Daily Times

Going back two and a half decades, doctors hardly ever prescribed vitamin supplements as a part of medical treatment. Food and drug administration authorities worldwide classified vitamin supplements as food and not drug. It is for this reason that health insurance didn’t cover vitamin supplements.

But now it’s a common item on a doctors’ prescription and is often added to boost patients’ immunity and aid health.

Consumers love the idea of good health in just a pill. The hype of vitamin supplements is a recent phenomenon. Pharmaceuticals now advertise them fiercely, which has paid off to increase public demand.

Vitamins are life-sustaining elements that are required by a human body. Their functions are not muscle-building or provision of energy but they enable the body to perform its functions and processes.

A diet low in vitamins can cause deficiencies, which can be initially reflected in hair fall, nail damage, skin disorder, digestive problems or other minor ailments. Long term deficiencies can lead to life-threatening health disorders and conditions.

Long before the vitamins were recognised, the ancient world used particular foods to treat deficiencies. In the 15th century, Greeks believed that eating a tomato a day would lessen the chances of men developing prostate cancer. Hippocrates saw other uses for herbs and encouraged using fenugreek for the treatment of respiratory issues. Old Egyptians and the Arabs used the animal liver to treat night blindness. Chinese added spices and roots in their foods, which cured various types of illnesses. For example, seaweed is used to prevent and cure heart disease. In 1974, it was discovered that sailors can be prevented from contracting scurvy, a fatal disease, by eating lemons.

The shift from natural foods to pills has its pros and cons. One can go wrong by eating “right,” but not so right. Vitamins are of two categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins (such as B-complex group and vitamin C) exit in bodily liquids like urine and blood, after being processed by kidneys. Extra amounts are just flushed in the urine.

On the other hand, the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) exist in the body’s fatty tissues and are not readily excreted. If fat-soluble vitamins are taken in high doses, they can accumulate to toxic levels in the body.

It is easy to overload the body to toxic levels as we tend to buy processed food items, which are forfeited with vitamins and minerals

I remember my father popping his vitamin E supplement with a blob of butter. All fat-soluble vitamins will get absorbed better in the body with foods containing unsaturated fat such as olive or canola oil.

It is also important to know the daily value range of each vitamin. The supplements vary in strengths of doses. Moreover, it is easy to overload the body to toxic levels as we tend to buy processed food items, which are forfeited with vitamins and minerals. David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in New Haven, CT, whose medical practice specialises in nutrition, records that the bigger concern is that we’re “garnishing the food supply with over fortification.”

The radical shift in lifestyles, foods and cooking methods has made us vulnerable to potential toxicity or interactions with others.

Gary Null also points out that vitamins need to be absorbed in specific locations in the gut and if a supplement pill doesn’t integrate in time, one may not get the value. Vedic science states, “Toxicity is the primary root cause of all disease.”

Autoimmune diseases are not due to germs from outside, but high levels of body’s sludge inside, for which detoxification is most recommended. A great sage physician Charaka, also one of the founders of Ayurveda, said, “A potent poison becomes the best drug on proper administration. On the contrary, even the best drug becomes a potent poison if used badly.”

Pills don’t come with guarantees, but there is still good news. Changing a few habits will improve your vitamin-making factory, the body. We all know over-cooking and over-soaking depletes nutrients in the food. “About 35 per cent of the B vitamins and 50 per cent of the folic acid will leach into the liquid when beans are soaked for over an hour. So use the liquid,” advises Shonali Sabherwal.

Vitamin C is a labile substance, which is easily destroyed by heat and chemicals. Pickles are an excellent source of probiotics, which help the digestive tract cultivate healthy bacteria. Vitamin D’s deficiency can be met with adequate sunlight and a slice of salmon. Exercise will improve your mood and sleep.

The secret behind healing is not in a capsule but a basket full of fresh vegetables and fruits. Ensure good health by making every meal a celebration of life.

The writer is a wellness and yoga expert