Vitamins and Greens

Balanced just means that you eat the relatively correct proportions from each food group, and have variety within each food group. That means you can't just eat a steak and salad all the damn time. You have to throw some plant-based proteins, white meats, different coloured fruits/veggies, etc. in the mix. Remember, there are people out there who eat take-out majority of the time... those are the people who probably really need to be worried about their intakes.

I personally do take a multi-vitamin, even though its benefits for the lay person are questionable. While I do eat a somewhat well proportioned diet in terms of food groups, my variety sometimes lacks due to prices, availability, work, comfort level, etc. The way I see it, aside from cost + the prospect it may not be doing an awful lot for you, there's really no physical harm in taking a vitamin supplement. If you have any extra beyond what your body needs, your body will simply just get rid of them, save for a select few vitamins/minerals... but it's pretty hard for the lay person to OD on those unless you are doing something real strange with your routines, or have other medical conditions.

My only strong opinion is that everyone in Canada should supplement/increase their intake of vitamin D during the winter, at the very minimum. With the current lifestyle of the lay person + our geography, majority of Canadians simply don't get enough through the darker months... plus low vitamin D is considered a risk factor for some pretty nasty diseases.

For $20 for a year supply at Costco it's worth taking a multivitamin. Almost nobody eats a balanced diet every day. I almost never get enough fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.

Bioavailabiliy and bioabsorption are ultimately better with some nutritional products. try the product and pay attention to how you feel. some are great, and others not so great. I recommend nootropics.

Thanks guys. I am now taking vitamins and eating a balanced diet. Thread closed