Taking supplements is based solely on an individual’s personal needs. Personally, I prefer to glean my micro nutrients through food. However, as we age, our nutrient needs change, and sometimes we aren’t able to extract and assimilate all the necessary nutrients through our diet. To that end, certain minerals require vitamins to act as a catalyst to assimilate effectively. Case in point, calcium requires vitamin D, just as iron requires vitamin C. Since vitamin D isn’t readily abundant outside of sunshine or as an additive to food, I include it as a daily supplement. However, since I consume generous amounts of iron and vitamin C naturally through raw food sources, I don’t feel an inherent need to supplement them, although I do take kelp and zinc. Other vitamins and minerals I focus on are vitamin A and potassium, though not as a supplement, but from natural food sources.
Having studied nutritional science, one of the areas that fascinated me most was the influence diet has on cellular degeneration and aging. The aphorism that ‘beauty is skin deep’ couldn’t be truer to the link proper nutrition has in respect to aging. Aside from the adverse effect aging has on skin, our skin is a reflection of our internal health. This is where nutrition may play an active role in deterring the process. Beta-carotene is naturally abundant in fruit and vegetables, most often associated with the orange hues in carrots, yams, papaya, and cantaloupe. What makes beta-carotene so important in our diet is that it’s a natural precursor to the production of vitamin A. On average, I consume 30-40,000 IU of natural beta-carotene in my diet daily. Vitamin A is a highly effective antioxidant as well as a communicative messenger to rebuild cellular deterioration. While vitamin A protects and facilitates amino acids in repairing and building, potassium is crucial to cellular function as a principal constituent of electrolytes, which carry electrical charges throughout the blood to stimulate muscles, including the heart. Potassium is one of the main blood minerals that circulate within our body, and one of the most difficult mineral levels to maintain. Our daily nutrient requirement of potassium is 4700 mg, which the average person barely consumes a quarter of.
Should I take potassium and vitamin A supplements?
Where vitamin A is concerned, high-dose supplements can cause toxicity. So I suggest integrating the foods I mentioned earlier into your diet as an alternative. With respect to potassium, I have to answer with a resolute no! Unless prescribed under the direction of a physician. However, specific fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium, which can meet the RDA. Topping the list are leafy greens: Kale, spinach, chard, collard, and mustard greens, etc. Vegetables: Mushrooms, sweet red peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and zucchini, to name a few. Fruits: Banana, papaya, cantaloupe, berries, and pineapple. Another source is the green electrolyte drink. It covers half my daily units of vitamin A, and contains 1/4 of the RDA of potassium. For those not mentioned, check it against a nutrient look-up.
Studies have concluded that a high plant-based diet, restful sleep, and exercise remain the safest methods in maintaining overall health and wellness.
Light-Force-Energy 
Personally I have taken supplements since I was 12 years old since the late 50s. They have really helped me because everyone says my appearance is 15 years younger than I really am. As we all know, we must have a clean system to absorb all the nutrients from food that we eat and it’s hard to achieve. If you’re really serious you have to eat clean food without preservatives, minimum amount of sugars and salts. We are all different and react to foods differently! Read, study, and experiment for what works best for you. For me, eating about five or six times a day every 3 hours is best , I never eat after 6 PM. I never eat large quantities and I try to diversify my diet with smoothies and shakes and things that grow from the ground, fresh! Good luck !!
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Carlos, thank you for sharing your thoughts. It sounds like you are on the right path and have been for many, many years. And you are correct in stating that everyone is different and they have to find what works best for them. However, supplements are just that, to supplement. They are not meant to replace a proper balanced diet. Unfortunately, in more cases than not, supplements are used to erase the effects of poor lifestyle choices. We should reach for fresh whole food first, and add supplements as a secondary assist.
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