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Question
01 Aug 2007
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When to take what supplement?
my husband does not want to take a general vitamin and mineral supplement but want to only take a specific supplement when the days' diet is lacking in any of the required RDA of any vitamin or mineral. For example: If the days' meals did not include milk or any diary products, on that day he would want a calcium supplement. If the days' diet excluded anything containing Vitamin A then he wants to take a VIt A supplement.
1. Is this possible? Feasible?
2. Is this healthy?
3. How would I know what supplements will be required. I have found a table containing list of food types that contain the major Vitamins and Minerals but how would I know how much of a food, for example "leavy green vegetable" will contain the RDA for, say, Vitamin A?
Please help?
1. Is this possible? Feasible?
2. Is this healthy?
3. How would I know what supplements will be required. I have found a table containing list of food types that contain the major Vitamins and Minerals but how would I know how much of a food, for example "leavy green vegetable" will contain the RDA for, say, Vitamin A?
Please help?
DietDoc
Dear Red
I think it is important that you tell your husband that the best way of ensuring that you ingest all the vitamins and minerals you require on a daily basis is to eat a balanced diet which contains all the food groups. Click on 'Diet' at the top of this page and then do a Search to find the article I wrote this year on "ARE VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS FATAL?". The current approach is that we do not need to take supplements, but if you do, then it is far better to take a combined vitamin and mineral supplement because the individual vitamins and minerals work best when used in combination. However if you eat a well balanced diet and are not ill or exposed to stresses or have a proven deficiency of any one nutrient, then you don't need to take supplements. Taking individual supplements at random, is not really a good idea.
Best regards
DietDoc
I think it is important that you tell your husband that the best way of ensuring that you ingest all the vitamins and minerals you require on a daily basis is to eat a balanced diet which contains all the food groups. Click on 'Diet' at the top of this page and then do a Search to find the article I wrote this year on "ARE VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS FATAL?". The current approach is that we do not need to take supplements, but if you do, then it is far better to take a combined vitamin and mineral supplement because the individual vitamins and minerals work best when used in combination. However if you eat a well balanced diet and are not ill or exposed to stresses or have a proven deficiency of any one nutrient, then you don't need to take supplements. Taking individual supplements at random, is not really a good idea.
Best regards
DietDoc
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