If you are like me, not quite hitting the entire food pyramid, then popping nutritional supplements to make up for the missing nutrients from your diet might sound like a good idea. I've always wondered about whether this approach to eating is a healthy one but never quite got a satisfactory answer from anyone. Here's the latest opinion on this:
1) The best way to get the nutrients is from one's diet. Although in my case (and I suspect for many of you as well), a busy lifestyle, eating out etc. does not always support this.
2) Experts say that most people can benefit from a multi-vitamin. It's not clear on how to select the right kind. Accourding to this recent article, the sticky issue surrounding nutritional supplements is the way they are regulated. These pills, powders and potions fall under a different set of rules when being watched by the Food and Drug Administration. According to the FDA, dietary supplements are regulated under a "different set of regulations from those covering 'conventional' food and drug products.
3) It's important to read labels. The article recommends that when reading labels for supplements, the first ingredient should not be sugar, it should not be high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors or dyes. Nothing that you can't pronounce. If you can't pronounce it, it probably isn't very good for you. Now, that's easy advice to follow.
And, finally the article recommends using the rule of thumb when buying supplements -- i.e. if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Sound advice, if you ask me.
Reena
