Needing to Take Vitamins

[BookOfPsalms]

Hi,
I am a female, 33 years old, married with one son, age 5. I have never taken vitamins - accept when I was pregnant, and of course I took pre-natal vitamins. I think I tried a Centrum Vitamin once and it seemed to me that I had a side effect...now that I think back, it could have been anxiety, since I really didn't know that I was a real anxious person at that time. I may have just been fearful, but I stopped taking it because I 'thought' I felt weird...like jittery or something.
Anyhow, I know that it wouldn't hurt to take a vitamin, since I am getting older and besides, it is just good to have all the nutrients and vitamins you need.
I eat very well, lots of veggies and fruits, and of course meat, etc. I have noticed that I have this lack of energy somedays. I have been wondering if it is anxiety or not. Somedays, like today for instance, I don't feel motivated, I feel a little low on energy, or spacey, or just 'blah', in other words.
I have LOTS of great vitamins in my medicine cabinet, which I have never taken! I took one vitamin one day in December! I chickened out and didn't take anymore...why? I don't know! I have this fear for some odd reason of pills. I tend to not freak out as much if I take something in liquid-form! That is really something huh?
They do have vitamins in liquid-form from what I have seen in the Vitamin Shoppe. The only thing is that I have bought these vitamins from a Health & Wellness Co. called Melaleuca (not sure if anyone has heard of them) and their vitamins have been tested and are excellent vitamins because you actually absorb 80-85% of their vitamins. They are great vitamins and both of my parents take them and have been for close to a year now, and they love the vitamins. I have the calcium vitamins and the vitamin that supports energy level and immune system. They are called Vitality for Women.
The instructions say to take 3 vitamins a day, and 2 calcium vitamins per day. That just makes me nervous knowing I a taking all of those pills! I know that sounds silly, but it is just something about a pill that gives me anxiety. I think it is mainly because I am so sensitive to meds and have had some sensitivities in the past to lots of meds so I don't like to take anything! My mom told me to just look at it as though I am eating veggies in a pill form. She said vitamins have all that I may be lacking..it is just like eating the foods that we need. I am trying to visualize it that way, but can't seem to take the vitamin and I know that I may feel a lot better taking a vitamin.
I went to the doctor on Tuesday for my neck - diagnosed as an inflamed crick. It is getting much better now. I finally took meds for that, but I cut them in half and did not take the full dosage but that worked pretty well.
My excuse for not starting the vitamins are that I am taking other meds right now and I don't want any drug interactions. I feel that I am coming up with every possible excuse to not take these vitamins, but why? They can not hurt me right? If anything, they will only help me!
Why can I not get that through my head?
Is anyone else out there that deals with this same thing...and afraid to even take VITAMINS??

Thanks,
BoP

[Guest]

There was a discussion on vitamin supplements here somewhere.

I don't take supplements myself*, and not for reasons of anxiety but research I've done. Supplements really don't do much for us. And our bodies don't use them the same way they use vitamins in whole foods. They pretty much just make expensive, glowy pee.

A supplement should only be taken if you have a deficiency. The best way to know if you have a deficiency is via blood analysis.

But taking supplements can also be unhealthy, in that we may be putting too much of a nutrient in our body, more than it needs. Scientists just don't know how much nutrients our bodies REALLY need and in what amounts, they think that "more is better" and put in super amounts.

But God created food to have perfect amounts of nutrients, I trust God with my food over scientists, doctors and nutritionists.

Plus there are a bunch of ingredients in supps that are fillers and binding agents. That don't belong in our bodies.

I would suggest a whole food powder, like a green powder that you might find in your health food store. Perfect Food is a good one.

If I find that thread, I will post it here.

*Actually, I have been taking B-12 sublinguals but that is because I am a long term veggie and I have had B-12 deficiency symptoms. B-12 deficiency is common amongst meat eaters as well.

[Guest]

Hey Shif,
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I don't really get into supplements either. I just believe that I eat the foods that will give me the nutrients also, but then I hear people say that vitamins can not hurt you, they will just help you and that which you don't need will leave your body. I just feel skeptical about it. I will just request a vitamin blood test...or whatever you call it!! Lol
I also have the Vitamin B-12 or B-6 Sublingual supplements here also.(I can't remember which one I have here..it is one or the other) It's a small pink pill that you place on your tongue and it dissolves.They say it gives you great energy. I know a few people that have used that and they say it was a wonderful supplement. I have seen that advertised on lots of Christian TV Networks. When I mention it to my doctors they always say "don't you eat well?" They say if I eat well that I should not worry with trying to take vitamins. I hear others say that they take vitamins only because they may not get every single nutrient all the time, so they take vitamins to ensure that they get what they need and what they don't need they say their body releases it.
Thanks for sharing...I will just pray about this, and talk more with my physicians. I actually want to get blood test to check first to see if I am actually low on anything.

If you find that post, please send it to me.Thanks!!

[Guest]

Yes, by all means, take it to God! It's every person's personal decision.

I once read that the actual amount of nutrients that our bodies use at one time can fill a thimble.

Also from thinking about history, how people would eat from fruit trees and plants, and maybe fish and what have you, they would never eat such a huge variety of foods, that our bodies store certain nutrients while others are more common in more types of foods that give us what we need on more recurring basis. So I do not believe that I need to worry about so much variety of nutrients that would be so beyond the scope of basic plant foods. I've seen so many supps advertise that they contain 20 fruits and veggies, and so on. In real life we would not possibly eat that many different fruits and veggies in a basic day!

One thing I did so long ago, I followed the advice of the Bragg's and went out and bought soooo many things to make a smoothie with. I made it with juice and bananas and frozen fruit, but based on all the advice and thinking I needed all these things, I probably added 10 extra "supplements" to the smoothies, like flax seeds, oat bran, wheat germ, honey, green powder, lecithin, vitamin C crystals, and other stuff. I had to get used to the way the smoothie tasted from all that "stuff"!

Well, turned out after listening to some good solid and conservative health information, I stopped spending time and money on all those supps, I used them up and started making all fruit smoothies, sometimes adding fresh greens. They tasted SO much better.

And I didn't feel any different. I think I even felt lighter, tee hee.

So all this to tell you, one sure way to know what you are doing, is listening to your body, and really clueing in on how you feel and if there's a difference before and after using the supps.

[Guest]

That is true! I will do just that. I will just find out if I am even lacking anything, being that I sometimes feel low on energy, and if not, I will continue doing what I have always done -- and that is continue eating all the foods that I love, which are fruits and veggies, fish, etc. That may be why my doctors never really suggested me taking a vitamin. They said that it was up to me, but they did not actually suggest that. One doctor I saw one time did say that it would not hurt me to take a pre-natal vitamin, although I am not pregnant, but she said she took that just to get more vitamins, but to each is own (or however you say that phrase! Lol )

Thanks again for all the information, and I pray that you have a wonderful and happy Sunday!

[Guest]

Take vitamins upon healthy.

[Guest]

Hi I had a questions on taking vitamins. I have been taking a multi and then fish oil and evening primrose and magnesium and just bought some calcium. I eat healthy and have started using my rowing machine again for excercise. I notice my urine is always bright yellow so does this mean I don't need all the vitamins. Also I am interested in the green powder drink and would like to know which one is the best as I do love smoothies. Will this help with energy. Basically I take the vitamins hoping for more energy. I always get very sluggish in the afternoon and into the evening am just dragging. I have started taking naps during the day and that seems to be unhealthy as I am 43. I go to bed between 9 and 9:30. I also bought some bee pollen from our local honey store and have been taking this hoping for the energy miracle.lol. Does anyone take bee pollen granules and do you know if it is safe to take every day. Thanks and I hope to get some answers.

[Guest]

Well your body always needs vitamins and other nutrients, but not from pills. Our bodies are so efficient and get necessary nutrients from the food we eat.

But you are talking about supplements, and wondering if you need any of them.

A blood test is really the very best way to tell if you are deficient in any kind of nutrient.

You might find if you lighten your food load (ie from processed and non-whole and non-fresh foods) your energy will improve. Usually low energy is from eating too much processed food, cooked food, animal and animal derived foods, and fats. You might try lightening your load for a month and see if there's a difference.

But you don't have to "lessen" your food load, just lighten it. Under-eating is never a good idea if you need fuel for energy.

A lot of things might give you an energy lift but it's temporary. Like you mention bee pollen. It is nearly the same as using coffee, in that it's a temporary fix to an underlying problem, it may be more natural than coffee but it's still just a band-aid to the underlying issue.

Some people use other supps for energy purposes. Herbs, energy drinks, etc. They will all provide an adrenal buzz but won't last forever.

Another great way to get more energy is sleeping more. If you aren't getting enough z's your battery is probably running low.

Like a car - our batteries are our sleep; our gas/fuel is our food.

So sufficient sleep to recharge our batteries and clean food to refuel our bodies.

Hope that helps - just my experience and opinion of course.

[Guest]

Thanks so much Shif for all the great information. I don't really eat processed food only if we are on the go etc. But I have tried being careful with what eat. Maybe I cook my food to much. I do have a vitamix and sometimes make a green smoothie. I will be looking into buying the whole green powder to add. I also have hypoglycemia so i suppose that could add to my fatique. I am going to the doctor today and will request some blood work. I do drink coffee in the morning and occasionally in the afternoon if I am really dragging which probably is not a good thing. I will try as you mention to lighten my food load. I really appreciate all of the great advice. Do you take any vitamins? I have heard before that it is much better to get them through your foods and diet instead. I am also going to ask the doctor to do the blood test to see if I might have a food allergy to gluten. I suffer from migraines and often get bloated etc. and was reading a book on celiac and all the symptoms there are so many. Well thanks again for everything.

[Guest]

alio4 so glad I could help.

Right now I am only taking B-12 sublinguals in the form of methylobalamin. I take it every now and then.

A lot of allergy tests don't work with foods like dairy and gluten. I am not sure why. Most of the population has an intolerance to these things, but don't even know it. I can feel it when I eat them after not having them in my body for a while. And I can also feel it when I stop eating them, I can feel them detoxing out!

An elimination diet is a good way to tell if you have sensitivities. You can do that one on your own. http://search.yahoo.com/search...e&p=elimination+diet

If you are eating over 10-15% fat it could be triggering your hypoglycemia. If your fat is kept low fruit shouldn't be an issue in your diet.

Good job on the green smoothies! I love them!