Category: Supplements

6 Reasons Why a Multivitamin May Not Be Enough

There’s lot of controversy as to whether you need to supplement or not. The conventional wisdom says that if you eat a balance diet, you should receive all the vitamins you need … and if it makes you feel better, you can add a multivitamin for added insurance.

But is it really that simple? Will the multivitamin have all you need?

1. Do you live in a perfect world where you grow your food and your own meat, or can you shop from the farmer’s market?

If you’re buying produce from stores, you don’t know how long it’s taken to get there, or what the’ve sprayed on the fruit and vegetables to preserve them. What you think is fresh might be 2 – 3 months old, meaning that vitamin levels have depleted.

2. Do you get out in the sun often enough? In the last few years, we’ve had a fear of the sun. Vitamin D comes and animal foods. In the US, there’s almost a Vitamin D shortage epidemic.

Simply eating a good diet isn’t enough. One doctor I know thought she definitely had enough Vitamin D because she eats so healthy – but she had herself tested and her Vitamin D levels were really low. Read More »

The Dangers of Iron Supplements

If you’re feeling tired, or if you know you don’t get much iron in your diet, you might think that it’s a good idea to take a supplement.

Supplements are usually considered good for you … but you do need to be educated about what you’re buying because you can take too much of a good thing. More is not necessarily better!

If you take more than 45 milligrams of iron per day for a long period of time, it can lead to iron toxicity and trigger hemochromatosis. This causes an excess of iron to be stored in multiple organ systems in your body. You may not be aware that there’s any problem until you start experiencing symptoms. This can lead to heart and liver failure, as well as severe pancreatic damage.

Side effects from too much iron include vomiting, diarrhea, intestinal damage and discomfort, indigesting and constipation. Rare cases can require hospitalization and may even lead to death.

Read More »