Lisa's Blog

Supplements: should you or shouldn't you?

I don't mean to sound hype-y but seriously you need to exercise caution around supplementation.

There are a few facts and ideals and myths around supplementation and nutrition.  So here are some points you want to consider.

Is it possible to get everything you need from your diet?
Yes, certainly, but YOU need to ask yourself whether you eat well enough to achieve that, and if you feel less than great you might have deficiencies or imbalances and could do with some guidance.

What about all the stuff about the quality of soil etc?
Well, sure, eat local, eat fresh, eat mostly in season, though for centuries we have stored and preserved food so don't fuss too much about that, eat organic where you can. 

Take care with supplements!
Unless you have someone who has conducted some tests or analysed what is going on in your biochemistry don't just play guessing games with your health.  Vitamins and minerals are complex little things and in the body they are even more complex.  You might take something to treat a "symptom" but then cause a further imbalance which results in a worse problem.  Also unless you understand enough a little information can be very dangerous.  Did you know for example that viruses thrive in calcium, so drinking lots of dairy or taking a calcium supplement during a viral infection could make it worse.  Did you know that zinc and vitamin C are great for your immune system?  Most people do.  What they don't realise is that in a bacterial infection taking vitamin C can actually be antagonistic, because it binds to copper, which the body uses to combat the bacteria.  Zinc will also interfere with copper.  Take vitamin C and Zinc for a viral infection but not for a bacterial infection.  Also understand that we need these little vitamins and minerals in really trace amounts and taking something that is already in excess in your body can imbalance something else, which you may already be deficient in.

I use Hair Mineral Tissue Analysis to determine what is going on at tissue level before I recommend supplements and well as questionaires and careful observation of the secret languages of the body.  Your body will talk, so make sure before you supplement that you get an expert to guide you.  Not everyone needs supplements and not all vitamins no matter how good they are will be good for YOU.

One last point, not all supplements are equal quality, some will just give you expensive urine and can't be absorbed.

It is worth doing your research, and sometimes paying a little more to get a good one.