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Vitamin

Should We Take Supplements?

March 3, 2014 by KimiHarris 18 Comments

The Pros and cons of taking supplements
Whether you should take a multi-vitamin or one of the many supplements available is a controversial topic. It’s also a confusing one. I am asked on a very frequent basis what my thoughts are on this topic, especially by those trying hard to eat a nourishing diet, so I thought it was finally time to take the plunge and share some of the pros and cons to supplementation. My hope is that it gives you helpful information so that you can make a thoughtful decision for yourself. And stay tuned for some non-synthetic ways to super-boost your body’s nutrient intake too!

Disclaimer: I am offering you information today. I am not your doctor. Your health decisions are up to you, and getting advice from a trusted health care provider is always a good idea when sorting through these decisions. This post is not comprehensive, but tries to hit some of the main pros and cons. I’d love for you to add more information and opinions in the comment section. And finally, there are some affiliate links in this post. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Why taking supplements could be a good idea

Most people are deficient in one or more nutrients

While it’s always preferable to get nutrients from food, many don’t get enough because of inadequate diets, the lack of nutrients in the soil our food was grown from, or the inability to absorb vitamins efficiently. It may take years to get deficient through eating habits, and it could take years again to rebuild solely through food. Supplements can help supercharge that rebuilding process.

Supplementing can have great results when done correctly

I’ve taken some really high quality supplements given to me by my doctor that helped me overcome my tendency to catch every cold that went around last year. He’s also helped to diagnose and then rebuild certain deficiencies that I had (such as iron), through proper supplementation. I have to say that when working with a really knowledge doctor doing proper lab work, proper supplementation has been incredibly helpful for me. A previous naturopath I worked with helped me overcome a terrible UTI using strong herbs. I have a lot of respect for how helpful supplementation, in it’s various forms, can be. I know that clinically certain supplements are used to help with detoxing, treating certain illnesses and diseases, or to help compensate for genetic issues. Folic Acid supplementation has been shown helpful in reducing certain birth defects.

But there are concerns.

The concern with supplements

Some supplements are really low quality

If you decide that you would benefit from supplementation, realize that not all are equal. Mercola points out that selenium in it’s non-organic form is actually toxic instead of healthful, yet it can be found in some supplements. And is just one of many examples of the horrors that could be in your supplement capsule. When you buy a supplement, you are generally putting a blind trust in the company’s quality control, which is pretty sketch for some companies. There can be everything from poor vitamin balancing in multi-vitamins, to toxic ingredients, to added ingredients that are just not helpful long term for health.

There can be side effects to supplements

Mercola also mentions that while folate has been shown helpful for reducing birth defects, getting too much of it may actually increase your risk for certain types of cancers. I really admire and respect the work of Julia Ross, who uses amino acids as well as food to help people get to a healthy weight, recover from depression and addictions, and more. But, as she notes in her books, you do need to be aware of some of the side effects certain amino acids could have. Just because an amino acid works well for someone’s journey in recovering his or her health, does not mean that it would be appropriate for everyone. Just because a supplement can be helpful sometimes doesn’t mean that it is helpful at all times for all people. Herbs can be a wonderful way to boost the immune system, but you also need to understand any contradictions they have before using.

Supplementation could lead to imbalances of nutrients in the body

We kind of have this black and white thinking to nutrients and, really, food in general. Sweets = bad; Vitamin B = good. But it’s a lot more complex than that. For good health, we need to respect the complexities of what food has to offer us that an isolated nutrient can’t compare to. It’s become clearer and clearer that nutrients work in a well-balanced dance – a dance that can be disrupted when we consume isolated nutrients. This is true whether you are getting too much copper through a multi-vitamin, take calcium without regard to the many co-factors it needs to be used by the body, and for the many links and connections between nutrients still left unexplored and undiscovered.

Supplements can harm you

If that’s not enough, there are other studies that throw supplementation in a dark light. Calcium supplements have been linked to an increase of heart attacks. While low-calcium diets have been shown to be harmful in a variety of ways, taking supplements to combat that problem may not always be good idea. Going back to folic acid, supplementation by those at risk of colon cancer was shown to increase the risk of developing multiple or more serious polyps instead of helping prevent future problems. Herbal supplements have been shown to have illegally high pesticide amounts, and toxins like lead and mercury. 

Chris shares some other negative results of supplementation, including that many trials showed no positive effect on chronic disease by supplementing the B vitamins, that beta-carotene had no evidence of helping smokers, but could harm them instead, and that high doses of vitamin E increased the risk of death. In fact, supplementation of beta-carotene, Vitamin A and E were all found to increase death rates.

So what are we to do?

The most important take-away from this discussion is not whether or not you should take supplements, but rather that eating a nutrient-dense, well balanced diet is by far your best bet for a nourished, healthy body. Nutrient deficiencies are real and have real consequences, but correcting our diet should always be our first step.

Also, taking “real food” supplements in proper doses can be an excellent way to add to the nutrient-density to your diet, such as in the forms of fermented cod liver oil, and liver pills. Instead of isolated nutrients, these are especially nutritious food items taken in “supplement” form.

One way to find pure supplements

When researching for this post, I came across information from both my personal M.D./N.D and other naturally minded doctors that good companies will have their products tested by independent labs to analyze it for purity (and potency) and that they will also be willing to share those reports with you. I am curious if companies will be as willing to share these lab results with someone who doesn’t have “M.D.” behind their name, but I am hoping it will help me in the future. If you have had success in having lab results sent to you by supplement companies, I’d love to hear from you!

Where I’m personally at:

I remain quite cautious towards much of supplementation, however I do use a variety of supplements (somewhat under protest, under doctor’s orders). For example, I am currently using a whole food supplement, where the nutrients are from food, instead of synthetic form. (I also give my kids this one). As a disclaimer, while this brand is generally considered a good choice by many in the health community, I haven’t followed through with seeing if they would be wiling to share independent purity test results with me yet.

I also will sometimes use a multi-vitamin recommended by my doctor (another brand only available through a professional). Because I had such low iron, I have also been on Floradix (a more naturally sourced iron supplement that in my opinion is a much better iron supplement than most), and we are adding some vitamin A and D to my cod liver oil dose to help get my levels more optimal (but they won’t be permanent supplements). Because too high of some of these nutrients can be toxic, it has been important for me to be working with a doctor and getting myself tested during this period of rebuilding certain levels. (I share this not to say that everyone should do something similar, just to be open about where I am at personally. This is for my specific situation.)

As a side note, as many of you know, I buy certain supplements, such as my iron supplement and multi-vitamins, here. I am able to save about ten dollars a bottle on my iron that way! I also have been buying certain supplement from PureFormulas.com (I really like many of the high quality brands they carry, and I bought my liver pills and liver powder from them. I like that they don’t just carry any brand, but more carefully select the brands they carry. They also carry some of the brands recommended to me by my doctors, which has been helpful.)

Do you take any type of supplements? Why or why not? If so, what do you take. 

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: Folic Acid, Multivitamin, Vitamin

The Diet that Supports Teeth Remineralization

January 7, 2013 by KimiHarris 72 Comments

Picture of a bowl of soup with text, our experience working with a holistic dentist, supporting remineralization with diet and dental products.

Updated: March 1, 2020

Is it possible that our dietary choices, beyond the basic question of how much sugar we consume, can impact our dental health? Today, I will be sharing our experience working with a holistic dentist who had a three-pronged approach to dental health: diet, using remineralization products, and regular dental cleanings. Let’s talk about why she chose that approach. 

Dr. Weston A Price

I was first interested in this topic when I was introduced to Dr. Weston A Price’s book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. He was a dentist at the turn of the century who focused on the correlation between diet and cavities. Price traveled the world, studying the nutritional value of traditional diets and the dental health of those who ate said diets. He found two things: traditional diets were much higher in nutrients than the typical diet in industrialized nations, and the people who ate these traditional diets had less dental decay and better teeth and jaw formations. It’s important to note that these were not studies, and his observations don’t prove anything more than a correlational link. 

That said, he wrote about his own experience of feeding malnourished children a nutrient-dense diet and seeing if it made an impact on cavities. Before the trial, the children’s diet consisted “of highly sweetened strong coffee and white bread, vegetable fat, pancakes made of white flour and eaten with syrup and doughnuts fried in vegetable fat.” 

The diet he fed them at their mid-day meal (they were still eating at home for breakfast and dinner) was: 

  • 4 ounces of tomato juice or orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon of equal parts of very high vitamin natural cod liver oil and an especially high vitamin butter (at the beginning of the meal)
  • 1 pint of stew, full of nutrient-dense homemade stock, made with plenty of bone marrow bones, meat, and vegetables. 
  • Cooked fruit with very little sweetening 
  • Rolls made out of freshly ground whole wheat and lots of pastured butter. 
  • Plus, each child was given two glasses of fresh whole milk. 

Each child had seconds if they wanted it (and many did). This menu regularly varied to include fish chowder or organ meats.

Before the program, Price had carefully examined and taken x-rays of all of the children’s teeth. He reported that, after being in his program, 90% of the children showed signs of arrested cavities. Their cavities weren’t getting worse, and new ones weren’t forming. He also showed through x-rays that some of the children had cavities remineralized. (You can see the x-rays in his book). He also noted improved nutrient levels in their salvia (more on saliva below). 

He found that if they stopped eating his food, they would often start having rapid decay again. 

What’s happening here? First, we should note that this was certainly not a low-sugar or low-carbohydrate diet. They were still eating highly sweetened food in the morning and evening, though this meal would likely help them reduce simple sugars for one meal. But he argues that it was not simply taking out sugary foods but rather adding in nutrient-dense foods. 

What does modern research show us? Here is a sample of what research is showing: 

Vitamin D and Cavities 

Dr. Price noted higher amounts of vitamin D (alongside other nutrients) among traditional diets. He fed children foods high in vitamin D for that reason. Recent research does show a link between vitamin D and dental health. “This systematic review…suggests that supplemental vitamin D was associated with a 47% reduced risk of caries.” Source (PDF) 

Malnutrition and Cavities 

Recent research has shown a connection between malnutrition and cavities. One study shows a relationship between cavities, mouth pain, and malnutrition. Another study found that early malnutrition resulted in more cavities. Other research shows, interestingly, that children who were obese or underweight had more cavities. 

Impacts of sugars and carbohydrates 

There is a dynamic relationship between both simple sugars, and other fermentable carbohydrates, as they “affect the integrity of the teeth, quantity, pH, and composition of the saliva, and plaque pH…” Source 

Furthermore, “The relation between diet and nutrition and oral health and disease can best be described as a synergistic 2-way street. Diet has a local effect on oral health, primarily on the integrity of the teeth, pH, and composition of the saliva and plaque. Nutrition, however, has a systemic effect on the integrity of the oral cavity, including teeth, periodontium (supporting structure of the teeth), oral mucosa, and alveolar bone. Alterations in nutrient intake secondary to changes in diet intake, absorption, metabolism, or excretion can affect the integrity of the teeth, surrounding tissues, and bone as well as the response to wound healing.” 

In short, what we eat does matter. 

One food item Dr. Price added was dairy. Here are two related studies. 

Yogurt is linked to Lower Cavities: 

Research shows that “a high consumption of yogurt may be associated with a lower prevalence of dental caries in young children.” Source 

Cheese linked to Lower Cavities 

Cheese may help prevent cavities because it helps increase saliva (more on that below), it could help inhibit “plaque bacteria,” and “thereby reducing acid production”, and because it increases “alkaline substances, calcium, inorganic phosphate, and casein, which decrease mineralization and enhance remineralization.”

What is Remineralization? 

Dr. Price claims to have seen remineralization in children who were eating a better diet. What does that mean? 

“Tooth remineralization is a reparative process, which occurs naturally and daily inside the mouth. This process repairs the lost enamel (outermost part of the tooth) and helps in preventing cavities.” Source 

Here are two factors that relate to remineralization: 

pH of saliva (impacted by the calcium and phosphate it contains) 

Bacteria in the mouth 

Bacteria 

According to research, cavities are caused “by the interaction of bacteria, mostly Streptococcus mutans, and sugar on tooth enamel surfaces.” Bacteria breaks down carbohydrates and then causes an acidic environment that “leads to demineralization and resultant carious lesions.” 

Saliva’s Role in Remineralization 

Saliva is “one of the most important biological factors” in neutralizing acid exposure. Dental erosion is “directly related to the buffering capacity and rate” of saliva. Saliva helps because it has  a“cleaning and antibacterial action” but also because it is a “constant source of calcium and phosphate.” This is helpful because those minerals “helps in maintaining supersaturation with respect to tooth minerals, therefore inhibiting tooth demineralization during periods of low pH.” 

Do you remember how Dr. Price noted higher nutrients in the saliva of kids eating a better diet? Calcium and phosphate in your saliva are known to help remineralize teeth. I couldn’t find research backing his claims that a more nutrient-dense diet increased minerals in saliva, but it’s an interesting note. 

Because saliva is so important for your dental health, if you have dry mouth (and therefore less saliva), you are much more prone to cavities. Those who sleep with their mouth open, also causing dry mouth, are also more prone to decay. 

Our Experience Working with a Holistic Dentist. 

Besides the typical encouragement to get regular dental cleanings, our dentist also recommended a low sugar and high nutrient diet. Many holistic dentists also discourage eating and drinking all day long, as the constant influx of foods and beverages reduces the pH in your mouth, and therefore prevents teeth from remineralizing. 

She recommended several different avenues to help teeth in their regular remineralization process. One was using both toothpaste and a mouthwash that specifically helps with three things, 1) pH, 2) remineralization substances 3) xylitol (which research has linked to lower amounts of bacteria in the mouth). 

The other rule was to chew xylitol gum after drinking or eating, when not brushing. (I link to the brand recommended by many dentists because it not only has xylitol, but it also keeps the mouth at a better pH). 

Fluoride is the most common remineralization addition to toothpaste, and the products she recommends contain them. Her stance was that research shows the most benefit from using fluoride orally, rather than drinking fluoridated water. If you are looking for an alternative to fluoride that also promotes remineralization, in Japan, they use hydroxyapatite, a mineral that constitutes 90% of our tooth enamel, and that many studies show protects and helps remineralize with similar results as fluoride. Specific brands suggested below.

Products: 

Apagard Premio: Well respected Japanese brand that uses hydroxyapatite (mineralization) and xylitol (anti-bacterial). Boka offers a similar toothpaste, with added essential oils (flavor and anti-bacterial).

Ctx4: This is the system that our dentist recommends. It helps with pH neutralization, uses xylitol (anti-bacterial), fluoride and nano hydroxyapatite for remineralization. 

Coral Nano Silver Toothpaste: Uses xylitol (anti-bacterial), nanosilver solution (antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal) coral calcium (restores proper pH, offers trace minerals for remineralization), and essential oils (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory)

Zellies Xylitol Gum

Mouthwatchers Toothbrushes: The fine bristles cleans teeth better than a typical toothbrush, and the silver in it helps prevent bacterial growth

Probiotics for the Mouth: Because good bacteria is just as important as not having bad bacteria in the mouth.

Filed Under: For the Love of Food and Books, Health, Nutrient Dense Foods Tagged With: Causes Tooth Decay, Cure Tooth Decay, Dental Caries, Malnutrition, Nutrient Dense, Nutrient Dense Foods, Teeth, Teeth Health, Tooth Decay, Traditional Dieting, Vitamin, Weston A Price

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The information you find here at The Nourishing Gourmet is meant to help you become a better cook! This site is primarily for sharing family friendly recipes. It's not meant to give medical advice or to make any health claims on the prevention or curing of diseases.This site is only for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet. Also, any links to sponsors or affiliates (including Amazon) may give me a percentage of the sale or a pay per click. Thank you for supporting this site.

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