The recent trend in the US for vitamins and mineral supplements is an ascending trend; it seems, on the one hand, that the US is an extremely health-conscious nation, popping vitamins and mineral supplements, while on the other hand, the drive-thru lines at McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts only seem to grow longer and longer. While vitamins are a good idea, as are mineral supplements, all nutritionists agree that the most effective way to achieve proper nutrition is through just that, nutrition: eating…which is to say, eating the right stuff.
Vitamins and mineral supplements are a good idea for people who have exceptional health needs; most doctors would agree that a pregnant woman should be taking pre-natal vitamins. However, the average, clean-bill-of-health adult should not rely on vitamins and mineral supplements to meet daily recommended values. Vitamins and minerals are best absorbed in their natural form. This is the reason why we are advised to take vitamins and mineral supplements with a meal, so that they can mix up with the real food, but they are still inferior to the actual vitamins and minerals found in foods.
The answer to meeting daily recommended values is in eating a healthy and balanced diet. A very healthy meal, if repeated seven nights a week in succession, is no longer a very healthy meal because diets lacking in variety are off-balance in vitamins and minerals. In order to get a healthy amount of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, you can rely on supplements, but the healthiest way is to drive by the drive-thru, instead of through, and pick up a wide variety of whole foods and eat those throughout the week, sans supplément.
