vitamins ? for alemama or anyone else who is knowlegable

Wow G-mom..if this works for you why in the world would you change what you are doing? Obviously your body needs the vitamins...you've proven that with what happens when you stop. Everyone is different...what works for some doesn't work for others and no one thing is the all answer. Listen to your body and keep your hair, shiny nails, good attitude, and fibro under control. Your family will thank you for it! And no, I don't think you can get everything you need from foods. If you did, you'd probably be dealing with other issues..like obesity!

Warm regards,
~Mae

I have to wonder if the reason people feel so great on lots of vitamins is that their body is super revved up...trying to detox the stuff!

But hey, if there are such noticeable improvements as granolamom's, I agree with Mae...and, as Alemama said, the type and brand of product is everything.

Hi G-mom,

For the past 3 years, nutritional exploration has been a big part of my MO in life. I'll try to share what I've synthesized. The best book on nutrition I've read is Dr. Weston Price's Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. He went to 14 different people groups untouched by Western foods in the 1930's and researched them thoroughly -- he found their health and well being far superior to Westerners, and their robustness unparalleled -- he hadn't seen people so healthy in western society. Once western foods (aka white flour and sugar) were introduced into their diets, replacing native foods, they invariably started having disease which we associate with normal aging. Dr. Price was a dentist, so he was first studying dental caries, but he took it further and studied overall health. He found that the bone structure of people changed (facial bones) as their diets changed. Since the people groups were from different parts of the world, the available local foods were quite variable; but, he synthesized what it was that all of these people were getting, regardless of source (that is in Alaska, it was from fish, for example, and in the valleys of Switzerland, it was from raw cheese). So, he concluded that the common thread was fat soluable vitamins A and D, readily absorbed. And, he figured out that we can get this from the combination of High Quality cod liver oil and butter (or butter oil) from cows fed rapidly growing green grass. There are multitudes of stories in the book about experiments done with this combination, and the dramatic effects on the health of both people and animals.

So, having said all that, I encourage you to check out the weston price foundation website, westonaprice.org. Personally, since I have been taking this supplement, it has seemed to solve some previous ailments, most notably, that I haven't been sick literally in years, and I was having some hair loss after baby no. 3, which is much less pronounced. And, I feel better than ever.

I also follow pretty closely the work of Sally Fallon, based on Dr. Price's research. She has a cookbook called Nourishing Traditions -- and traditional food preparation techniques that enhance vitamin content in foods. It is pretty well known, however, that because of soil conditions, we may not get the minerals we need. So, perhaps supplements are good in this regard. Personally, when people ask me about nutrition, I say the cod liver oil, the butter (raw or cultured) and a little bit of raw milk every day if you can get it. You can also check out the radiant life company website. I think it's radiantlifecompany or something like that.

More to say, but bedtime for the kids!

Marie

Yes, I did get your email. Thanks for that. So busy lately, forget to respond -- here's the lineup -- move family member into retirement, houseguest for 5 weeks, daughter lead role in musical, oldest child's birthday, homeschooling, new clients, and the holidays! Now the birthday behind us, the play over, and we can enjoy prep for the holidays. Whew.

I was thinking more about the nutrition thing, and vitamins. It seems to me that you are correct in your assessment regarding the vitamin content available in food -- I remember hearing something about how there used to be vastly more varieties of foods grown and consumed than are available today -- and thus we are not getting what we need just from food. Also, the soil issue. There's another author you might check out -- his theories and nutritional recommendations are along the same lines as Weston Price -- Jordan Rubin. His most well known book is "The Maker's Diet". In fact, he has a 40 day nutritional program in that book designed to cleanse and bring balance back to the body which I actually did! It involved a day of fasting per week. Boy were the first 4 days hard, because you cut back on a lot of types of foods -- I think the biggest one was no grains to speak of for 2 weeks, I think -- but, once I got past the 4 days, I felt just 10 times better. I still eat only limited amounts of any grain, except quinoa, which I love.

So, the issue with supplements is absorption, I think. And, there are supplements that are made from a whole food source. You might check out Garden of Life products. That's Jordan Rubin's company which he supposedly founded after recovering from a life-threatening condition. I say supposedly, not because I dont' believe it, but because I only know second hand. You can get them half off at vitacost or other discount vitamins online.

As far as supplements go, I think a good probiotic is also essential.

Another item to look into is coconut oil. Healthy fats are important. Again, in societies where consumption of virgin coconut oil (unrefined) is part of daily life, robust health and longevity are more the norm. You can check out tropicaltraditions.com for more info. We use it as part of our cooking, being a very stable oil, and even take a tablespoon per day in warm water.

As far as availability of these things, we are so blessed to live 6 blocks from our natural grocer here in Northern California, and they sell raw milk. If it wasn't available at a store, I would get it from a local dairy. You can check out realmilk.com for more info on the benefits associated with raw milk. If I remember correctly, you are in NY, so you also may have these things available to you. Also, Radiant Life Company is a great source of whole food supplements, including the cod liver oil. We also can get our raw butter from our market, which I just cook with to get it into our diet, rather than put on bread, because the taste is too cheesy for us. But, as far as butter goes for bread, we get cultured if it's been pasteurized. There's a wealth of info in Sally Fallon's book Nourishing Traditions which is both cookbook and text book. Obviously it's not vegetarian, if that's your preference. There's still probably a lot you could glean from the info and traditional food preparation techniques.

I can see why you would want to take the supplements if they are helping with certain issues -- and, perhaps you are looking for a way to get them in whole food form. Probably, I'd stick with what you are doing until you have an alternative plan to test out, so that you don't stress yourself out. I have no doubt you can find what you are looking for; and you are a resourceful person -- I'd be interested to know what you end up changing or not changing in this regard.

Blessings to you and your family!

Marie

sorry it took me so long to get to this- but I got the new charger in the mail today.
I did have a few thoughts about your question.
my grandmother has always done this really cool thing when we visit with her- she takes out her pill box and a special necklace (hey don't ask me what is special about it I don't know- all I know is that as a kid I was in total awe) then she would put a pill in my hand and hold the necklace over it-if the necklace swung then I needed the pill- if not- no pill. I know that is so silly- but it was a good start for me to realize that there are so many different vitamins and minerals and that I could need them or not depending- she is 90- so maybe she has something going with the voodoo.
1. I was thinking about the idea that you would not feel hunger enough to supply your body with the necessary nutrients. This seems strange. Your need is going to be different from mine-or your sister's or your husbands etc. you have to use your body as a guide to tell you how much of each you actually need and of course you are going to have to try many different things over a long period of time. In other words I think the RDA idea is CRAP. So a bottle of vitamins may say it meets 100% of the RDA but you can't absorb it so you think you are good to go but in truth it isn't so.
I have to wonder if you can get what you need and not over eat. Foods like molasses and chlorophyll contain such a concentrated amount of nutrient you only need a tablespoon or a quarter of a cup. To get the Vitamin E you need you really don't have to eat so much food- maybe a cup of nuts and seeds a day-tossed in some high quality oil like hemp oil- even popping some pop corn and covering it in nutritional yeast isn't many calories yet has a fair amount of vitamin b- add to that some ground flax seeds or yummy raw butter....
You can really pack some serious vitamins into a smoothie
or tea..tea is great- try the red raspberry leaf tea -of special note are the rich concentration of vitamin C, the presence of vitamin E and the easily assimilated calcium and iron. Raspberry leaves also contain vitamins A and B complex and many minerals, including phosphorous and potassium. Won't fill you up for long and sure packs a punch!

2. If you are going to supplement..it is important to look at the cost as a food cost. The cost of running your motor. fuel. So do some research and find whole food products. I just got a bottle of Carlson's cod liver oil in the mail today- it is going to provide dha and omegas for me that I am currently not getting from any other source. I like floridex for iron. When I read the ingredients it is all foods and flowers- no artificial stuff. But it takes some serious research to find out what form of vitamin A is food source- how it is listed on the label-etc
and don't forget minerals- they don't get the press vitamins do- but minerals are key to optimum health.
I think to take a vitamin is to make a study of it- to learn how it interacts with other vitamins, what aids in absorption, what time of day is best (some really are better if taken right before bed), etc-
one thing to think about is perishability- the use by date- if it is going to last forever out of the fridge- it isn't worth the money- supplements should spoil just like food-
3. and the last thought I did have was that if you are not hungry enough- do more-add some serious activity and your appetite will increase then you can fit it in-and of course eating to make every bit count-especially if you don't eat much- it is more important for a person on limited calories to avoid empty calories -

Honestly I don't know enough about it- I would be hesitant to stop doing something that was working for me too. I know there are some really great bodies of work out there that address supplements - I have not studied much about it- and I could be wrong about everything- it just seems to make common sense to me-
What is cool is that you are open to thinking about it- learning about it- and figuring out what is going to work best for you.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/la-sci-vitamins21-2008dec21,0,966...

new study results- I was pretty freaked out about the increase in cancer in the Beta Carotene group-

I've read a bit on both sides of the vitamin controversy and I choose to take them. Like you I notice a big difference when I run out of my vitamins. For me, its a pre-natal multivite by rainbow light that is a six a day dose (so I can divide it between my meals). I love it.

As far as Christine's thought about detox, for me I don't think that explains it. For example, once I tried "prescription" prenatals (as they were "free" with my insurance and times were tight) and I felt such a huge difference when I could go back on my rainbow lights again--and the R.L. are much cleaner than the prescription ones.

But I think, like so many many other health issues you need to go with your inner guidance. I've played with not taking them, run out of them, and my body and instinct both tell me that I operate best with them. It is indeed ideal to get everything from food... but with soil depletions, toxins in our houses and air, modern diseases... I just am grateful that take them and am grateful that I am in a situation where they are available to me.