Depleted Essential Nutrients

Our lifestyles of today place great demands on our overall health.

And let’s face it, maintaining all of the essential nutrients we require on a daily basis probably isn’t as high on our priority list as it should be. Studies reveal that up to 91% of individuals do not meet the recommended dietary allowances for each vitamin and mineral on a daily basis.

It’s not that we don’t care. But between our families, work, household responsibilities and other obligations, there’s very little time left over to think proactively about our health.

Even when we are in tune with trying to provide our body with what it needs, many factors such as stress, caffeine, alcohol, refined sugars and starches, exercise, medications, and exposure to free radicals (sunlight, cigarette smoke, nitrates in food, air pollution etc.), continue to deplete our bodies of vitamins and minerals.

To fight back, many experts suggest that in addition to a healthy diet, individuals should boost their antioxidant, B-vitamin and bone support nutrient status through supplementation with a high potency multiple vitamin and mineral.

In fact, individuals taking supplements containing adequate amounts of calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and zinc show a lower risk of developing osteoporosis, which now affects one in four women and one in eight men over 50.

Many studies suggest that individuals who supplement their diet with specified levels of antioxidant vitamins and minerals beyond what food alone can provide, show a decrease risk of certain cancers, heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Proper supplement use supports stronger immune function and reduces the risk of other health challenges such as cataracts, macular degeneration of the eye and premature skin aging, which have all been linked to the exposure of free radicals.

Here’s the good news. Antioxidants intercept and disarm dangerous free radicals from ultra-violet light (sunlight and tanning beds), cigarette smoke, air pollutants, alcohol ingestion, nitrates and other food-borne free radicals.

Which vitamins and minerals are right for me?

If you’ve ever stood in the vitamin aisle in your local health food or drug store, you know how overwhelming it can be. Not all multi-vitamins and minerals are created equal. And how high, should high potency be?

Ask your health practitioner about the supplementation that is right for you. Check to see that the vitamin and mineral composition that you choose accounts for the following allowances in your daily dosage:

Vitamins & Minerals	Daily Dosage
Vitamin C	1,000 mg
Vitamin E	200-400 IU
Beta-carotene	10,000-20,000 IU
Selenium	100-200 mcg
Lycopene	5-10 mg
Lutein	5-10 mg
B-50 complex vitamins	5-10 mg
Calcium	500 mg
Vitamin D	400 IU
Magnesium	250 mg
Zinc	15 mg

For the proper supplementation that is right for you, be sure to consult with your heath practitioner. For more information on this subject consult the Meschino Optimal Living Program: 7 Steps To A Healthy, Fit, Age-Resistant Body (Wiley Publishing)