I’m in D.C. right now at a conference with my mom and boy are we learning all kinds of goodies. One thing we learned that is and isn’t surprising is the state of our food.
I know this may not be 100% legible, so here’s what it says:
Protein down 5%
Calcium down 15%
Iron down 14%
Vitamin A down close to 20%
Vitamin B2 down nearly 40%
Vitamin C down 15%
These changes are over the last 50 years! No wonder we’re a nation of starving obese people! Our food isn’t giving us enough nutrients. Because of that, our bodies are starving and say “I need to eat” but aren’t always clear on what we need. So we put in calories, hoping to satisfy that hunger.
Now, you can definitely do a lot of good by growing your own or buying from a local farmer who uses organic practices. Home grown food and locally purchased goodies are harvested at the peak of ripeness and aren’t trucked across the country or across the world. They aren’t gassed into looking ripe and coated with gunk to make them look pretty. You can control what kinds of stuff goes into the growing process and keep it organic. BUT what if, like me, you bought your home in the last several years vs owning a family farm where you know what’s been applied to the ground for generations? I know the previous owners of our house used all kinds of nasty chemicals to keep their grass greener and weed-free. Then there’s DDT which is no longer in use, but is still found in the soil thanks to its longevity. Anyway, all of this to say that our food just isn’t as satisfying as it used to be.
So to combat this (and to help keep me in my cute pants vs my big girl pants), I’ve added supplements to my daily regimen. I have to admit, I’m terrible at taking pills on a regular and consistent basis. It’s a good thing I’m not on any sort of life-saving medication! But the supplements I’ve found are so easy for me to keep track of. They come in a handy little once a day packet, and I can keep an extra strip in my purse so when I inevitably get out of the house without remembering to take them with breakfast, I’m covered. They’re rigorously tested (literally 1000 quality tests every time it’s produced!) to make sure that what is on the box AND ONLY WHAT IS ON THE BOX is what is in the pill. The pills aren’t ridiculously huge horse pills. The fish oil doesn’t taste fishy (or urp nasty or at all). In fact, it takes kind of chocolate-y to me and goes down super smooth. And the multivitamin is a reasonable size.
Pause for a brief peek down memory lane: I used to take Women’s One A Day and had to quit. The bottle clearly says “do not take on an empty stomach” and the few times I tried, I was immediately sick to my stomach and threw it all back up! These vitamins say “best if taken with a meal” but I’ve taken them well between meals (or even before I got a chance to eat thanks to my silly schedule, and I have found a new thing to help avoid that too and will elaborate soon on that topic) and it goes down just fine and stays down! No cold sweat and insta-puke!
Anyway, the whole pack comes with your day’s supply of multivitamins, a B + C complex, a fish oil and a probiotic. It’s easy (which is important for me)! It’s gluten-free (which apparently isn’t always true for vitamin pills). It’s tested safe for athletes who are subjected to random drug testing (Jessica Hardy had her Olympic dreams dashed when she tested positive for a clenbuterol thanks to a contaminated supplement from a different but well-known company). There are no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. Everything but the probiotic is even labeled Kosher! And the pills are created to release in the proper section of your digestive system to maximize their absorption so you aren’t flushing your money down the toilet (literally). If you want to read the label, here it is:
I really think everyone should give these a try. You can get them separately, and it’s cheaper per dose if you buy the bottles and build your own daily dose, which I will probably start doing. BUT I really love having the vita-strips available for my forgetful self to keep in my purse & my suitcase, so I’ll also keep some of those around too. Of course, if you just want to try it out for 30 days, it’s way cheaper to just buy the 30-day supply of the vita-strips and make your decision after that.
If you’re interested in going ahead and getting the individual bottles, here are some direct links for that as well. I’ve linked to the smaller bottles, but know that there are bigger ones available too.
Optiflora Probiotic (or get it with a pre-botic too)
Omega Guard Fish Oil
Vita-Lea Multivitamin for Women
Multivitamin for people over 50
*And full disclosure. By following the links & buying the products, you’re supporting me and my vitamin habit. I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT and have to say, with the vitamins, I feel more energetic, my skin looks better, and I haven’t been dealing with this weird allergy-like scratchy throat. So thanks and please contact me if you have any questions about any of these products. If I don’t have the answer at immediate brain access, I know where to get it. 
