I No Longer Need Insurance

Part of being a responsible nutritionist is ensuring that those you give advice to are getting all the nutrients they need. Throughout my studies we were always taught that we should encourage people to get their vitamins and minerals from food, but that a daily multivitamin should be taken for insurance.

I guess this is good advice. Most people do their best to eat well, but still fall short of their need for fruits, vegetables and other foods necessary to supply required vitamins and minerals.

I believed in this advice for a long time. Now I’ve come to the decision that I no longer need insurance.

First of all, the nutrients we get from food are more readily available to the body for use. Some research shows that the pill form of necessary and popular vitamins and minerals are not that effective. The body doesn’t absorb from a pill all that it would from actual food.

Second, I am really against this rely-on-a-pill society we seem to be living in. Yes, we all lead busy lifestyles, no time to cook, shop and on and on. But would you really rather pop a pill than eat?

It is all about eating the right foods. I am confident that most days of the week I get plenty of the foods I need that provide the necessary micronutrients to my body. I don’t want to rely on a pill to give me what I can get through the enjoyment of eating good foods.

There are certain situations where vitamins are necessary. I’m still on the fence with calcium as well. The food form is better, but it is such an important nutrient that I do feel unless people (especially women) are certain they are getting sufficient calcium, they should take a supplement. Personally I’ve gotten away from calcium supplements because I really like dairy products. I get my calcium and vitamin D through milk and yogurt.

It all comes back to the issue of fake versus real food. A vitamin pill isn’t natural, food is. A pill is easy, but eating healthy foods is enjoyable.

For anyone who is on a quest to lose weight a common complaint is they are always hungry. The thing is, we have to eat a lot of food to get all the nutrients we need. The catch is that it doesn’t come from the drive thru. It comes from lots and lots of healthy natural foods that happen to be lower in calorie.

I just prefer to eat, enjoy and savor not pop a pill and feel satisfied with my insurance. We just need to get back to taking the time to enjoy real food.

Photo by jeltovski, morguefile.com