Antioxidants, vitamins, minerals... known to reduce the risk of... cancer, heart disease, diabetes... eat more: greens, grains, fruits, vegetables...

We hear the admonishments and advice in the news, on talk shows, and read it in magazines.

Do we have this much control over our health?

We do. While nothing is fool-proof, the idea should be to stock up on anything that can provide us with maximum health benefits, leaning the balance in our favor. It is truly our choice how we live.

We also hear a lot about vitamins and supplementation. It is implied that a state of perfect health cannot be reached without them. The idea is to shore up your eating habits with all of those nutrients you are missing at mealtime. Why are nutrients missing at mealtime? The culprit is our food choices. If you were to make a meal out of a loaf of white bread, wouldn't it make sense that you may be missing a few things in the nutrient department? While the example is a little extreme, the thinking is the same. What do your meals actually look like?

Logically, balanced eating habits that are rich in whole foods would be a better prescription than supplementing poor choices. There will be days in which you don't provide every single vitamin and mineral your body needs, but take a long-term perspective. Look at how you are eating over the course of a week. Plan meals that include ingredients from whole, unrefined sources. It can be dizzying to go into a grocery store and choose from the vast array of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products that can now be found on shelves. Variety is the key to filling in any possible deficiencies, so mix it up and try some new recipes and ingredients each week.

Supplements aren't "bad" - they can assist in your overall plan for radiant health. But to rely on them exclusively is taking the seemingly easy way out, when it’s just replacing good nutrition with a man-made ingredient! Vitamins found in whole foods are much more effective than their synthetic counterparts. For instance, 70 mg of vitamin C in one cup of broccoli strengthens your immunity more effectively than 700 mg of synthetic vitamin C. Plus, there are other nutrients found in broccoli that makes it a more productive choice.

Research has found that with minerals, there is a balancing act going on inside of our bodies. You’ll read that in order for a certain mineral to be absorbed by your body, you need to ingest another mineral to help it along. This shows that a balance and variety of whole foods will work hand-in-hand to provide your body with its requirements for optimal functioning.

Choose balanced whole foods eating over the crutch of supplementation. Instead of spending your time trying to remember which bottle of vitamins you have or haven't taken for the day, use your time more wisely and eat foods that work hard for your body!

Debra Augur has studied holistic nutrition for years, put that knowledge into practice, and has a passion to share that knowledge with others who are seeking their own best health. If we are what we eat, are we denatured, devitalized, deficient and potentially toxic? Visit http://www.eat-well-to-be-well.com to learn more, and begin acquiring your healthiest self.

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