The Essentials
So you’re health-conscious enough to know not to buy synthetic vitamins from your local box pharmacy or supermarket, with all the added fillers, dyes, and preservatives, but you’re still not sure what vitamins to take. You’re thinking, “do I need to be taking vitamins, and if so, which ones?”. First of all, there is no better alternative to healthy lifestyle choices. Eating fresh, whole (unprocessed) foods, spending time getting fresh air in nature, drinking pure, clean water, thinking positively, and moving your body regularly is always the best place to start to improve one’s overall health. There is no magic pill, and no easy shortcuts. With that said, if you are living your best life, is there still a need for supplementation?
One way to look at it is, in today’s high-stress, chaotic, modern lifestyle, our bodies need to use more of certain nutrients to maintain balance. If you were meditating by a lake all day, maybe you wouldn’t need supplemental vitamins, but if you’re wrestling your way through the concrete jungle of a city day in and day out, your body likely needs additional nutrients to maintain optimal health. Excess stress, environmental toxins, and other factors, can deplete the body of nutrients. Additionally, the soil that crops are grown in today is likely not as rich in vitamins and minerals as it once was, due to over-farming, poor crop rotation, and over-use of chemicals, etc.
Therefore, even if you’re eating as close to a healthy diet as possible, there may still be some nutrients missing, or at suboptimal levels. A good whole-foods multivitamin can help you to cover your bases, in case there are some nutrients that you are deficient in. Earth Turns makes a great whole-foods multivitamin!
While you should always do your own research and advocate for your own health, in addition to consulting with your natural healthcare practitioner, this can be a good place to start for most healthy people. In addition to a good multivitamin, superfoods and protein powders are a great way to supercharge a healthy diet with additional micro- and macro- nutrients. Check out our “Superfoods” and “Protein Powders” sections!
Be well!