Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Nutrition But Were Afraid to Ask.
Q: I cook almost all of my meals at home, and I try to buy “enriched” and “organic” products at the grocery store whenever available. Do I still need supplements?
A: “Enriched” foods means that the product has undergone a process where the original nutrients which have been depleted due to heat, storage, etc. are replaced and brought back to the natural levels found in the product before processing. Unfortunately, “enriched” foods do not necessarily contain the same levels of nutrition as a natural, unprocessed product.
Cereals and flour, for example, are almost always labeled as being “enriched”, but they are mostly high in nothing but carbohydrates. Today’s standard for enriching flour is to replace the 22 natural nutrients found in the raw product with only three vitamins: vitamin B, vitamin D, calcium and iron salts.
Q: What is the best time of day to take my supplements?
A: The best time to take vitamins and supplements is after meals to optimize absorption. Since the body operates on a 24-hour cycle, it is best to space out your supplements evenly throughout the day. Water-soluble vitamins such as B complex and C are excreted fairly rapidly throughout the day, so a regimen of supplements taken 3 times a day after each meal gives optimal results.
If taking your supplements 3 times a day is not convenient (I’m sure most people would agree), then either take half in the morning after breakfast, and the other half after dinner. And if you MUST take all your supplements at once, then do so after dinner, your last meal of the day, for best results.