Everyday Systems

If so, which ones?

If not, any particular reason why?

Just curious.

I am often diagnosed as anemic (heavy periods) so I take an iron pill. And a multivitamin, but I do often wonder if I really need it.

I take a multi-multivitamin because my endocrinologist told me to. I'm a Type I diabetic.

I do believe a feel better if I take a vitamin.

I don't take any.

I take a multivitamin, calcium, and sometimes vitamin C and zinc if I notice my peers are getting sick (i live in a dorm).

I think that Americans take to many "supplements." I consider "supplements" when not doctor-prescribed, to be another symptom of how in this country we don't eat food, but instead we obsess over bogus nutritional hocus-pocus. I think that stores like GNC are pure evil.

Sorry if anyone finds this offensive. This is my opinion, and you're welcome to disagree.

prenatal vitamins and that is it. I wonder along with the organic thing, how much is this just a money making thing. -

Not unless you count tea.

I take a daily multivitamin- for the iron and calcium. I'm too lazy to take 2 pills, so I take a multi!
I don't eat much meat so I tend towards anemia, and I have never been a dairy person, not getting much calcium in my diet. After breaking my hand in a way that shouldn't happen, I started getting concerned about osteoporosis/etc.

I don't take any. I don't believe that the intricate, health-promoting properties of food can be replicated in the form of a pill, so I skip the supplements in favor of whole foods.

Although we eat a primarily whole-foods diet, our family takes the following:

1. Multi-vitamin Why? Cheap nutritional insurance.

2. Vit. D Why? I believe our modern lifestyle greatly limits the amount of Vit. D we naturally manufacture (ie. not outdoors enough) and we'd rather take a pill than cod-liver oil! Also, we live overseas and our milk does NOT have Vit. D added....

3. Vit. C Why? Vit. C interacts with many other vitamins, enzymes, anti-oxidants and again, this is an easy way to get it.

We don't take mega-doses and we don't supplement daily--maybe 5 days out of 7. While I do believe it is possible to get everything from a diet, I'm not always willing to do that. For example, in winter where we live, one can get enough Vit. C from home-fermented sauerkraut and rosehip jam. However, those are not foods we eat daily even though many of our neighbors do.....

I take Calcium with Vitamin D added. Calcium for my bones ( I do eat yogurt daily, but I'm also over 50 and female) - and vitamin D because as vmsurbat says our lifestyle restricts the amount of vitamin D we get. My doctor (who is a pretty moderate guy) suggest the vitamin D for my husband as well.

That's about it. I was pleased to find some flavored chewable calcium tablets though because I despise the taste of regular calcium tablets!

I have had this debate with myself most of my life. My mom forced iron tonic and multi vitamins down me as a child (I was anemic).

I have friends who are over the top and keep the health food stores in business changing from drinking barley greens to juicing to enough horse pills to choke a horse. You have noticed how horrific health food stores smell when you walk in the door! Ugh!

That being said, there are some legitimate arguments for supplementing what we are no longer able to get in our foods or lifestyle. I now think that I do need to supplement with D3 and probably should have the blood work done to make sure. Most of us, it seems, are now deficient in D3. And being an old woman, I am taking calcium per doctor's orders, but not so sure it does any good. I am thinking about magnesium...not sure eating nuts is the answer. I don't believe in multi vitamins...too scattered an approach and probably not being absorbed any way.

I am also looking at Vitamin K2 now because I think unless you are eating pastured eggs, butter, cheese, you probably need this. I am just now studying it out.

I do not think we need to obsess about organic foods and supplementation, and supplements can never make up for a stinky diet. For me, I think if I eat nutrient rich foods and avoid the poisons of modern society (esp. seed grain oils, sugars, and manufactured foods) I will be getting what my body needs without causing unnecessary inflammation. Of course, we are all going to die of something and our bodies gradually wear out. I just want to feel my best while I am here!

TexArk wrote: I am also looking at Vitamin K2 now because I think unless you are eating pastured eggs, butter, cheese, you probably need this. I am just now studying it out.

I do not think we need to obsess about organic foods and supplementation, and supplements can never make up for a stinky diet. For me, I think if I eat nutrient rich foods and avoid the poisons of modern society (esp. seed grain oils, sugars, and manufactured foods) I will be getting what my body needs without causing unnecessary inflammation. Of course, we are all going to die of something and our bodies gradually wear out. I just want to feel my best while I am here!

It is very important to take vitamins WITH a meal because when we eat food we are naturally getting a wide variety of nutrients; a vitamin all by itself isn't going to be absorbed nearly as well.

But, actually, the reason I'm posting is that you mentioned Vit. K which has suddenly been popping up quite a bit on my "nutrition radar screen." One thing I just found out is that fresh (culinary--not weird, never-heard-of-before) herbs have an amazing amount of Vit. K. Ever since learning that I have been much more motivated to snip away at the fresh herbs I *do* have and adding them to my dishes and salads, not merely saving them for my "it MUST be fresh herb" recipes.

One site that I recently discovered via a free kindle download and found the above-mentioned health benefits of ordinary culinary herbs is:

http://nutritionovereasy.com/2011/04/do ... /#more-553

Monica Renagel is a RD that keeps up with the latest news and scientific findings. If you poke around the site, you'll find all sorts of great and sensible articles... including her take on Taube, vitamins, organic or not, beef vs. chicken, all from the perspective of evaluating scientific studies. I've been pleased to find a site promoting the latest research without a strong agenda (beyond "Eat real food").

HTH,

Vicki in MNE

Thanks for the info and interesting nutrition site, Vicki.

I have tried to grow my own herbs several times and have been a dismal failure. I am ready to try again! They are sooo expensive in the markets.

And yes, we all need to be reminded that vitamin supplements must be taken with food to be absorbed.

The Vitamin K I am looking at is K2, not the regular K you can get from greens like kale and the herbs you suggested. I think you can only get K2 from pastured dairy and pastured eggs, but not sure.

Re: Vitamin K and Vitamin K2

I'm not a nutritionist or a vitamin expert. But, I thought that Vitamin K2 was actually produced by the body's intestinal bacteria from Vitamin K1, which I think is what is typically found in supplements and probably the herbs vmsurbat mentioned. I'm sure there may be cases where the body doesn't produce sufficient amounts of K2 (for example since its converted by bacteria, a systemic antibiotic might screw things up), but that's maybe something to look into/think about.

As for me, I take vitamin D. My doctor's* recommendation was that vitamin D was essential, and that most women should probably be on at least 2000 units daily (which is 5x the 400units recommended by the US FDA). He said that research on other vitamins, specifically a daily multivitamin, was pretty varied, and that there was a good chance that it a multivitamin wouldn't do much. But that it also wouldn't hurt to take one if I wanted to hedge my bets. I occasionally take a multivitamin, but I consider it a success if I manage to take my D.


*Not trying to say this is the only correct recommendation, or that its even correct at all, just sharing what he told me since that's what made me choose to do what I do.

Thanks for the comments.

It's odd that you all mentioned K2 in detail because I was considering taking this as a supplement. I do take cod liver oil because I think Vit D is so hard to get in the diet and I don't spend lots of time in the sun.

I often wonder if the multi I take is just a waste of money but I feel like I might miss something if I don't take it. It's amazing how something can become so ingrained in our culture that we feel guilty if we don't do it. Gosh!

Multivitamin, fish oil, and Vitamin D. Sometimes garlic (Kyolic) during cold season.

I never used to because I thought I certainly ate enough to cover it all. But now my Dr. told me that I'm anemic and have been for a long time and very low on Vitamin D. So, I now take iron, D, and a multivitamin just to cover my bases. My Mom could fill a small tackel box and she swears she feels better. She had blood tested and follows Dr. instructions. I recommend a blood test or you could mess yourself up.

No.

1) I have no medical issues that require supplements.

2) I'm suspicious of money grubbing quackery. And cheap.

3) Knowing that I will die of horrible diseases unless I fill my plates with fruits and veggies is powerful incentive to do so, which I would rather not deprive myself of with a pill.

Reinhard

I do take a few supplements:

1) Prenatal vitamin (I'm pregnant)
2) Calcium+Vitamin D (I'm pretty lactose intolerant, so I eat hardly any dairy)
3) Vitamin D3 (I like in the Pacific NW, which doesn't get a lot of sun)
4) Fish oil
5) Claritin (for allergies)
6) Iron (I'm anemic right now because of the pregnancy)
7) Glucosamine (I unfortunately inherited my father's twingy joints, and while I'm not 100% sure glucosamine works for me, I've heard it's the most effective supplement out there for joint issues)

I take a basic multi in the morning, when I remember, and calcium +D at night... when I remember.

I don't sweat it if I miss.

I actually feel that it's a wishy-washy decision on my part.

I don't believe in supplements enough to go nuts and take handfuls and angst over the composition, but... I also think that our farming methods have lowered the nutritional value of "real food." So, it's minimal-level insurance, with low mental overhead.

I don't take anything. Well, Claritin, but I don't think of that as a supplement -- it's a drug.