients. Quite a few of the population have insufficient stomach acid, which means the food we eat is not properly absorbed. Vitamin supplements can help compensate for the loss of nutrients during digestion.
In addition, a properly nourished body functions better during exercise. After all, we need energy and regeneration to exercise. Supplements can bridge the gap between the nutrients we need and the foods that lack them. And the more you exercise, the more your body needs them to stay healthy.
In summary, a good and balanced diet is not enough to be healthy. When we consider a combination of bad eating habits, over-processed foods, and questionable farming practices, our food is not of the best quality. Whether you are an elderly person, a healthy vegan, or an addicted person, you should get the right amount of vitamins. Therefore, nowadays supplementation is an essential step towards optimal well-being and health.
