"Modern" diets and supplements
by Donald A. Miller, Ph.D.
For the majority of people who don't raise their own foods, diets can be deficient in vitamins and minerals. In fact, it was the study of diet deficiencies in the USA and other countries that led to the creation of vitamin and mineral supplements.
Since my late youth, when I left the farm, I have included supplements in my diet. Now I take "therapeutic" blends of vitamins, helped by mineral tablets that are high in often neglected components, such as calcium and trace elements. I do NOT take "mega doses"; some vitamins are toxic at high levels.
But exercise caution. Supplement marketers have some of the most profitable markups short of prescription medicines. Read what you can learn on the internet searches, including reputable experts, such as The Mayo Clinic.
Herbal foods and supplements are a totally unregulated part of the economy. Some pretty outlandish claims have been made. Some "miracle herbals" can actually be toxic.
From time to time, I might suggest makers of supplements that I think are worth visiting on the internet. Read what you can find, and make informed choices.
I welcome comments from people who have good or bad experience from various supplement sources.
Donald A. Miller, Ph.D. is the author of "Easy Health Diet", and several thousand other reports, including two eBooks available through Amazon.Com. More health information can be found at his web site http://easyhealthdiet.com. Contact at mailto:drdon@easyhealthdiet.com. (Reprinted from Zongoo)
The American public is health-conscious and mindful of proper nutrition. According to a new poll commissioned by the national publication USA TODAY, two-thirds of American women take vitamin supplements regularly, and 70 percent of respondents recognize that vitamins provide important health benefits. Other recent nationwide surveys have shown that the number of Americans who regularly take some form of nutritional supplements is approaching 180 million, an overwhelming majority of the population. Public health officials expressed hope that the poll results would encourage even those Americans in the minority to begin looking into vitamin supplementation as a key part of a healthy lifestyle.
