We are a product of what we eat. This is not just another old adage but an ageless wisdom everybody should know. This should make you want to think again about what you eat and rightly so.
For your body to function normally there is a certain proportion of nutrients and minerals you need in your diet. In fact vitamins and minerals increase your immunity to diseases and other infections. It is therefore imperative to ensure your diet contain the right amount of this nutrients and minerals if you are going to stay healthy.
However, due to many natural and human factors the amount of nutrients in the food we take have reduced considerably. To supplement the nutrients and minerals in our diet nutritionists have advised that we take food supplements. Food supplements are a concentrated sources of nutrients and vitamins which act as dietary top-up.
They are extracted from animals or other materials and are a viable source of additional nutrients. Many people are however not convinced why they should supplement their diet and therefore I have penned this article to explain a few reasons why you need to supplement your diet.
Depletion of Nutrients in the Soil.
Nutrients in the soil come from dead and decomposed organic matter which acts as fertilizer too. The nutrients in the soil are absorbed by the roots and they find their way into the plant.
Agriculture has now changed and to improve the yields people have resulted to chemically manufactured inorganic fertilizers which deplete nutrients in the soil. With continuous use of this fertilizers, the soil is left with very little nutrients for the plant to absorb.
What this means is that the food harvested will have very little nutrients and since this is the food we eat we are likely to have very little or no nutrients in our diet.
Food handling practices.
Food undergoes many post-harvest process from the farm to the consumer like: transportation, cleaning, packaging, storing and processing. In all these processes its value and nutrient composition for that matter is expected to decrease proportionately.
Some cooking methods can lead to loss of vitamins and minerals in our diet hence the need for supplements.
Age
The age of a person is a reason in itself to necessitate supplementing our diet. As one ages their ability to absorb nutrients from the food they take is affected.
Supplementing will increase the concentration of nutrients in your food thus increasing the probability to absorb more.
Children on the other hand require a multivitamin diet to improve their immunity and for a healthy growth.
While, it is good to eat more food, this can have other consequences like obesity and caloric imbalance. Supplementing is therefore the most sure way to provide nutrients in our bodies.
Body Exercises.
Exercise is an energy-consuming activity. This means you will require more nutrients in order to provide you with the extra energy you need for top performance. This is very common for athletes and other sportsmen.
When running you are prone to sweat and loose water and other minerals. The metabolism in your body increases as your body releases lactic acid in your muscles.
Ordinary foods may not have the required amount of nutrients to maintain you at some of this moments and therefore taking supplements becomes inevitable.
Commercialization of Agriculture
Due to commercialization of agriculture, value is not considered so much as the monetary value to be gained. This has led to practices such as genetic engineering where the size, colour , shape and time taken to mature are given precedence over the quality.
This leads to lower level of nutrients as the plants take less time in the farm and had not absorbed enough nutrients. Other chemicals like herbicides and pesticides used in the farms makes it even more important to use supplements.
The Additional vitamins and minerals are used to detoxify the chemical substances the food may contain as a result of chemical use.
Other factors like environmental degradation may also affect the quality of food in the farm and warrant us to use food supplements.
Conclusion.
Though some of the reasons discussed above can be avoided and overcome, we should always strive to ensure the diet we take has enough nutrients.
It is impossible for everyone to grow their own food and once or always you will find yourself buying the food you eat.
To ensure proper and normal functioning of your body supplementing your diet is a favourable alternative.
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