Are supplements necessary if we eat a balanced diet?

[Pat]

I think we try to eat a balanced meal to stay healthy but I also think the food we eat today is not as healthy as the food our great grandparents ate. The soil has been used to much to grow food, chemicals have been introduced into the soil which can be reducing the health benefits of the food grown in it. Also, we have different stronger germs, which we need to keep making adjustments to our health care to defend out bodies against these germs. Taking a supplement helps to give our body the added defense it needs from the depleted food and stronger germs we are exposed to daily.

 

[kitchenwitch]

I used to take a daily supplement, but I stopped when my doctor asked me point blank what I thought it was doing and I had no real answer. She actually advised against a broad spectrum vitamin because the high iron content in some of them can cause nausea and heartburn. I've been working hard to eat a fairly healthy diet and I try to be mindful of what my body needs everyday, so I hope I'm doing okay. I think like most people though the amount of meal planning I'm able to do fluctuates and I don't always manage to come up with something healthy.

Honestly though I haven't felt any difference in my health whether I'm taking vitamins or not. I don't often get sick but I've always had a strong immune system and it doesn't seem dependent on whether or not I take my vitamin c, for instance.