Supplements
Posted , 10 users are following.
Did anybody watch Save Money Good Health 7.30pm last night ? They were discussing vitamins, supplements, probiotics etc. not directly aimed at menopause but in general. Was interested to see that people who were taking a multitude of vitamins were put on a 6 week trial of stopping them and then blood test results. Results after were surprising as there was no difference whatsoever in before and after ! Doctor summised to not bother wasting our money as we get everything we need from a good diet, the only vitamin they did recommend was vitamin D in the winter. All this time ive been spending a fortune and wondering why I never feel any better so im not bothering any more. Im wondering how other ladies feel about this ? All I know is I now have it on good authority not to waste another penny and check out my diet instead increase fruit and veg . Outrageous prices for pills that maybe we don't need, what do you all think ?
0 likes, 19 replies
carol62649 Foxy62
Posted
Hi Louise,
there can be times when we take too many vitamin pills etc, but im pretty convinced that the quality and goodness in our fruit and veges isnt as good as it once was. The soil becomes depleted after so many plantings, all produce is to some degree stored in refrigerated containers and take days to get to supermarkets. They also use nasty herbicides on all crops. In some countries human excrement is collected and put on crops. We drink water that has chemicals in it, ie flouride is one chemical that destroys our thyroids. In an ideal world we should be eating fresh picked straight from our gardens. Sadly in this modern age thats not an option. Yes ive often wondered about vitamins and if we really need extras, its certainly a billion dollar industry, but so is medicine of all kinds. Id like to think my diet is good as i dont drink coke, sodas, rarely buy lollies, and try to stay away from over processed food. I see veges at market that should not be for sale. Finding a good balance is quite difficult, i walk down supermarket isles and see so many products full of nasty chemicals etc, its scary.
we do our best. I miss my dads home garden.
😜
bobbysgirl carol62649
Posted
I agree, we SHOULD be able to get all we need from our food - but we DON'T! Modern farming methods have stripped the soil of nutrients including the all important magnesium. I am a gardener and , unlike most doctors I have studied this for years. Most off the shelf fertilisers including the ones that farmers use have just three elements in them. If you grow roses or tomatoes they are known as 'greedy' plants and their fertilisers contain far more in the way of trace elements. The average doctor spends a matter of hours studying nutrition and they just go by what THEY are told. Big name, supermarket supplements are from the same manufacturers as the generic fertilisers - the petrochemical industry. Many mineral supplements are basically ground up rock and are not readily available to your body. I could go on and on about this. I won't, but I will say at the very least you need to be taking vits C & D3 and a good magnesium. Please don't bother with the multi vits/mins, they are rubbish.
janeben bobbysgirl
Posted
I try to eat salmon twice a week plus tons of veggies, grains and mainly organic protein.
Thanks
Foxy62 carol62649
Posted
I know exactly what you're saying ! My nan and grandad grew all their own fruit and veg and my nan lived til she was 96 bless her heart. It all baffles me to be honest and I really don't know what to think half the time.😢
bobbysgirl janeben
Posted
It's a long time since I tried starflower, or borage oil, can't say I remember it making any difference. But Omega 3 is another matter. I have freshly crushed flax seeds on my porridge every morning. Not only are they a great source of Omega 3 they also keep you 'regular'!
I love salmon and used to eat a lot of it. But then I read how much of it is produced and somehow lost the taste! Sometimes we treat ourselves and have wild sockeye salmon - it's yummy. We are lucky we live near the coast and can get very fresh fish like mackerel.
janeben bobbysgirl
Posted
I used to take flaxseed (or golden linseeds) daily, for years...still got a packet...will start again!
How much do you take, daily, on porridge/yogurt?
I too live by the sea, so buy seasonal fish, but not very good with mackerel! Will have to try again...
bobbysgirl janeben
Posted
I'd check the sell by date on those seeds!😁 It's funny you asking about how much flax seeds, I just pour about an inch into a mortar and beat the cxxp out of it with a wooden pestle (think that's how you spell it!) But I was reading only yesterday that 20g is the amount to aim for, so I'll measure out that amount and see what it looks like.
There is only one thing I don't like about mackerel and other small fish and that is the bones. OH was out at the coast one day and met up with someone who had just caught loads of mackerel. He was given some and we had them with a salad that night. Wow, they were gorgeous!
janeben Foxy62
Posted
Interesting...yes, previously heard this opinion.
It's a tricky one as I've been taking Starflower caps and omega 3 for so many years, and luckily, don't suffer the many debilitating pains of menopause, as so many of these ladies...but I may not have done anyway!!! Who knows!
Insomnia and aching hand joints are my biggest bug bearers, and not much, supplement wise, works for those complaints!
Also, take magnesium to keep me regular, in spite of a very healthly diet...that works!
I agree...is it all psychosomatic?
shelley10976 Foxy62
Posted
I agree. Been taking a lot of supplements and feel worse if anything. Doctor called to say I have too much b12 in my blood and I read last night it can cause anxiety and panic !! I'm going off everything but D for awhile too.
Foxy62 shelley10976
Posted
sharcerv52408 Foxy62
Posted
This is such a fascinating topic of discussion! I am so glad you raised this Louise! Ever since I can remember I have always had an adverse reaction to multivitamins or energy supplements/drinks. Anything that is "supposed " to boost my energy, makes me feel like I am a zombie! I am literally dragging around trying to keep myself awake! I told this to a doctor once and he actually told me to stop taking vitamins if this is the reaction that I'm getting. He said I probably had a high reserve and the vitamins were counterproductive. I take vitamins because like many of you have said, you can't get the proper minerals from foods. That's probably a marketing ploy set to get us to buy their products. The only vitamin the doctor did say I needed was vitamin D3. They never said anything about the others. I will have them draw blood to see if I need anything else. This confirms for me that vitamins may not be necessary .
bobbysgirl sharcerv52408
Posted
Energy drinks and 'supermarket' multi vitamins ARE a waste of money. Some are positively bad for you. But PLEASE don't dismiss supplements as all being the same. You CAN over-do some and you don't need to take ALL of them, as in a multivitamin pill. Some are water soluble and pass straight through, others are fat soluble and are stored in your body. I don't EVER take Vits A and E 'cos I know I get enough in my diet. I don't take calcium for the same reason. I like to let plants take up the nutrients for me. The human body uses minerals from plants far better than most supplements. I grow my own tomatoes and they are much more tasty than supermarket ones. Last year after reading about the subject I fed my plants with Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate). I can honestly say I have never tasted any tomato as SWEET as those. Something is going on there. I intend to try it again this year with all my veg. There is a lot of hype around 'health' foods. But what we need to do is go back to what we used to do and eat wholesome 'not mucked about with' food and get out in the sunshine!
sharcerv52408 bobbysgirl
Posted
I don't believe that everything they claim is "organic" is really organic. I think that is sometimes just a marketing ploy.
lynda20916 Foxy62
Posted
HI, Louise,
I've read your posts and the ladies' responses and have a few thoughts. First, of course the doctors are going to say, "We see no difference, so save your money." Doctors don't learn much if anything about nutrition.
I believe that blood tests aren't going to indicate the level of a person's nutrition, generally. Some vitamins are excreted daily by the body, and don't naturally build up in the blood and tissues.
The results of good nutrition are going to be revealed in how well the body functions, its health and resliency. As others on this site know, sometimes a blood test will indicate a patient's in good health when that patient is all too aware that they are not.
An individual's body may or may not be capable of assimilating all that they need for proper nutrition. And even great diets don't always achieve that. Sometimes what's good for me makes me physically sick, frankly.
Good nutrition is only one of many parts of the story. For me, the other parts are exercise, having loving relationships and a relationship with a higher power.
I agree that the vitamin/supplement industry makes lots of money off of people's fears.
I just think that people should be careful consumers and make choices for themselves.
That's my two cents!
bobbysgirl lynda20916
Posted
And a very good two cents worth it is! 😁
bobbysgirl lynda20916
Posted
I know folks who swear by black cohosh and glucosimine. I'm glad they work for them - they just make me feel weird.
lynda20916 bobbysgirl
Posted
Thanks! xx
lynda20916 bobbysgirl
Posted
Yea, but you can't take black cohosh for a long time, as I recall. People go out and buy this stuff, and often the people at the health food stores just want to sell something! If you're still buying it, no one will say, "Have you read the labels?"