HOW MUCH SUPPLEMENTS DO YOU NEED TO TAKE? YOU ACTUALLY DON'T

This is a much debated question. We are also asking ourselves this question recently. One Fidgety Finger is going to Amsterdam and she is wondering if she should buy supplements here to bring there. Everything is more expensive in Europe and supplements are cheaper here in Asia. When we asked Mr Washy, he gave a little frown. OK, Mr Washy is in the medical business and our reliable source of medical answers, so we should really take into account what he says.

We have been taking fish oils and evening primrose oils and the odd vitamin c when we happen to have a bottle of it at home. Mr Washy's medical view on it is whether we really need supplements at all. Supplements are a placebo in his view. A money-making avenue. People who really need supplements have a deficiency. Everything we eat should already provide us with all the vitamins and minerals. If we are taking vitamin c because we are not eating enough greens, perhaps it is time to re-look at our diet. Our bodies are works of miracle. They all have a way of telling us what we need to eat more of. Pills were never a natural part of the human diet.

A healthy diet is one that helps maintain or improve health. It is important for the prevention of many chronic health risks such as: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.^[1]
A healthy diet involves consuming appropriate amounts of all nutrients, and an adequate amount of water. Nutrients can be obtained from many different foods, so there are a wide variety of diets that may be considered healthy diets.

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes the following 5 recommendations with respect to both populations and individuals:^[2]

• Achieve an energy balance and a healthy weight
• Limit energy intake from total fats and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids
• Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts
• Limit the intake of simple sugar
• Limit salt / sodium consumption from all sources and ensure that salt is iodized

Other recommendations include:

• Sufficient essential amino acids ("complete protein") to provide cellular replenishment and transport proteins. All essential amino acids are present in animals. A select few plants (such as soy and hemp) give all the essential acids. A combination of other plants may also provide all essential amino acids. Fruits such as avocado and pumpkin seeds also have all the essential amino acids.^[3][4]
• Essential micronutrients such as vitamins and certain minerals.
• Avoiding directly poisonous (e.g. heavy metals) and carcinogenic (e.g. benzene) substances;
• Avoiding foods contaminated by human pathogens (e.g. E. coli, tapeworm eggs).