HEALTH

Supplements are no supplement to a well-balanced diet!

Other than because it’s delicious, there’s a reason we need food in our lives – it’s our best source of the essential vitamins and minerals that keep our bodies functioning well. Those Flintstone vitamins your mom makes you take every day are great to ensure you’re getting enough of what you need (especially if you have diet restrictions, allergies or are just plain picky). But with a healthy, well-balanced diet, it’s surprisingly easy to get your recommended daily allowances (RDA) without having to take supplements. (And those supplements can add up more than just vitamins and minerals, if you know what I mean. Cha-ching!)

Many foods are chock full of multiple vitamins and minerals that add up quickly to help you meet your daily quota. In fact, it’s actually possible to overdo certain nutrients and cause more harm than good if you’re not careful.

So, because GL always wants to make your lives a little easier, we’ve done the research and put it all in one place for quick and easy referencing! Eat smart and live healthy, blog babes!

Click HERE to get a super easy breakdown on vitamins!

Did you know?

• Some vitamins (like A, D, E, K) are fat soluble, meaning they are stored in fat tissues until they’re needed (sometimes up to 6 months), so you may not need to consume a lot each day. But some vitamins are water soluble (C, B, folic acid), meaning they travel through your bloodstream and get excreted, so it is important to get enough of these vitamins daily. (Kidshealth.org)
• Young girls need extra iron in their diet, according to WebMD, especially during their menstrual cycles (to help make up for the monthly blood loss).
• One cup of cantaloupe contains approximately: 112% RDA of vitamin C, 103% RDA of vitamin A, 15% RDA of potassium, 10% RDA of vitamin B6, and 5% RDA of folate and niacin. All that with only 56 calories!
• One cup of red bell peppers has almost 3 times the amount of vitamin C as an orange!

Bonus Tip! Some nutrients, such as those found in salads, need a little fat in order to be efficiently absorbed by the body. So, instead of completely skipping the dressing, just go light. Dipping your fork into some dressing on the side before stabbing those greens can help keep your consumption to a healthy minimum.

-By Jessie Merryman

12/7/2007 2:30:00 PM