Nutritional Supplements
Do we really need to take nutritional supplements?
No, not as long as we follow a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle, eating only wild plants, game, and fish; live where the air, water, and soil are pure and untouched by pollution; get lots of physical exercise and direct sunlight; sleep soundly nine hours a night; and stay untroubled by the stresses and anxieties of modern living. If that describes your life, feel free to keep scrolling and skip the rest of this caption.
Most people I talk to are confused about supplements. Even doctors, nutritionists, and other health experts are uncertain of how to advise their patients. Why?
Because there’s so much conflicting information out there. First we’re told that supplements are an important part of a healthy lifestyle; then we read that we’re wasting our money on worthless junk that may not even contain what it says on the label.
Let’s start with a little background. Every one of the thousands upon thousands of chemical reactions that take place inside our bodies every second is made possible by the work of enzymes and coenzymes. Nearly all coenzymes are vitamins and minerals.
Magnesium and zinc, for example are responsible for activating more than 200 enzymes, folic acid is critical for creating neurotransmitters, regulating our DNA, and determining which of our genes are turned on and off.
That plays a crucial role in preventing (or allowing) cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Most of us don’t eat enough leafy greens and other vegetables to maintain proper levels of these nutrients. That’s why I use supplements in my practice.
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