Why we need to take nutritional supplements

SUPPLEMENTAL KNOWLEDGE
Jhunie B. Wahayna

Our ancestors did not need nutritional supplements to live longer and stay healthier.

During their time, the food they consumed were fresh and unprocessed (free from toxic chemicals due to fertilizers and feeds). The soil where they planted their staple food were fresh and not depleted with nutrients The air they breathed was not polluted; the water they drank was fresh and free from contaminants and pollutants.

They lived without the effect of radiations from cell phones, TV screens, computers, and other electronic devices that emit radiations and they lived a simple - not a stressful fast paced busy lifestyle.

Nowadays, modern day living is just the opposite of what our ancestors had experienced. We are now exposed to free radicals that affect our health like pollution in the environment, radiation, stress due to fast paced busy lifestyle, toxic chemicals from processed foods due to fertilizers, feeds and preservatives, and among others.

Modern day foods have less of all the essential nutrients that our body needs. There are several reasons why we can’t get all the nutrients we need from food. Most of the soil is now depleted of many important minerals due to excessive used of toxic fertilizers.

If the soil in which fruits and vegetables are grown is not rich in proper minerals, these foods will not contain adequate supply of nutrients. Fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutritional value immediately after they are picked and harvested.

Cold storage continues this destruction of nutrients. Stored grapes, for example, lose up to 30% of their vitamins by the time it arrive in the market stores. When tangerines are stored for eight weeks, it loses almost half of their vitamin C. Storing asparagus for one week can cause it to lose up to 90% of its vitamin C.

The best and most effective time to eat fruits and vegetables is immediately after it was harvested. Cold storage is usually not good for maintaining the nutritive value of food, but neither is cooking. In fact, the longer you cook fruits and vegetables, fewer nutrients remain. We should try to eat these foods raw or lightly steamed, and if possible, after it was harvested. Unfortunately, most of us are not in a position to do so.

Most foods today are processed, blanched, sterilized, canned, and frozen. These processes decrease all the nutritional value of the food. That’s why we are deprived of essential vitamins and minerals. Therefore, we must look elsewhere for these nutrients to supplement our body.

A few of the most important benefits of nutritional supplements are: 1.) To overcome our nutritional deficiencies. For optimum health, we need all the nutrients and vitamins in their proper amounts. It is very difficult, expensive, and impractical to achieve this through diet alone and nutritional supplements will help us to fill the gap. 2.) To boost our immune system. With a stronger immune system comes a stronger ability of our body to resist illness and diseases. You have probably taken vitamin C in the past to fight off a cold or flu, and that alone is evidence of the true power of nutritional supplements. 3.) To remove toxins of our body.

Every day we are subjected and exposed to free radicals that affect our health like pollution in the environment, radiation, stress due to fast paced busy lifestyle, toxic chemicals from processed foods due to fertilizers, feeds and preservatives, and among others. Nutritional supplements such as antioxidants keep these toxins within our body to a minimum.

There are many more benefits of a nutritional supplement, but the main focus is to help us to achieve optimum, quality health and lower our risk to illness and diseases. Both are very good reasons to take nutritional supplements.

In the market today, there are so many available nutritional supplements. What is then the best way to choose which nutritional supplements to take? The only way is to compare all this supplements.

As a guide, try to read the book – A Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements written by Lyle Mac William, MSc, FP, author, educator, biochemist, President and Chief Executive Officer of NutriSearch Corporation, who conducted an independent comprehensive studies, evaluation, and analysis of more than 1,500 nutritional supplements based on 18 health support criteria’s. You can buy this helpful book to any branch of National Bookstore nationwide. Comments/Inquiries are welcome at jhuniewahayna@yahoo.com