Does anyone here NOT take.... - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

littlelulu1937 · 08-23-2003, 12:48 PM

Vitamins/Supplements?

Three days ago I had my 66th Birthday. Except for a very short time when I took calcium pills many years ago after broken wrist surgery as the result of a serious accident (& my orthopedist's recommendation, though I don't think I'd be at a different place if I hadn't), I've never taken ANY vitamins nor minerals nor supplements, nor has it ever occurred to me do do so. I've relied on a good diet alone to get me where I am today. My husband, who turned 75 in May & still is a pretty good downhill skier, did start taking a one-a-day multi-vitamin, about two years ago (on the advice of his sister who has spent thousands & thousands of dollars over the years I've known her on vitamins & supplements & naturopaths), but frankly I didn't notice any difference in his health, which has always been fine. BTW, we spent the day following my birthday laying 40 pound stepping stones for a new garden pathway, this after I (alone) spent several days turning cement-type soil, which hadn't been touched in over 30 years, by hand tools (shovel & pick-axe) for the pathway. Not an ache or pain afterward.

I guess I'm just in awe that people seem to need (or believe they need) so many "add-ons" to function. Why is this?

lidia09 · 08-23-2003, 02:41 PM

Hi Little Lulu

I enjoyed reading your post & think lots of people could learn from you & your husband. Reckon the magic words you said were 'good diet'. Not so many people have that these days, probably mainly due to the fast food industry & convenience foods. I know quite a few people who never eat any fruit & veg.

Here in the UK, obesity is rapidly on the increase both in kids & adults. We have tv programmes about 'fat camps', '18-30 stone holidays' & all these slimming clubs, diet magazines, Atkins diet etc. Nobody seems to know what a 'good diet' is anymore but are happy to pay out lots of money for fancy food supplements, meal replacements, vitamins, minerals etc. & information on faddy diets.

I would be interested & I'm sure others would be too, if you could post again & tell us what your diet consists of.
Thanks & best wishes.
Lidia

mlgable · 08-23-2003, 06:55 PM

You should always take a multivitamin unless you are sure you eat a super healthy diet as many of the preprocessed foods have some of their natural vitamins stripped. A good antioxidant supplement is also recommended to keep your immune system healthy so that you don't catch things like colds or the flu etc. If you husband isn't feeling any better with the vitamin he takes then he should try another brand till he finds one that does keep him feeling in tip top shape. Since you mentioned being a woman unless you are on HRT you need to be taking a calacium supplement to help keep your bones healthy and prevent osteoporosis.

littlelulu1937 · 08-24-2003, 03:26 AM

Thanks. My bones are in extremely good condition according to my physician. Looks like my daily quart of milk since childhood, plus my almost daily 3 to 6 mile walks back & forth to work for 40 years finally paid off.

My diet is VERY heavy in fresh fruit (mangos and melons are particular favorites) & juices (I can easily drink a quart of orange juice a day); somewhat less so fresh vegetables, but still eat a lot of those. I eat some meat, but prefer chicken breast in a myriad of dishes or fancy chicken sausages, broiled. Love ethnic foods, particularly Indian & Thai curries. so we eat out a couple of times a week. Desserts are usually fresh fruit pies (made a fresh peach & wild blackberry combo this morning) or "crisps", most often apple. Chocolate Truffles are always good too. Naturally, I eat from other food groups, but little along processed food lines. I don't eat "organic" either (unless given to us by neighborhood gardeners) as I find it too expensive, & when I've sampled those purveyors' wares at farmer's markets (we go at least once a week), frankly, the taste, has rarely been there for me. Oh, well, I grew up with DDT. I've never smoked; my cocktail of choice is fresh strawberry dacquiris (12 oz. fresh strawberries, 2 oz. lt. rum, 1 oz. fresh lime juice, 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, 4 ice cubes, then whirrr in a blender).

So that's my boring story.

I guess my immune system is up to speed as I haven't had a cold in eight years, though I did get a case of the flu once, but that was back in 1957 (man, that was 46 years ago!) Except for my dentist writing an antibotic prescription prior to some gum surgery several years ago, I've never ever had a drug store prescription filled by me or on my behalf since I was 10 years old (penicillin/pneumonia, circa 1947). So you see, neither the traditional medical community nor the drug companies nor alternative medicine, not to mention the vitamin/supplement cartel, has found me to be a very profitable source of revenue, at least to this point in my life.

ARIZONA73 · 08-24-2003, 06:44 PM

In a sense, I think we'd all be better off if only we can turn back the clock and return to that simpler, healthier lifestyle which was reminiscent of a bygone era. But unfortunately, growing numbers of people are no longer living in Leave it to Beaver land. Too bad, because there was a time when people's lifestyles were far healthier than they are now. There was always a good home cooked meal at the end of the day which included fresh fruits and vegetable which were of a higher nutritional value than they are today. People got a lot more fresh air and exercise, the air was cleaner, and their lives much less stressful. Nowadays, both parents work just to make ends meet. People grab a quick bite here and there, and are always on the run and in too big a hurry. They sit for hours in bumper to bumper traffic, breath filthy air, and are exhausted at the end of the day. And this is supposed to be progress? So yes, considering the hectic and stressful lifestyle that so many people are living these days, I believe that taking supplements is far more advisable now than it has ever been.