Sad facts regarding nutritional content of our foods and why we use supplements.

Years ago food was generally harvested and eaten within a short time period or it would perish.
These were the days when you would shop at several different places ie the local butcher, baker, greengrocer etc and communities were more close knit and accountable to each other. Times have changed so much and now with our busy lives we opt to shop at large Supermarket chains, where it has been so much more convenient to buy all of our produce under one roof.  Unfortunately this has driven many independent food traders out of business as they are just unable to compete with the likes of Sainsbury, Tesco and Asda.
We hear all sorts of horror stories and have been exposed to tv documentary's about animals being injected with growth hormones and chickens kept in cramped conditions and fed to twice the size before being slaughtered to end up on our dining room table. 
There are now more synthetic foods available than fresh food, as food may start out as fresh only to become tainted with preservatives, sweeteners and additives. It has been a bit of a catch 22 situation as manufacturers have adapted to the supply and demand of the over grown population. We have demands for pre-packed food and food with a longer shelf life.
Okay here comes the Profit of Doom here, you know that pre-packed sandwich you pick up at lunchtime, it has a sell by date on it of course so you wouldn't question the fact that it is fresh.  It will probably contain a high quantity of salt, and almost definitely some form of sugars or sweeteners to enhance the flavour of its ingredients. Then of course you will crave more of it.
You would be wiser to go to a Deli and buy a freshly made sandwich.  Here you can watch it being made and you can choose the ingredients from the counter.

Vegetables

Did you know that up to 45% of the most imporant nutrients are gone from fresh vegetables by the time they are consumed? Quite often it has taken anything from 2 weeks for the produce to reach your table, meanwhile we think we are purchasing "fresh vegetables. In most cases you may be better off to buy frozen vegetables which are stored almost immediately after harvesting thus retaining the majority of their nutritional value. On the plus side frozen vegetables are cheaper and can be stored for longer periods.

Herbalife Supplements

So when people say to me, "I eat well therefore I do not need to take a vitamin supplement" or "I won't try Herbalife Soya Protein Shakes because they are not real food!" I ask them if they eat bread and I ask them how they think bread is made. Our supplement is made from ground down soya and it is as natural and more healthy to use than most of the packaged foods that are currently filling the supermarket shelves. A great example is a typical commercial breakfast cereal. Stripped almost entirely of its natural fibre, has lost most of the vitamin and mineral content before it is processed into a crispy flake, then given some additive nutrients to justify the manufacturers claims of it being a "healthy breakfast".

I've used health supplements for years.  I eat very well or as well as I can taking into account the information I have given to you above, it is I agree a bit of a minefield. I use the Herbalife products as part of my diet and have a F1 shake every morning without fail. I take a multi-vitamin and a fish oil capsule every day and I ensure that I have a well balanced evening meal 99% of the time. I'm only human and if  I enjoy the odd Chinese takeaway or Dominos pizza at the weekend I still have the comfort of knowing I have had the majority of my vitamin intake from my breakfast shake and my supplements.

For further information on the Health and Wellbeing Supplements that I subscribe to, go to
http://www.fithealthyhappy.biz

Click here should you wish to have a look at FitFoxy's new site

To view an updated version of this article please go to nutritional facts
 Best regards
Sherry Chandler

Personal Trainer Brighton and Hove Website