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Health & Fitness

Rethink Your Multivitamin/Mineral

Which multivitamin is right for you?

Get more than just vitamins and minerals. Plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, oils, and grainsprovide more than macronutrients (protein, fats, and c... arbohydrates/fiber) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Plants are also a source of thousands of bioactive secondary metabolites called phytonutrients that are known to support the body in multiple ways. Eating plans that include a number of plant foods rich in phytonutrients, like the traditional Mediterranean diet, are associated with increased health and longevity.

Non-essential, but extremely beneficial. There are no established daily intake requirements (yet), but scientists continue to uncover the many benefits of phytonutrientssuch as resveratrol, lutein, lycopene, citrus bioflavonoids, polyphenols, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). These individual phytonutrients may target different health systems, and they may also complement each other to support the body in general wayslike protecting cells from oxidative stress that can increase with age, pollutants, unhealthy lifestyle habits, and even certain processes with the body itself. That's why health experts recommend eating a minimum of five daily servings of a wide variety of colorful, plant-based foodsto supply essential nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates/fiber, vitamins, minerals) plus a spectrum of valuable phytonutrients.

Where most multivitamin/minerals fall short. Scientific opinion now suggests that a multi with only "essential" nutrients does not address the benefits of a daily intake of important phytonutrients. But merely adding a few plant extracts or phytonutrients at clinically insignificant levels may not be the answer either. But there is a brave new, scientifically tested combination of phytonutrients and essential nutrients that may just change everything.

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