It is important to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins,
carbohydrates and fats. Having knowledge is not the same as doing it.
We do not consume an optimal amount of all the vitamins by diet alone. Inadequate intake of several vitamins is linked to chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis.
Our modern-day work lifestyle makes the task challenging by ensuring complete nutrition through food alone. If we see some of the facts of our modern-day life, we will see a compelling reason why we cannot depend on food alone to provide us with all the nutrition which we need to stay healthy.
Overfed and undernourished
Nowadays, we are all overfed and undernourished. When we look around we see people are gaining weight, kids are overweight and obese these days.
We are aware that someone close to us has a chronic disease yet we consume fabricated comfort food high in calories but low in food value (nutrition). Such a diet leads to subclinical or marginal deficiencies of nutrients that in turn lead to vague health complaints such as nervousness, listlessness, recurring minor infections, general aches and pains, difficulty concentrating, irritability, depression, muscle weakness, fatigue, insomnia, and just not feeling right.
Soil depletion
Modern mass production agriculture depletes nutrients from the soil
without replenishing them. The application of synthetic fertilisers
stimulates the growth of beautiful looking plants. However, the
nutrient content is missing. Thus when we bite into a healthy salad
or a slice of whole wheat bread, we are getting less nutrition today
than from the identical foods grown in the same soil years ago.
Commercial food processing
Much of the food we eat is processed in one way or another. When foods are processed, they are exposed to heat, light, oxygen, or drastic
change in temperature and humidity. This exposure causes the
destruction of vital but fragile nutrients. An example of processing
includes – baking, extruding, milling, grinding, boiling, cooking,
recombining, spray drying, and so on.
Pesticides in foods
Most food contains pesticides. Pesticides may be allowed to soil, to
the growing plant or to the food while in storage or transportation.
Just keep in mind that we cannot see, smell, or taste these pesticides.
Thus we do not know that what we are eating contains pest poisons.
These can accumulate in the body and cause problems. The body has to deal with the problem by expending valuable vitamins and minerals to detoxify and eliminate these poisons.
Environmental pollution
Humans dump nearly six billion pounds of chemicals into the
environment every year. Some of it also ends up in our food, much of it is in our food, air and water. While breathing air and
drinking water we are ingesting chemical pollution. Medical research
has established that environmental chemicals contribute to
degenerative diseases.
Why supplements?
In the rush of our daily lives, we are missing out on essential
proteins, vitamins, and minerals that help us to achieve good health
and fill us up with zest and energy to enjoy life. Supplementing our
daily diet with supplements is a quick, easy and smart way to
fill the nutrient gaps. Thus, rather than investing in futile energy,
time and resources in procuring and consuming healthy food, be smart and add supplements to our daily life and ensure a
better, healthier future.
Finer points while choosing supplements
– The supplements should have a plant derivative
– The supplier should be growing, harvesting and processing
on its owned certified organic farm, and green-based manufacturing
plants.
– Each dose should certify the amount of RDA it gives to the
body as per weight.
The choice is between the hardy wat trying to fit in pounds of food in
the daily diet or supplementing the diet with supplements.
