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January 19, 2006
A Quick Note About Supplements
As you can see from reading the numbers on my nutritional software crunch, I get all or more than all of the RDA of almost every essential nutrient from my diet alone. I get way more nutrition from my diet alone than almost anyone... CR'd or not. Most "normal" eaters are actually malnourished. So why do I still take supplements? I supplement for three reasons, so my supplements fall into these categories:
1) Things that are hard to get from diet without getting other things you don't want. For instance: zinc. I could get the RDA of zinc from my diet by eating raw oysters every day. That would be really yummy, but it would add a whole lot of cholesterol to my diet that I don't want or need. Same with iron: I could eat red meat, but then I would get a whole lot of saturated fat that I don't want. Supplemental zinc is just as effective as zinc in the wild, but doesn't have the drawbacks of eating many zinc rich foods. There are some things that it's essential that you get from your diet: my understanding is that plant phytochemicals are among these, and that synthetic beta-carotene can be downright toxic but you want all the natural beta-carotene you can get. You'll notice that I always get way over the RDA of A and C from the vegetables and fruits I eat. Lots of multi-colored plant phytochemicals. Do you suppose that if I eat enough grapefruit, I could turn pink? That would be pretty, but would it clash with the Orange?
Some folks, like vegetarians, avoid animal foods for ethical reasons, and are therefore missing some nutrients that they could get from meat. They should supplement with Vegetarian Booster, and get the nutrients they would have gotten from animal foods from a well-designed supplement. No dead animals, no saturated fat, no cholesterol, and no messy dishes to wash.
I supplement with D because it improves calcium absorbtion, and I don't want to get skin cancer from baking myself in the sun all the time, especially when it is below freezing outside. I look terrible with a tan, and skin cancer runs rampant in Scottish families who move to the New World.
2) I have a specific health condition that a particular supplement has been shown effective at curing. I-3-C was designed based on studies that showed it can reverse cervical dysplasia. And here we are: in reversal. Yippie! I linked in my previous post to the article about it... read on if you're interested, I don't feel like reposting the link because for some reason it won't copy/paste from the pdf url and I don't feel like re-typing the whole darned thing.
Or take the cranberry pills. I take them to control chronic urinary tract infections. I could drink several vodka cranberries a day, and I would probably be a more entertaining person, but I'd a) consume a whole lot of unnecessary calories b) have no liver c) consume a whole lot of sugar d) be unable to function. I do drink unsweetened pure cranberry juice, the kind that is so tart that you can't drink it straight, but even that has calories, whereas the pills are just as effective and are calorie-free and take almost no time to consume. But a quick note for any fellow UTI sufferers out there: alcohol makes the cranberry flavanoids more bioavailable, so it's not your imagination, it really is better to have a vodka cranberry than just a cranberry juice alone when you feel a UTI coming on. Better yet, have a glass of pinot noir with two cranberry pills. Resveratrol and UTI protection all in one! Or mix unsweetened cranberry with pinot noir and raspberry flavored seltezer or diet cranberry Canada Dry Ginger Ale. CR Sangria!
3) I take a few supplements that are very likely to improve my long term health. All the bone builders (K2, Strontium) are in this category. I get over the RDA of calcium most days from my food, but I still take Strontium and K2 for my bones, just like I still do bone building exercise at the gym. There are many ways to care for yourself, and while diet may well be the most important, there's no reason to neglect other ways in which you can improve your long term health. While a supplement program can never take the place of a well-designed diet (and nutritional software is a must!) it can improve an already excellent plan, and give you the flexibility to skip the oysters and dead cows.
As to cat breath... the only solution I've ever found is feeding them a leaf of fresh catnip right before bedtime. That makes them smell nice and minty. The problem is, you can't grown the catnip in the house because the cats will eat the entire plant at one sitting. And you can't grow it outside because the neighborhood cats will eat the entire plant and come back for seconds. When we received a catnip plant as a housewarming gift and set it on the back deck, we quickly made the acquaintance of all the neighborhood cats. For awhile, a gorgeous white girl kitty was in love with MR and rubbed up against him while he hung out the laundry. This is what happens when you grow catnip -- you attract kitty stalkers. So for now, I'll deal with Philomena's night time cat breath. She means well.
Posted by april at January 19, 2006 9:20 PM
Comments
Dear April,
I get the logic behind your supplements, but I am still against taking so many pills. I'd still rather have al those nutritients without the pills.
As for the cat breath, as ong as they eat dry food (which mine do) their breath is so o.k that I sleep embraced by them, embracing and kissing them on their sweet little pink mouth...
Posted by: zeynep at January 19, 2006 8:07 PM
iyi akşamlar Zeynep. Nasılsını?
You'd be shocked to see my pills I take each day :-). Maybe i should post a pic somewhere sometime?
Anyways. There are benefits to getting way over the RDA of some nutritional items healthwise and some nutrients just can't be derived from ood every day. Unless you eat the same stuff every day including some ick stuff. So there is some benefit to it.
Now if i'd just be strong enough to do CR... ah well...
Posted by: Curious at January 20, 2006 1:02 PM
>>> I get the logic behind your supplements, but I am still against taking so many pills. <<<
This statement itself isn't logical. But, moving on...
The RDA is a disaster, not unlike the food pyramid. It's merely a bare minimum to avoid certain diseases. It's by no means an optimum recommendation, nor anything close to a complete list -- assuming long health is a concern.
To get all of the vits./mins/phyto-nutrients from food alone that we really need for longevity, we'd all be overweight, so supplementation is absolutely required.
Not only that, supplementation is needed to make up for deficiencies in our aging bodies, such as supplements to boost SOD levels, to repair ongoing DNA damage, to protect the brain, and so on.
I have been taking over 100 supplements daily for 4+ years, and people who meet me remark on how young I look (at nearly 45, practically no facial wrinkles), and how energetic I am. Plus, I'm absolutely capable of doing anything I could in my 20's, and I run a super successful entertainment company and my mind is as sharp/creative as ever.
I've also gotten my parents on "the program" as I call it, and their lives have significantly improved. My father no longer needs to be on blood pressure pills or statins, for example. His homocysteine level was high, too, and now it's below normal.
We are designed to die, once our breeding days are over. Supplements, in part, defeat nature's plan for us, adding many quality years to our lives. And the world of supplements goes way, way beyond the simple vitamin and minerals that most people limit themselves to.
People who do not take supplements are merely helping nature's plan take its timely course.
Posted by: Scott Miller at January 20, 2006 6:47 PM