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2009-06-21
VITAMINS NATURE'S WAY A well-balanced diet rules out the need for supplements


 

 

 

A well-balanced diet will in almost all instances, rule out the need for dietary supplements.

Before you stock up on dietary supple­ments, stop to consider whether you could get similar benefits more cheaply by improving your diet.

Under normal circumstances, a well­balanced Western diet contains all the necessary vitamins in sufficient quan­tities. Obviously, when you are suffering from certain illnesses, are on a re­stricted diet, are pregnant or breast feeding, extra vitamins may be recom­mended by your ·doctor. Otherwise, extra vitamins are unnecessary and can even be harmful, leading to poisonous overdoses called-hypervitaminosis I

products. Ox liver, halibut and cod liver oil are particularly rich sources, as are carrots, tomatoes, spinach and watercress. Avoid taking vitamin !c.. supplements as an excess can cause fragile bones, liver and spleer enlargement and loss of appetite anc possibly even hair.

The B vitamins affect blood, skir, nerves and growth, and the way YOlY body uses foods. To get sufficien~ quantities, your diet should regulariy include lean meats and/or pulses, offa fish, wholemeal bread and wholegrair vegetables like spinach. If you feel rur down, nervous, or develop skir ailments, your doctor may recommend a B complex supplement; some people take brewer's yeast, a rich source o~ several B vitamins, for extra energy.

A Good Diet

Vitamin A is necessary for healthy skin, bones and eyes; you can get enough by eating moderate amounts of dairy

Doses of pyridoxine (B6) are used to treat acne, convulsions, premenstrual tension and period pains; both 86 and 812 are prescribed for anaemia. Generally the body quickly excretes any excess vitamin B, but undernourished Jeople should not take vitamin 8, on its Jwn, as this can impair the body's use of :::tner vitamins.

vJJ should ensure that your diet::~tars generous daily amounts of

~a~r C-rich foods, as the body cannot 3~::: -et. and it is easily destroyed by ~ ~ e :::ooking and by cigarette smoking. ~ 3 essential for the health of blood, ::::: +eeth, and the body's connective ~ 33_e. ::eaoers, blackcurrants, parsley, :::-,,-;:83 a-occoli and many other fresh ~- ~::: vegetables are good sources, es::e:::" ",vren raw or lightly cooked. --ere 3 -0 conclusive evidence that . ~,,~ ~ ::: ::-events colds, but a 3_::: ot usually harm .

. ~,,necessary for strong :::::~ ~e8~-. and prevents rickets in :::- ~s "':::Jnd mainly in fish liver :::.::: <: iver, fatty sea-fish and ~ e-:-:ents should be avoided as s ~;: can cause vomiting, - es. weight loss and calcium ::: s ~sr kidneys and arteries .

. ~a~-;s E and K are both connected ,'e ":.,:-,ctioning of the blood. Many :,,~3 are made for vitamin E - ranging::~ \varding off heart attacks to -e e\' "g menopausal symptoms - but ~ c~e ras been proven. Vitamin E occurs - Tany foods, especially in oils of ,,,reatgerm, cottonseed and corn, and 1 oatmeal, margarine, eggs, meat, butter and peas. Vitamin K helps prevent excessive bleeding, Ample quantities can be obtained by eating pig's liver, green leafy vegetables, eggs and milk; supplements are largely unnecessary as the body makes up for any shortage by manufacturing it in the intestines,

If you think you are suffering from vitamin deficiency, or that a supplement might help combat a particular ailment, you should consult your doctor. You will  also find it helpful to look at a nutrition ~ manual for the quantities required, how to achieve the correct balance and how  best to prepare food to make full use of the vitamins.

 

Taken from The Marshall Cavendish A  to Z GUIDE IN WEEKLY PARTS,  DOCTOR’S ANSWERS: PART 90, LIVE BETTER NATURALLY, GETTING YOUR VITAMINS – NATURE’S WAY, Page 2498.

 

(Sorry. Due to the urgency of education on this site, spelling will be corrected at a later stage….All photos in the  script have been left out) 


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