I agree that it’s difficult to get the nutrition we need from diet, but there are ways to do it, including eating organic (since organic culture tends to focus on building up the soil) and also by eating large quantities of vegetables.

I’m acquainted with an MD who uses nutritional therapy, and who regularly tests people for serum levels of minerals. I’ve heard him remark that although most people he tests are low on magnesium, patients who eat organic rarely or never are. This observation isn’t the result of a rigorous, let alone comprehensive study, obviously, and I would question whether the serum magnesium is a result of the choice to eat organic or of a choice to eat more vegetables (since I’d bet the two often go hand in hand). But it’s still an intriguing clue.

When we take vitamins, otoh, we’re introducing high concentrations of particular molecules into our bodies. In nature, these molecules are only found within matrices of other molecules. So yes, vitamins have their place, but do we know for certain what the effects are of consuming them, particularly over time? Nope.

I do take supplements myself, but my regimen is eclectic, and I tend to take them in courses, rather than daily over the long term (i.e. over years).

I do, however, aim for at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and rarely drop below seven . . .

99% of the American people are deficient in minerals …….. The alarming gact is that foods, fruits, vegetables and grains now being raised on millions of acres of land no longer contain enough certain needed minerals and are starving us, no matter how much we eat.”

Vitamins are a must in our daily quest for better health.