...on supplements and herbal remedies!In my week in America I've overheard several people waxing poetic about the power of their vitamins and supplements. From fighting colds to building bone density, there seems to be something for any condition that comes in a scientific looking bottle and promises natural results.
I've been in stores that focus solely on these things, row after row of fish oils, vitamins A through Zinc, herbs, pollens, tinctures, balms, antioxidant teas, the list is endless.
These things are all a waste of your money and time, and you are being played for a sucker. If you eat a varied and wholesome diet you won't need any supplements because there won't be anything TO supplement. You'll already have reached maximum vitamin and mineral needs for your healthy body. There's no such thing as having 110% vitamin C in your system. After 100% you will just pee it out.
In our world of easily accessible fresh and frozen foods, a moderately healthy eater would be getting over the course of a few weeks all the vitamins he or she needed to have a normally functioning body. What's ironic is that the kind of people who spend hundred of dollars on supplements are already eating very well and are actually the people who need vitamins least.
The counterargument I hear the most is "But supplements can't hurt and there's a chance they could help." This is a pretty stupid way to go about things. Wearing tinfoil hats couldn't hurt either. But we have no evidence that they do anything besides make us look silly, and there's similar scanty evidence that vitamins do anything either for a normally eating person.
And what's worse is that the consumption of vitamins sends the message that alone we aren't equipped to give ourselves optimum health, we must rely on the wise men in white coats to manufacture substances that will sustain us. It's just a few years down the road that we won't think it's such a leap to take a pill for sleeping or to feel normal. This is all music to the ears of the drug and vitamin makers.
So don't give them any more money. Trust your body and not the psuedoscientific background noise of the "wellness products."
Hit up the vegetable and fruit section and give the pill-makers the finger.
6 comments:
Patrick,
This post is pretty eye-opening in a "duh" sort of way (I especially love the last sentence). It's so obvious that we don't need this crap, but it's so hard to see in a society like America's. I admit that I have vitamins in my very own cabinet.
Because I'm a cheap bastard, I'm going to finish them off, but I won't be buying anymore. I always did find "110%" labels quite amusing.
Great post. Thanks for enlightening us.
It's true, but I can't afford to eat fish every day (and I don't know if I'd want to) so I take fish oil.
You forgot to mention that certain fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) are actually toxic if you take too much. So it might not just be a benign thing if you're taking them just in case.
I totally agree. However personally I think that if you get sick you should turn to natural cures first. Going down the list of what even simple antibiotics can do to your body is scary. But in that case were talking about something that your already boosted immune system, from being a healthy eater and exerciser, couldn't fight off. But even then taking a handful of vitamins, or even a multivitamin won't do a thing. If you think you need an immune boost try juicing. You can do a ton of great research on what fruits and veggies to juice that can help you with various ailments even a "very healthy" person can get from time to time.
The other benefits of juicing over vitamins? You are getting REAL natural vitamins in the freshest stage possible, It's part of your diet unlike pills, and you are learning health comes with effort. I totally agree with Patrick saying the vitamin-poppers will change into pill-poppers. Everything can't be solved by pills. I work in a pharmacy. And Man I could go into it on how terrible the scene of pill-taking is in America. Bu I won't here. Maybe in a post.
But stay away from pills! In my humble opinion.
Nate,
When I first read "juicing" I thought, "Uh, why in the hell would I use steroids?" ;)
Using steroids with PCP! Two drugs at once!
Nate,
Haha! I can only imagine what that would do to a person.
The drug companies... wow, just... it's like they're an evil necessity for some things. I'm sure you experience this first hand. Thanks for you perspective. There's no need to give them more money than necessary.
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