Do We Need Vitamins?
Let’s discuss.
The honest answer?
We don’t need vitamin supplements.
If we eat a well-balanced diet.
The fact?
90% of us aren’t eating enough fruit and vegetables: the key sources of all vitamins and minerals needed by the human body.
So, why is it harder to eat a well-rounded diet in today’s world?
The Root of the Problem
1. Depleted Soils
Recent studies suggest fruit and vegetables are less nutritious than they were 70 years ago. This is down to depleted soils lacking biodiversity, essential for plants to feed off and grow full of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
2. Unseasonal Produce
Eating food that’s out-of-season locally means long transportation times from other parts of the world. The longer the journey, the longer food has been out of the ground. Produce loses freshness by the hour, so by the time it’s arrived at the supermarket and sat on the shelves, it’s already lost key nutrients. Even more before arriving in your fridge at home.
3. Rising Co2 Emissions
Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are reducing the nutrients in plants. When certain crops are exposed to higher levels of CO2, they generate more carbon compounds. This leads to a higher carbohydrate content and reduces the amount of water absorbed by the plants, which means they retrieve less micronutrients from soil.
4. Convenience Foods
As one study puts it, “The typical Western (American) diet is low in fruits and vegetables, and high in fat and sodium.” High amounts of processed foods, red meat, high-fat dairy products, high-sugar foods, and pre-packaged foods are all known to increase the risk of chronic illness, and contain much less vitamins and minerals than fresh produce.
Why Do We Need Vitamins?
Vitamins and minerals have a multitude of uses for the body. Some give your body the energy it needs to function. Some bolster the immune system to prevent illness. Some keep your bones and muscles strong. Some enable oxygen to pump effectively around the body.
Without essential vitamins and minerals, our bodies aren’t able to function at an optimal level. And because of the way we eat, largely down to the food that’s readily available to us, it’s that much harder to gain everything from diet alone.
The Next Best Thing to Food
If you’re not getting all the nutrients you need, supplements can help fill in the gaps in your diet. But many on the market are made with up to 50% synthetic fillers, bulking agents and sweeteners. This can stop the vitamins from being effectively absorbed by the body, and swiftly expelled from the body as urine.
THE ESSENTIALS are the next best thing. Clean formulas with vegan capsules and no preservatives to support the body where it needs it most.
Around 15,000 people ask Google every month “what vitamins should I take?”. So, we added them all in one easy-to-navigate list, based on the solutions you’re looking for. Scroll to find the supplements for you and your body’s specific health needs.
Now you’ve found your vitamins, learn more about how pre- and probiotics can support gut and all-round health too. Here’s what PRE + PROBIOTIC can do in 24 hours.