When my children were young, they had weak immune systems. Every cold hit them hard. I’d drag them to the pediatrician for yet another round of antibiotics.
Then I started giving them vitamins. Lots of them. They took multivitamins, extra calcium and a 500 mg. a day of “vitamin C.” We’ve been told for years that Vitamin C is good for us. So by pumping all this good stuff into them, they’d soon be shaking off of the germs.
Only it didn’t happen that way. The reality is that all these “nutrients” seemed to make them worse. Now, in addition to getting sick all the time, they looked pale.
Should You Take Multivitamins?
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Fortunately, I also started working with an excellent holistic healer. She told me to get rid of all the vitamins. Yes, that’s right, throw them all away.
“They need to get their vitamins from their food,” she insisted.
Now I buy whole food supplements for my family. After all, food is where vitamins come from. People have been consuming natural vitamins for thousands of years, long before modern laboratories came into existence.
Should You Take Vitamins or Not?
So I stopped giving my children synthetic vitamins. Instead, I fed them whole foods. They ate nothing processed, except for a few gluten-free treats from time to time. This woman also suggested some well-selected homeopathic remedies.
My children started getting healthier. Their color returned. Their appetite increased. So, even though I had good intentions by giving them a lot of vitamins, it was the wrong thing to do.
Are Multivitamins Good or Bad for You?
Now, I subscribe to another school of thought. Our bodies are designed to absorb nutrients from our food.
Ingesting a steady stream of artificial laboratory-made nutrients can potential create an imbalance, because nutrients and micro-nutrients found in real food work together in a perfect way to nourish the body. Laboratory-created vitamins don’t.
Should You Really Take Vitamins
Right now, we try to avoid synthetic vitamins. With a few exceptions. In recent years, I’ve tried to get enough sunlight. Sometimes, this isn’t possible. So I did take a regular Vitamin D supplement. However, I won’t be taking this formula again. That’s because I’ve found an all natural whole food multivitamin that contains natural Vitamin D, along with natural K2, and a wide range of other nutrients.
The brand of vitamins in our house is MegaFood, which you see below. These vitamins provide crucial nutrients, including B-complex vitamins. These vitamins are depleted when you’re under stress. They’re also essential for a healthy nervous system. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but these vitamins make me feel very calm. Perhaps it’s the B-complex vitamins that do that. In any event, I call them my “chill pills.”
Megafood Vitamins Without Iron
Should You Take Vitamin D Supplements?
So I can get supplemental Vitamin D without having to worry about potential nutritional imbalances.
Here is the other exception. If we’re sick, and we can’t shake a particular bug, and we need something else, in addition to homeopathy and essential oils, we take extra a formula with high-dose ascorbic acid, a component of whole vitamin C. We only take this for a day or two.
Should You Take Vitamins?
Please understand that I’m not a healthcare professional, and am not qualified to give medical advice. (So I won’t.) Whether or not you take vitamins is something you need to discuss with your own physician. I am simply putting my story out there for discussion purposes only.
Vitamin D deficiency is common, because most of us don’t get enough sunlight. So getting enough of this crucial nutrient is something I urge you to discuss with your doctor. Many doctors also believe adults should take supplemental CoQ10. So you may want to have a conversation about this as well.
Should You Take Vitamins Long Term?
There is another laboratory creation I took short term, for a specific condition. (I have chronic nerve inflammation.)
So for six months, while recovering from adrenal fatigue, I took a supplement called Cell Food. This is a blend of enzymes and minerals that also raises the oxygen content in your blood. I believed this helped me a lot. I discontinued it when my body sort of told me I no longer needed it.
Whole Vitamins Instead of Laboratory Vitamins
Ascorbic acid is not the same as vitamin C. It is a laboratory synthesized component of Vitamin C. So I prefer to get my Vitamin C from fruits, vegetables and other natural sources.
One excellent source is the camu camu berry, found in the South American jungle. It contains more Vitamin C than any other fruit. Camu camu also has B vitamins, as well as calcium and minerals. This is a good option if you still want to take supplemental vitamins, as it’s sometimes difficult to derive all of your nutrients from your diet.
Does Spirulina Contain Vitamins?
Spirulina and other green foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Spirulina, a type of bacteria that is deep bluish green, grows naturally on ponds and other bodies of water. It is also cultivated in tropical regions of the world. The native population in Central America once used spirulina as a food.
It’s now widely available and sold in many different formulations. But quality varies widely. I make sure to take an American-produced product that’s not harvested in China, which has lax pollution control. (Spirulina will absorb environmental contaminants. Here’s the brand of spirulina you’ll find in my house.
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How Long Should You Take Vitamins?
Anyway, I’m not a doctor, so I can’t give anyone else advice on how long to take vitamins. But I can share my own experiences. Here’s what I do. I don’t take any supplement long term. I rotate my natural remedies, to give my body a break.
So, for instance, I may take organic camu camu powder for a couple of weeks and then move onto something else. Later, I’ll return to this incredible source of natural Vitamin C. (Just so you know, Ascorbic acid is not the same thing as Vitamin C.) In the meantime, I’ll take MegaFood or Oregon’s Wild Harvest Stress Guard, which contains herbs as well as natural B-complex Vitamins.
Should You Take Vitamins if You Eat Healthy?
Whether or not you decide to take vitamins at all is something you’ll want to talk about with your doctor. I’ve decided to take them because it’s difficult to get all the nutrients we need from food. However, I personally don’t believe vitamin pills can compensate for a poor diet. So the trick is to put healthy, whole food meals on the table.
If you find the task of cooking from scratch daunting, I encourage my readers to sign up for Real Plans, for a month. After a while, healthy meal planning becomes second nature. If you’d like more information, click on the image below.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. People with health concerns should discuss them with a doctor. Women who are pregnant or nursing should only take dietary supplements under the direction of a medical professional.
