The Vitamin Debate

My sweet Joe is in Atlanta this weekend visiting his mama and both sisters, connecting as only the Haley clan can:  over a deck of cards and a large pot full of money!  So dad and I went out to eat last night, despite the fact that several hours earlier, I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow.  I caught whatever stomach crud he had earlier this week which knocked him flat for 3 days.  Thank goodness, after exactly 24 hours from the moment my head started hurting and my stomach started making that squirty, noisy sound, I got in the shower and felt human once more.

No, this isn’t about the stomach junk. This  blog is about vitamins.  Friday night, I knew I better not eat, (take my word for it) and went to bed around 7.  I did, however, take my vitamins because I figured if my poor defenses ever needed some back up, it was then.  

Do you take supplements?  

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor.  Do NOT take my word for it and rush to the drug store to load up.  I’m just sharing my opinion...

The vitamin debate certainly polarizes folks.  Doctors, for example, must  have to sign an oath alongside the Hippocratic one, that they will pooh pooh vitamins forevermore.  My dad and I just agree to disagree.  His stance is constant--if you’re eating right, you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Ahhh...that’s the opening I always look for.  “If you’re eating right?”  Who eats right these days?  And that implies that even if we ARE eating right, the food choices we are making will supply all the nutrients we need, right?

Uh, NO.  Back in the day, farmers would grow a crop.  After that crop was harvested, they would turn and work the soil along with Mother Nature until it was time to plant again, in another season. This working and resting of the soil is what gave the crop its rich supply of nutrients yielding a product worthy of its name.  

These days, agriculture is an exact science, often indoors under artificial light, yielding year round vegetables and fruits.  (When was the last time you went into the grocery and couldn’t find fresh blueberries or squash?)  While I enjoy these products year round, unfortunately I can’t shake the feeling that the bioengineered version pales in comparison to the original.

So, to ensure that I’m covering my bases, I take a multi vitamin.  Like clockwork.  I also take an extra calcium supplement along with a vitamin D one.  (Without vitamin D, your body can’t absorb calcium.)  This is because I’m old and my bones need the help, and my MD told me to.  That’s 3.  The 4th one I take is a B complex.  I don’t eat meat, and this seems reasonable.  (If you’re interested, read here.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins )

A couple words of caution:  I must admit, there’s no way of knowing how effectively your body uses these supplements.  (As my dad says, if I want to flush my money down the toilet, knock myself out.)  This is why anytime you can EAT these vitamins and minerals, rather than supplement with them, you should.

Also, in maybe one of the strangest twists about the FDA, the vitamin industry is NOT regulated.  You and I could form a vitamin company and market and sell our product.  This makes no sense.  So to ease my conscience about how sketchy this could be, I buy name brand supplements.  They’re more expensive, but somehow I justify this....

And then I remember to take them.  They do me no good sitting in the medicine cabinet.