Vitamins and other supplements



Vitamins and other supplements should be used very minimally.

A low-dose multivitamin with minerals (containing vitamin B-12 but not containing vitamin A or beta-carotene) should be taken.

Quite a few people are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids, a critically important nutrient for brain, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and immune system health. Fish are the best source of DHA, but are so contaminated that they are an undesirable food. Ground flaxseed or hempseed are fine sources, as are walnuts, but to be certain that there is no deficiency, a modest amount of a DHA supplement such as high-quality purified fish oil or vegan DHA supplement (from algae) in liquid form (capsules often contain rancid product) is strongly recommended.

There is rapidly mounting evidence that a great many adults are seriously vitamin D deficient, and that this may have many serious ramifications for health including a signficantly higher cancer rate. Most people should consider a moderate-dose calcium supplement containing vitamin D. This should include 500 mg of calcium (but not more), 800 IU of vitamin D, and 200 mg of magnesium, a mineral that plays a key role in calcium absorption. In addition, many people need vitamin D supplementation beyond this amount. The only way to determine whether or not you need additional vitamin D supplementation is to have the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. There is not yet a consensus on the most desirable level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, but something like 35-55 nanograms/milliliter, or possibly a bit higher, appears to be optimal. (These appear to be the levels that primitive human beings typically had, spending most of their time outdoors in a world without ozone pollution.) Even in sunny climates, many people require additional daily supplementation up to 2,000 IU or even more, but the only way to know how much you need is to get the test.

Avoid high-dose supplements of any kind, except to address deficiences which have been determined by medical testing. The body needs small quantities of the thousands of micronutrients that are found in plants. Flooding your enzymatic receptors with a few specific nutrients is at best useless, and could easily be detrimental (and for some vitamins, especially vitamin A, can be dangerous).

Avoid protein supplements or any kind of bodybuilding supplements. If you are involved in bodybuilding or serious athletic training, the extra calorie consumption from workouts will increase your appetite, and you will naturally consume enough additional food to get the protein you need. A small number of people lack the ability to obtain some amino acids from their food, and actually do need specific protein supplements for proper metabolism. But unless a deficiency has been determined by medical testing, piling on proteins without the additional micronutrients that it is packaged with in whole plant foods is a very unhealthy practice.