What Are Vitamins and Which Ones to Take?
Vitamins are at the heart of every function your body performs. Without them you could not breathe, eat an apple, fight a cold, or think. However, when at the drugstore, looking at the many choices of supplements available to you, which one should you buy?
For years we heard that we can get everything from food. However, in 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article that concluded: “All adults should take one multivitamin daily”. It seems like the right advice.
What do vitamins and minerals do for you?
Almost everything:
- They are at the heart of every bodily and neural function
- They function as antioxidants, controlling the activity of free radicals that wears our bodies down
- They help control chronic inflammation
A balanced diet is the most critical source of all nutrients, but it is not enough. For one thing, we live busy lives and most of us find it difficult to eat a perfect diet every day, including the recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and minimal sugar.
In addition, much of our food is grown in nutritionally depleted soil, shipped long distances, stored a long time, and many times heavily processed. And then we cook it!
And as our food becomes less nutritious, the pace and stress of our lives, along with pollution and medications that sap some of the nutrients we ingest, increase the need for vitamins and minerals.
But which ones and how much of each?
This depends on your lifestyle choices such as exercise, smoking, your genetics, the foods you eat, etc. The following questionnaires will help you choose the right supplements given your health condition. Print them and mark the “True” or “False” columns.
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Optimal Health |
True |
False |
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1 |
Health and longevity run in my family | ||
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2 |
I eat a diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains , and moderate in healthy fats and protein foods | ||
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3 |
I rarely eat foods containing sugar or foods that have been cooked at high temperatures | ||
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4 |
I don’t smoke or drink alcohol | ||
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5 |
I live where there is clean, unpolluted air and water | ||
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6 |
I get an hour of moderate aerobic exercise such as walking, running, or biking at least five times a week | ||
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7 |
I get at least some exercise every day | ||
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8 |
I am not on a weight-reducing diet now and have seldom been in the past | ||
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9 |
I do not take prescription drugs | ||
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10 |
I am under a minimum amount of emotional stress, and when stress comes along, I manage it well | ||
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If you circle “False” for five or more of these statements, you are at average risk for serious chronic disease.Below you will find a guideline of what vitamins will give you extra protection from chronic disease
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Cardiovascular Disease Prevention |
True |
False |
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1 |
Cardiovascular disease does not run in my family | ||
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2 |
I get an hour of moderate aerobic exercise such as walking, running, or biking at least five times a week | ||
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3 |
I have low overall cholesterol; favorable ratios and amounts of LDL, HDL, and triglycerides, and low levels of homocysteine and C-reactive protein in my blood | ||
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4 |
I have low or average blood pressure | ||
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5 |
I am of a healthy weight | ||
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6 |
I have not had a heart attack, stroke, or other type of heart disease | ||
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If you circle “False” for five or more statements in the Optimal Health section and for four or more of the statements above, you may be at higher-than-average risk for cardiovascular disease.Antioxidant nutrients are essential in a program to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Below you will find a guideline of what vitamins will give you extra protection from cardiovascular disease.
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