Vitamins!

[MyDestiny]

Hi all!!

I don't take vitamins, never really have (I suppose I should regardless of whether I am changing eating habits or whatnot, especially since I eat healthier NOW than I ever have in my life!) *lol* but are certain ones recommended more so than other while following SBD?

Let me know any input!

[Jilly_Bean]

I take vitamins sporadically, but not because any were recommended in SB. Here is the quote from the SB book:

Should I be taking nutritional supplements?

I recommend taking very few supplements. The reason? We have not yet learned to extract vitamins from foods so that they work as well in supplement form as they do when you eat the foods themselves.

I strongly believe that you should get the nutrients you need from eating a whole-foods diet. This means enjoying a wide variety of fruits and vegetables because they contain thousands of phytonutrients that are critical to good health... So far the research that has been performed on specific supplements--notably, antioxidants--has been disappointing. To date there is no pill, including a multivitamin, that works like a good diet based on healthy foods.
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/south-beach-diet-forums/2392-vitamins.html

That said, I do recommend that you take an omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplement because it's difficult to get enough omega-3s from foods. I take a fish oil supplement myself, and I strongly recommend it to all my patients. The active ingredients in omega-3s are docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and both are listed on the label. A total of between 1,000 and 2,000 milligrams of DHA and EPA a day is recommended. Taking a supplement of the mineral calcium which many people fail to get enough of from foods, can be helpful for women at risk for osteoporosis.

[MyDestiny]

Thanks Jilly! What it says makes sense - but there are so many "take your vitamins, if you don't the world will end." things going around its hard to determine what is commercialism, and what is real. I wouldn't think of taking a dietary supplement or anything crazy like that - but a few extra vitamins wouldn't hurt it doesnt sound like!

~MD