www.whatthenaturopathsaid.com MULTIVITAMINS By Amie Skilton
Multivitamins are not a substitute for healthy eating, nor should they be treated as a Band-Aid for a crappy lifestyle. But they are an excellent and wise addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle to fill the occasional shortfall and provide optimum nutrition for the best possible health. Amie Skilton ND, DBM, DBT, BHSc (Comp Med)
Why Supplement? The subject of taking a multivitamin can often evoke strong opinions and make for some interesting conversational debate. I hear people state that we should not need to take vitamin supplements, as we can get everything we need from the food we are eating. I wish this was true. In a perfect world with ideal circumstances this would be the case, but in reality there are many reasons why you may need to take a vitamin and mineral supplement. It is now well documented (by Harvard in fact) that everyone should take a multivitamin everyday to help provide them with their daily nutrient needs. Adequate nutritional intake has an enormous effect on your energy, health, vitality and longevity. Insufficient nutrients result in the body being unable to continue cellular biochemical and metabolic processes effectively. Without adequate vitamins and minerals, as well as essential proteins, carbohydrates and fatty acids, energy and vitality is reduced and deficiencies and illness may occur. 2
5 Reasons I Take A Multi #1 I don't eat a perfect diet There is no such thing as a perfect diet because we each have our own unique physiological demands for nutrients, and these can change on a daily basis. But if I was to write out a 'perfect diet plan' for you, or myself, I know neither of us would follow it to the letter, every day, for the rest of our lives. Why? Because we're human. We not only indulge in processed foods from time to time (or more often than not for some!) but the odd glass of wine, cup of tea or coffee too. These things may replace nutritious meals or snacks and, because they re so processed, rob us of nutrients in order to metabolise them. In some cases they also prevent us from absorbing nutrients from our food as well. I do eat exceptionally well most of the time, but not all of the time. How about you? On average almost 40% of the calories consumed in the average diet come from highly processed convenience or snack foods, which are rich in fat and refined sugar - further reducing nutrient intake, and creating a nutrient deficit. We are going to enjoy these things from time to time which means it's a smart move to make up the nutritional deficit with a multivitamin. 3
5 Reasons I Take A Multi #2 Our food is far from perfect Even if you followed a 'perfect diet our food is no longer as nutritious as it once was. j Soil depletion from poor (but common) farming practices means the very land on which our produce grows (or feeds) is nutrient-poor to begin with. A plant cannot contain what wasn't in the soil in the first place. Picking produce before it's ripe, long-term storage and transport, and artificial ripening methods also have a negative impact. I ve seen a report that found oranges with zero vitamin c in them and I ve also seen broccoli so depleted in silica they had hollow stems. This means even if you were to sit down and design a diet 'by the textbook' - the text book may overestimate nutrient content. This doesn't mean we shouldn't bother trying to eat well. But ignorance is not bliss and being aware of this means we can do something about it! 4
5 Reasons I Take A Multi #3 Our environment is polluted The general pollution we have to deal with every day is very taxing. Fuel emissions and other outdoor contaminants are an issue but so too are many emissions from inside our own homes - from carpets, TVs, computers etc. Not to mention what we ingest. j More than 80,000 chemicals have been introduced since World War II, and about 75,000 of them have never been tested for their effects on human health. Of these, 3000 are added to our food on purpose and 700 have been identified in our drinking water. Our body also has to detoxify the metabolic waste products we produce on a daily basis through our own cellular metabolism. Whether we eat them, drink them, breathe them, absorb them or make them - our cells have to metabolise and detoxify these chemicals every single day. And no matter what the toxin is or where it came from, our body requires nutrients in order to metabolise, neutralise and excrete them! 5
5 Reasons I Take A Multi #4 I don't live like a buddhist monk Ideally I would meditate and exercise every day, get 8 hours of sleep each night, and eat freshly prepared wholefoods at each meal in a quiet, tranquil space. But... I live a very busy life that includes late nights, rushed meals and occasionally more stress than I care for. I do my best to maintain a healthy life balance but it can be tricky and I don't always get it right. I find a multivitamin ensures my body can keep up, and doesn t suffer for it! #5 I want to be SUPER healthy Personally, I am not interested in simply avoiding disease. I want to nourish my cells with optimal nutrition so my energy, vitality, mood, immune system and all the cellular processes I take for granted are optimal too. I want to be well and energetic and switched on, strong and healthy. I want to be operating at 100% not 70%. I want to thrive, not just survive. And this requires optimal nutrition. Unfortunately RDI, or recommended daily intake, is the bare minimum of a nutrient that we need to avoid developing a disease! It does not indicate the optimal amount we should be getting for best results. Everyone s ODI, or optimal daily intake, will be a little different (and vary from time to time) but it is certainly well above the RDI. 6
You Might Need A Multi Too? Do you suffer from poor digestion? Wind, bloating, discomfort and other digestive complaints indicate your insides aren t working so well. When they aren t functioning optimally it becomes harder to break down and absorb the nutrition our food contains, and this can happen at any age. This is also sadly a very common issue for people.? Do you take some sort of pharmaceutical medication? It could be something like a short course of antibiotics for an infection, or something long-term like the oral contraceptive pill or blood pressure medication. Either way medications can affect nutrient absorption, increase our requirement for certain vitamins and rob our body of vital minerals.? Are you pregnant or breastfeeding? In some cases nutrient requirement increases by 200% and yet calorie requirement is only increased by 10-30%. How does that work..? Without taking a multivitamin, it doesn t.? Are you getting older? As we age our requirement for certain nutrients, in particular antioxidants, increases. Unfortunately our digestion (including our ability to chew!) doesn t work as well as did when we were younger - meaning it becomes harder to break down and absorb the nutrition our food contains.? Are you suffering from some sort of illness? If our immune system is battling something acute or chronic, mild or serious, we need more than our regular share of nutrients to fight back. Unfortunately illness (and the resulting stress) can affect our digestion too, making things even harder. 8
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How To Take A Multi This might initially look like a silly section to include. I mean, you just swallow it like any other pill right..? Kind of. To get the most out of your multi there are some guidelines you should know! Take your multivitamin with food. There are a couple of reasons for this. Although there are a few exceptions, most supplements should be taken with food because this way we know they ll be digested and absorbed optimally. Eating food triggers the production of digestive enzymes without which certain nutrients may simply not be absorbed. Furthermore, there are some nutrients that can be a bit tough on the tummy by themselves. For example, B vitamins taken on an empty stomach can make you feel nauseous. Take it in the morning! We take a multivitamin to achieve several things, one of the most important ones being energy. Taking a multivitamin at night is both a waste of a multi and puts you at risk of being too energised to sleep. Breakfast is the best time! Do not take it with tea or coffee! Unfortunately the tannins and caffeine in tea, coffee and some other drinks like hot chocolate/milo, bind certain nutrients preventing you from absorbing them and robbing your body of their benefits! This means coffee lovers will have to wait an hour after breakfast and taking their multi before having their first coffee. If you simply cannot face the day without a coffee first, then take your multi with your morning tea snack instead (no coffee an hour either side). I also recommend you see a Naturopath to sort out your adrenals! Tea lovers, there is brand called Madura that is naturally low in caffeine and tannin-free that you can wash your multi down with. They also do a green tea! Herbal teas like peppermint and chamomile are fine though. Extra Tip: if you're someone who has taken a multi in the past and it has made you feel tired, you might be what we call an under-methylator. You can be tested for this (and it s quite important to know for health reasons) but when taking a multi - either opt for a lower dose multi or break your multi into two pieces and take half at breakfast and half at lunchtime. 10
How To Choose A Multi There is no one pill that will cover all your nutritional needs. For starters it would be the size of a golf ball and many nutrients also interact with each other affecting their absorption. As such, therapeutic doses of minerals (like iron and calcium) should be taken separately. A good multivitamin should ideally be high in B vitamins for energy, and should contain other nutrient co-factors. Generally speaking, B vitamins should be present at a dose of roughly 40-80mg each, with the exception of B9 (folic acid) and B12 which should be between 200-500mcg and in roughly equal amounts. Important co-factors include minerals like iodine and selenium, vitamins A, D, E and K, and the nutrients choline and inositol. Speak to a Natural Healthcare Practitioner to choose the right multivitamin for you. 11
Check Your Multi CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR MULTI? Want to ask me about the multivitamin you take? Book a free, no obligation multivitamin check - just click here! follow me for more health + wellbeing inspiration f: www.facebook.com/amie.skilton.naturopath i: www.instagram.com/thatnaturopath t: www.twitter.com/amieskilton www.whatthenaturopathsaid.com 12