“Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements.”  The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002;287:3127-3129

What have you heard about the need for nutritional supplements?

Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  (1 Cor. 3:16; NAS)

Here we are…all ready for the fourth and final simple step to great health.  Just to review quickly, the first step is to drink more water, the second step is to move more or get more exercise, the third step is to eat more superfoods, and the fourth step…one final time, the drum roll please!

The fourth simple step to great health is supplementation.  Yes, you do need to add supplements to your daily regimen.  Even the American Medical Association came out a couple of years ago and reversed their long standing position against the need for supplements.  They now admit that the nutrient value of our food supply has diminished so drastically that it is virtually impossible to get all the nutrients one needs from food alone.  You’ve probably heard that only two peaches a day would have supplied a woman’s vitamin A RDA in 1951.  Today she would have to eat more than 53 peaches to meet this requirement.  Peaches anyone?   And peaches aren’t the only food to show a loss.  Read today’s link to get a better feel for the seriousness of this situation.

OK, so you need to supplement.  Now you may accuse me of being a little self-serving here, but I do need to let you know that all supplements are not created equal.  In fact, this problem has gotten so bad that Congress has now passed a law that requires a manufacturer to be able to prove that what is advertised to be in the container is indeed in the container.  When buying supplements, you have to be aware that the lowest price is usually not the best value.  I’ll leave it at that.

But, again, the fourth step is simply to supplement what you eat with a daily regimen of nutrients.  What nutrients you ask, and whose are good?  Bottom line, find someone with enough experience to be credible and then trust them.  Everybody has their own opinions about what brand is best.  But just like with quality food, you must expect to pay a little more for quality supplements.

So there you have it.  All four simple steps.  And they really are simple, aren’t they?  So simple, in fact, that they’re easy not to do.  Or like most New Year’s resolutions, easy to start with a bang and fall off the wagon a couple of weeks into the game. 

The solution?  On Friday, I will conclude this series with a discussion of the magic key to the four simple steps.  There is a way to keep you “on that wagon.”  It’s just as simple as the four steps, but at the same time, incredibly powerful.  See you Friday!

Prayer Power
Lord, our race to mass produce our crops as well as increase their shelf life so that they can be shipped for long distances have combined to radically decrease the nutrient value of much of our natural food.  We thank You that nutrition science has been successful in developing food supplements that allow us to offset some of that loss.

Link of the Day
Studies Reveal Evidence of Staggering Nutritional Deficiencies

Blessings on you as you purpose to supplement your diet with additional nutrients on a daily basis.