Facts and Myths about Vitamins

There are plenty of misconceptions about what vitamins really do and don’t do. Young or old, most people have the wrong idea about vitamins. For some reason it is widely believed that vitamins produce energy for our bodies. This is proven to be a myth. The real job of a vitamin is an organic compound that is required to help us to extract energy from food. Vitamins do not provide energy; they help us to get energy from other food. They are required in very tiny quantities. The myth that vitamins give energy is a common one today.

The best way to get the most nutritional need out of a vitamin is actually eating the food that contains it. Our bodies are made so we can breakdown foods, and absorb nutrients. When taking a tablet of concentrated vitamins, our intestines cannot absorb all the vitamins. However, when vitamins are presented to the intestine in the form of fruits and vegetables, the concetration of vitamins is perfectly suited to our intestine and we absorb most of it. Vitamin pills generally overload our bodies so it is most efficient to get vitamins the “natural” way.

Many people think that vitamins should be taken daily. But the fact is that it is completely unnecessary to do this. If you just eat your DRI, or daily-recommended Intake- then you don’t need to take vitamin tablets. For example, if you consume your proper servings of fruits, dairy, vegetables, meat, etc… then all of your nutritional needs are completed for the day. You would be taking too many vitamins if you take the supplement once you have reached your DRI. They would just end up being flushed out by your body. This podcast isn’t saying, “never take vitamins”, in fact in many cases they are essential. For example if someone has a surgery that resulted in an incision, that person should take Vitamin E. even though the person might have eaten enough of it, they need it in order to help skin growth. It will make it grow faster, thus the person recovering more quickly. Another example of taking vitamins daily would be for pregnant women. A pregnant woman is eating for two, and she needs twice the nutrients she would normally consume. By taking a special vitamin that is best for both her, and her baby; then the chances of them both living through a healthy pregnancy goes up. But don’t be worried about not getting the right amounts of vitamins. As long as you eat a wide variety of foods, then your nutritional requirements will be met.