#2013alive: Get Some Help from Supplements

Congratulations—you’ve made it to week 4 of our January 12 Months of Wellness. So far, we’ve had a balanced breakfast every day, cut out the bad, and added in the good. This week, it’s all about getting an extra helping hand … in the form of supplements.

Why supplements?
While supplements are certainly not a replacement for a healthy diet, they can help us when we need an additional nutritional boost. This can be when we’re following a specialized diet (such as vegetarianism), when we’re busy and our schedules don’t always allow for a perfect diet, or when we have specialized dietary needs or concerns. And with omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins, antioxidants, fibre, and many, many more supplements at your local health food store to choose from, there’s something for everyone.

Of course, not every supplement is right for everyone, so check with your health care practitioner to be sure.

What I’m up to this week
I have a confession: I have a few supplement bottles in a drawer at my desk, and more often than not, I completely forget to take them. Ooops!  So this week will be all about remembering to take my supplements every day.

My favourite supplement (especially this time of year) is vitamin D. Known for its potential anticancer, mood-boosting, immune-strengthening, and bone-building properties, vitamin D should be a mainstay in our diets.

However, it’s tricky to get: some foods are fortified, but the only foods that naturally contain vitamin D are fish, liver, and egg yolk.  Plus, although we can obtain vitamin D from the sun, it’s nearly impossible to get enough in the winter (especially in Northern countries such as Canada!). Because of these factors, the Canadian Cancer Society recommends that Canadian adults take a 1,000 IU supplement in the fall and winter.

What are you up to this week? What are your supplement goals?