Questions & Answers

Q. Should I take some supplements? Some people tell me I don’t need them.

A. My answer to this is a definite YES, but select ones that you truly need and avoid taking excesses of any supplements. True in an ideal World be would not need any supplements because we would get all we need from our food intake. But how many of us consistently eat this well?

There are currently too many factors affecting the possibility of us getting all the nutrition we need from food, direct factors like processing, cooking, storage and pesticide, then add lifestyle factors like stress, smoking, alcohol, over medication and environmental toxins and finally individual likes and dislikes of certain food types. It is just not worth the risk assuming that you are going to get all the essential nutrition you need without a little help.

Studies back this up too by showing that people who are considered to eat quite well are still deficient in essential nutrients. Studies show for example that over 70% of the population are low in essential minerals like magnesium, chromium and zinc. About 80% of people are low in essential fats! A huge portion of people have been shown to have imbalances in the bacteria in their digestive system. People who have excessive lifestyle habits like drinking, smoking and continuous medication use have clear deficiencies in key nutrients.

In my experience some of the most important supplements that really help people and make a difference are – milk thistle for liver function, multi-MINERALS because we are chronically short of minerals even more so than vitamins, essential fats because of their absolutely critical role in the body and digestive supplements such as enzymes (which help break down food) and probiotics (which help improve digestive bacteria balance).

In summary then, although ideal, it is almost impossible to get all the nutrients you need from food and taking the risk isn’t worth it. Certainly if you have health problems and excessive lifestyle habits you need to consider supplementation but sit down and consider it carefully and consult with someone knowledgeable in the area to decide what is best for you.