Debate rages over questions like, “Can taking vitamin supplements offset the damage we inflict on our bodies through eating a less-than-healthy diet?”
As many of you are studying anatomy and physiology as part of your curriculum at the Allen School Online program, you are likely focusing a bit more on the processes that support our amazing human organism. Just like any other engine, our bodies perform at better levels in correlation to the quality of the fuel we put into them. But with so many demands on our time, it can be hard to find the time to focus on making sure we are eating the best possible diet. Plus, there are competing perspectives regarding what constitutes “good nutrition”. Debate rages over questions like, “Can taking vitamin supplements offset the damage we inflict on our bodies through eating a less-than-healthy diet?”
In a post at one of my favorite blogs, Dr. Mark Hyman, Founder of the Ultra Wellness Center lays out a clear roadmap for nutritional health and wellness. His unbiased look at what people can do to optimize their nutrition can be seen at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/how-to-optimize-your-nutr_b_221541.html.
For those of us who mean to eat right but don’t have much time to spare to do the research, this piece, readable in about 5 minutes, lays out all you need to know. Your new knowledge of physiological processes will enable you to corroborate the claims Dr. Hyman makes in this piece. This blogger and his family already make a practice of buying locally grown fruits and veggies. We also try to eat only good carbs, like beans, nuts and whole grains. How does your diet measure up?
4 Responses to “Nutritional Literacy – It Does a Body Good”
Leave a Reply
I am not really a part of your Allen School Online program but i am interested to learn about anatomy and physiology. Thanks for the link on huffingtonpost.
I read Dr. Mark Hymans’ article on taking vitamin supplements and I found it very informative. So much that I started taking my vitamins again. I stopped about three months ago because I read an article in some health magazine that said people were wasting their money on vitamins. They claim that they add nothing to your health. That article changed my mind.
My understanding of vitamin supplements is that, if an individual’s body is deficient in any particular vitamin or mineral, that it will uptake the needed amount from any multi-vitamin supplement you may take. If the body is replete with a given compound, it simply passes harmlessly without being absorbed. Since it costs quite alot to have regular tests dopne to determine where your personal nutrient deficiencies may lie, it seems like a cost effective hedge-bet to take a daily multi-supplement.
Thanks for the interesting post and link. I try to keep a healthy balanced diet. I eat fruit and veg but i always like to treat myself to some sweet.