Is your multi-vitamin an insurance policy or a licence ?

Do you take a multi-vitamin ?

Ever stopped to think exactly why you’re doing it. 

I view my multi-vitamin as an insurance policy.  I’m taking out coverage, so that if I miss it in terms of what I eat, I feel confident I’m still getting all the basics,  from A to Z so to speak. But since I understand the value and limitation of the pill, I still strive to eat “right” etc.

But lots of people actually see their multi-vitamin as a licence to eat whatever they like.  The multi-vitamin is a justification  for eating junk, since they feel assured that they are getting all the “right” stuff.

Where do you fit ?

Supplements don’t necessarily equal good health

Researchers  in Taiwan discovered that when people take a multivitamin, it changes their health behaviours -  for the worse not for the better. 

They enrolled volunteers into a study – some participants were instructed to take a multivitamin while others went without.   The volunteers’ health related behaviours were assessed in a variety of ways. 

Overall, the vitamin takers, turned  out to be the people who did everything wrong, from a health perspective.  They ate more, exercised less and indulged in other vices more frequently.

The misconception that the multi-vitamin conferred “health”, led to poor health choices.

Multi-vitamin may take care of hidden hungers

A multi-vitamin may be able to take care of hidden hungers – shortages of specific nutrients.

It isn’t a typo -  MAY is in fact, the best they can do.   Assuming that all the goodies are actually in the product and are in a format that can be absorbed (not always the case) ,  there are quite a lot of nutrients that are not typically included in multi-vitamin formulations.

In the Western world, hidden hungers are not the big problem – metabolic imbalances are. 

Metabolic imbalances begin with eating too much.    Eating too much produces oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress causes inflammation.  Inflammation causes brain fog as well as the classical health problems of  heart disease,

Multi-vitamins don’t include too many chemicals that are designed to dial down oxidative stress.

One size does not fit all

You are a unique package of genes operating in a distinctive environment.

Good health requires you customize  your approach to suit YOU.  It takes more than swallowing a bunch of synthetic chemicals assembled in a pill for “Mr Average”.  Too much of something can be just as bad as too little.

You need the “right” chemicals at the “right” dose in the “right” place so that the chemical balance in your body  is “right”.  

A good place to start is by getting the 7 Big Spoons™  sorted.

Balance Eicosanoids	Rein in insulin	Dial down stress	Sleep !	Increase Vit D	Culivate microflora	Think champion

So do a little mental shift in your thinking -  your multi-vitamin does not make you into a superhero. Strive to get the basics right i.e. eat right, exercise,  get enough sleep,  lay off the booze etc.   And think happy, positive thoughts even if you’re taking a multi-vitamin.

 Ironic Effects of Dietary Supplementation: Illusory Invulnerability Created by Taking Dietary Supplements Licenses Health-risk Behaviors. Psychological Science, (in press). Wen-Bin Chiou, Chao-Chin Yang and Chin-Sheng Wan.

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Further reading

The fountain of youth pumps out tomato puree and carrot soup	Could too much vitamin B3 be causing the obesity epidemic ?	Destressing in the bathroom stresses out your vitamins

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Did you learn something new or do you have a different perspective ? I’d love to hear from you so post me a comment below…..