Supplementation

Another question I get asked a whole lot is "What kind of supplements do you take?" I'm not a fan of this one either because I really do believe it's possible to get everything you need from food. However, after hearing Dr. Fuhrman talk extensively on the topic of supplements, and from doing some of my own research, I now take two. The first is a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral and the second is Vitamin D. With our soil being so depleted of minerals and the sun being so potentially toxic, I'm pretty convinced that both of these are a good idea.

The multi I use is Dr. Fuhrman's Gentle Care, and it's mostly just for peace of mind. I know that when I take it I'm getting what I need. It doesn't have 1000% of anything, and it doesn't have any of the things you can actually get too much of, like Vitamin A and Iron. It does, however, have years of research behind it, and the willingness to change. The good doctor is always reformulating based on the latest nutritional studies, so you know you're getting the best product possible. Plus, it's vegan!

Vitamin D deficiency is estimated to be at epidemic levels, and it's mainly due to our lack of sun exposure. To get enough Vitamin D from the sun these days, you'd put yourself at risk for skin cancer, and since Vitamin D is very hard to get from food, supplementing makes sense, espcially when one considers all the studies showing the link between D and bone health. (By the way, anyone who thinks this is a vegan issue is wrong. I've been told by some that I should just drink milk because it has Vitamin D, but what most people don't know is that the only Vitamin D cow's milk has is the stuff that's been added to it, so you can get just as much Vitamin D from drinking fortified soy milk.) For my daily ration, I use Dr. Fuhrman's Osteo-Sun, the vegan version of course. Vitamin D3, which is used in the non-vegan version, is derived from sheep, so it's Vitamin D2 for me.

You can read a lot more about both of these supplements at the embedded links, and I suggest you do. Knowledge allows you to make the best decisions about your health, after all!

Tomorrow, I'm back in the kitchen, and taking you with me. It's my last day of all at-home meals for a while since my parents are coming into town, so I figured I'd document another round of self-prepared dishes. Stay tuned...