The Value of Vitamin and Dietary Supplements

Healthy eating is the best source for vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for human body needs.  Multivitamins are not to substitute for a balanced diet or a healthy lifestyle, but it can provide a nutritional back-up for a less-than-ideal diet, as the best eating plans can still fall short of meeting all of the nutrients per recommended daily intake (RDI).  You may fail to meet dietary recommendations for many reasons, including appetite, diet restrictions, less than healthy food choices, poor dental or health conditions, etc. Taking a once-daily multivitamin may benefit you to fill in small nutritional gaps in an easy way.

Although the benefit and risk of vitamin supplement debates are ongoing, as newer research findings become available, expert opinion remains consistent as the best advice for the public - “stick to a varied diet, if you want to take supplements, take a multivitamin-multimineral that has RDA amounts. In order to get RDI amounts of calcium and vitamin D, a single nutrient supplement may be necessary for some people. ”

In fact, daily multivitamins are the most commonly used supplement for maintain health. For different gender and stages of life, special formulas are made available (i.e., for man, woman, prenatal, silver, etc). As calcium and vitamin D deficiencies are common, additional supplement are often recommended. It is also essential to get some sun outdoor for vitamin D deficiency prevention.

Please be aware that dietary supplements are not approved by the government for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed. The manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements are responsible for making sure their products are safe BEFORE they go to market. Manufacturers are required to produce dietary supplements to minimum quality standards and ensure that they do not contain contaminants or impurities, and are accurately labeled. Therefore, it will be wise to choose trusted brands for more reliable consumer safety protection. Pick products with the seal of the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), to ensure they’ve been tested for purity and potency. Please read product labels carefully for amount per serving and take amount from other sources, including diet, for consideration. Few basic formulas in trusted brands with economical packaging are provided below.

Note: liquid forms of these supplements are available, mainly for individuals having difficulties swallowing; not proven for better absorption.

For individual specific conditions, check ahead with your physician for your personal vitamin and mineral supplement needs. Review your medication list with all supplements at your well visit and make sure your clinical laboratory results are within normal range. Bone density test (DXA) is also recommended for osteoporosis diagnostics in higher age group or as necessary every 1 – 2 years.

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Recommended readings:

1. How to Choose a Multivitamin http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/nutrition-vitamins-11/choose-multivitamin
2. Do Supplements Help, or Harm? http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/
3. Reference Daily Intake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_Daily_Intake
4. Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know   http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/

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What's Good to Eat?

Today, people are health conscious and become more selective in food choices for healthy eating. The difficulty is, however, to figure out what’s good to eat.

I have seen a list of “14 foods you should never eat” from media news as follows –

1.    Swordfish
2.    Nonorganic Strawberries
3.    Diet Soda
4.    Anything from McDonald's
5.    Canned Tomatoes
6.    Bread
7.    Industrially Produced Hamburgers
8.    Corn
9.    White Chocolate
10.Artificial Sweeteners
11.Sprouts
12.Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn
13.Food Dyes
14.Chain-Restaurant Ice Cream Sundaes

This is s a little scary. I confess, I ate all of those listed above; more or less, but I am OK. I trust everyone ate them too. If not, what else is there to eat practically?

Never say “never.” To be health conscious is good, but not in a strict manner.  Eating habits and diet is not a quick change; if did, it will not sustain. To make this change, be practical and start with small steps -  

• When food shopping, pay more attention to food labels and make healthier choices, knowing what you buy is what you will eat. Keep the unhealthy food out of your home is the first guard for self-control.

• Balance meals – eat colorfully; green for vegetables, red/yellow mix for fruits, brown for meats, white for carbs. Go for more green is always better. Eat slowly, allow about 20 minutes to sensation the fullness. Do not skip meals. Take a small snack in the mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon, so you will not be too hungry for the meals.

• Practice portion control and stop eating when satisfied (about 80%, but not completely full). You may allow occasional indulgence to keep cravings, this will actually help you to stick with it in the long run rather than give it up after a short trial.

• Watch calories from beverages. Drink more water and green tea; less (or none for) soda and alcohol. A recent study suggested that drinking water before meals will benefit weight loss.

• Create accountability for your own behavior and keep a journal tracking daily food and beverage consumption. Review it the next day and make improvements toward your realistic goal.    

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How Much Water to Drink in a Day?

You may have heard that “you should drink 8 glasses of water a day”, as this has been talked for some time.  However, this is not true and there is no science to support it, according to recent health information update.

Water is the best beverage recommended to consume by health and nutritional professionals; but it’s certainly not the only source of hydration. Water is present in food, fruits and vegetables. It’s in juice, in beer, in tea and coffee as well. Human body naturally balances the hydration from food and beverages during usual intake and activities. That’s why people may not feel thirsty or the need to drink 8 glasses of water a day. At times of certain circumstances, such as during intense physical activities or under extreme heat, the body will increase its needs for more water and trigger the brain for action command.

To share my personal experience, I found that 8 glasses of water a day is too much. With all beverages combined, a total of 6 – 7 glasses of liquid consumption a day are quite sufficient. This amount is inclusive of 350 mL green tea for a two-hour workout session at the gym.

Contrary to some stories you may have heard, there’s actually no real scientific proof that, for otherwise healthy people, drinking extra water has any health benefits. For instance, no evidence was found that drinking more water keeps skin better hydrated or wrinkle free. To note, for people with renal or cardiac malfunctions, large water intake may burden kidney function or increase cardiac work load.

Conclusion statement: There is no formal recommendation for a daily amount of water people need, as individual threshold varies based on diet, geological location and climate, body surface area and activities. Therefore, drinking 8 glasses of water a day should not be a universal standard.
                                
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