Why the need for supplementation? continue...

3. Sugar sets you up for low immunity and even PMT

Regular excessive intake of refined sugar and sugary confectionery such as sweets, cakes, chocolates and the like (in other words, anything other than raw, basic fructose or demerara sugar) could cause you to lose your magnesium (and other mineral) reserves. This often lies at the heart of PMT or painful periods. In addition, it has been found that the immune system can literally shut down for as long as six hours after eating a teaspoonful of refined sugar (The Immune System Cure, Prof. Patrick Bouic & Lorna R Vanderhaege). During this time you would of course be a sifting duck for any of the viruses cavorting around your body!

You know you eat sugar. Which means you need to supplement,

4. Life in general takes it out of you

It is not just a mailer of what we put (or do not put) into our bodies in terms of nutrition; it is also a mailer of what life takes out of our bodies. We are at the mercy of pollution, pesticides, fungicides, food additives and so many other harmful substances that we breathe in, eat and drink every day. Most of the chemicals used in our society have the ability to destroy the nutrients in our bodies. And if they don't do that, they have the potential to block the absorption of many very precious nutrients.

Which means that everybody living in today's world needs supplements.

5. Fad diets are devoid of nutrients

Drastic slimming diets (how many did you say you've been on?) or bad eating habits simply do not provide sufficient nutrients for the body. If, for the past 6 weeks, you have been eating less than 4 kinds of fruit, 6 cups of different vegetables, 3 varied types of protein, 6 varieties of starches and 3 teaspoons of unsaturated fat per day, you are probably nutritionally bankrupt.

You need a supplement.

6. Good weight loss relies on good nourishment.

By now you have heard it a zillion times: only a healthy body, functioning at optimum capacity, sheds fat effectively and manages to keep the fat off.

You will need a supplement now more than ever before.

Don't play guessing games with your nutrition

Many people tend to grab a book on nutrition, flip through the lists of nutrient deficiencies and say: "See, I have a zinc deficiency and that's why I'm sweating so much!"

Next thing you know they are taking handfuls of zinc tablets and hoping for a dry season.

This is risky, to say the least.

Ideally one should take a complete multi-vitamin and -mineral supplement such as Centrum. No nutrient acts completely independently of others. They all rely on each other in one or more ways to be fully functional.

Why the need for supplementation?

Many people would argue that a healthy, balanced and varied eating planshould be sufficient to provide you with all the nutrients you require.

I happen to be one of them. I firmly believe that you should receive all your nutrients from your daily foods. That is why my eating plans are brimful of Nature's bounty. I know for a fact that a well-nourished, healthy body will shed weight successfully and maintain that reduced weight and that optimum, balanced nutrition is the most important factor in this process.

But everything is not what it seems.

Our nutrients succumb to all kinds of robbers and thieves. For starters, there are the unavoidable hazards: factory, vehicle and water pollution and cigarette smoke; food processing and additives; poor food quality, Then the stress factor and its presumed antidotes enter the equation: sugary nibbles, medication and excess alcohol, Let's examine more closely the effects of these everyday hazards on our nutrient reserves.

1. Stress steals nutrition

Some researchers claim that a fit of anger (such as losing your temper and banging your head against the steering wheel of your car in a traffic jam) can 'steal' as much as 3 grams of vitamin C from your reserves.

Whether this claim is accurate or not, one thing is certain: stress robs you of your nutrients, It causes a skyrocketing of nutritional needs and vitamins C and B (particularly pantothenate) are withdrawn from the body at an alarming rate. Minerals are also withdrawn from your body under stress and should be replenished as they are withdrawn. But the average Ms Executive (whether taking care of a corporation or a household) who endures stress week in and week out, year after year, is not likely to consider eating bucketsful of fresh fruit and vegetables after each stressful incident! And if she does, where will she find the freshest and most wholesome foods, free from pesticides, fungicides, antibiotics and steroids?

In our modern society nobody can be assured of that any more. If you experience daily stress, you need a supplement.

2. Tobacco, drinks and drugs deplete nutrients

Using any form of drugs or alcohol invariably takes its toll on your nutritional reserves. For every healing or preventative benefit that allopathic (prescribed) drugs mayoffer, there is usually a trade-off as far as nutrients are concerned. Some medications (or alcohol) create a vitamin or mineral deficiency by either blocking their absorption, speeding up their excretion or otherwise interfering with the metabolism.

If you are on medication, smoke or drink alcohol regularly, you are likely to be in need of a supplement.

Don't turn your back on calcium continue…

You may even be at greater risk if you consider the other factors that contribute to osteoporosis:

• The decline in oestrogen. Up to half of women over the age of 45 have some degree of type 1 osteoporosis (bone loss is most profound during the first decade after menopause).
• Smoking. It suppresses the activity of the osteoblasts (the bone-building cells) and also causes changes in oestrogen metabolism in women, resulting in an earlier menopause.
• Being thin and/or fine-boned.
• Excessive use of alcohol. This reduces calcium absorption and damages liver and bone cells.
• Avery high intake of protein increases the amount of calcium lost by the body. Veganism. Avoiding all animal products means avoiding some of the richest sources of calcium.
• Lack of exercise. Physical inactivity or prolonged bed rest are associated with the loss of bone density. Astronauts experience noticeable bone loss when in space, due to the effects of weightlessness.
• Excessive, long-term use of salt, in addition to being bad for your health in general, leads to increased calcium loss from your bones.
• Pregnancy and lactation. If there is insufficient calcium in your diet while you are pregnant or breasffeeding, calcium will be drawn from your bones and teeth to provide for the growth of the baby.
• Little or no exposure to the sun. Housebound people, elderly folk and office workers often don't enjoy enough sunlight to assist their skins in the manufacture of vitamin D, which is needed for the absorption of calcium from the gastro-intestinal tract.
• Unbalanced diets. Not only quick-fix slimming diets are low in nutrients. Our average, modern-day diets often lead to an insufficient intake of nutrients. Although you might be taking in sufficient calcium-rich foods (like cheese!), you might be taking in too little of the other bone-fortifying nutrients such as vitamin D, magnesium (soy, dried beans, nuts), zinc (chicken heart and liver, beef liver, lamb), copper, manganese and boron, found in a large variety of other foods.
• Genetic inheritance accounts for 80% of the variance in peak bone mass. Blacks have a higher bone mass than whites and Asians, and men have a higher bone density than women. A strong family history is a risk factor for osteoporosis - daughters of women with osteoporosis have been shown to have lower-than-expected bone density.
• Certain health conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Cushing's syndrome, amenorrhoea resulting from anorexia nervosa and/or excessive exercise, gastrectomy, immobilising diseases, male hypogonadism (low testosterone levels), chronic liver disease or malabsorption.
• Consumption of large amounts of black coffee over a long period of time.
• Hyperthyroidism and over-treatment with thyroxin.
• The prolonged use of drugs such as corticosteroids (cortisone).

What is the role of calcium in theJody?

Everyone knows that calcium is required for healthy bones and teeth, but most people believe that calcium is only important in childhood. Wrong! There is a need for calcium throughout one's life in order to build and maintain calcium levels in bone.

Calcium acts as a metabolic regulator. Changes in the level of calcium within the cell result in the switching on and off of the processes of muscle contraction and nerve excitation.

Calcium is also involved as a co-factor in many enzyme processes. It is needed in cell division, the immune system and is also required in order for blood to clot.

More recently there has been some evidence to suggest that calcium has a positive role to play in maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Clearly, calcium is an essential nutrient and a major role player in our general wellbeing; good health being an essential prerequisite for shedding weight successfully and permanently.

Dietary sources of calcium

The major foods in the diet that contain calcium, include milk, cheese, yoghurt, white bread, white flour, and green vegetables. The absorption of calcium by the body is dependent on many factors, including the form of calcium in the food. The best sources of available calcium are dairy foods. Green vegetables and whole grain cereals contain phytates that bind calcium and prevent absorption.

A balanced diet is important for the provision of calcium and other bone fortifying nutrients throughout your life.