I’ve always thought multi-vitamins were a little bit useless unless you were sick. I thought that if I was eating enough fresh organic food then my body was getting all of the nutrients that it needed and I didn’t need to take a tablet to supplement it. I always thought that taking too many vitamins and minerals that your body doesn’t need had an adverse reaction in your body. Even when I had no idea what that adverse reaction was.
Well, it turns out I was wrong.
I watched this amazing documentary last night called Food Matters. It featured some of the top medical professionals and nutritionists in North America, Europe and Australia. These teachers taught me a lot of good stuff about food and nutrition. Including how good it is to take a daily multi-vitamin.
Where do we get our vitamins and minerals from?
Whenever I think of vitamins and minerals I always think of this TV commercial we have in Australia. It’s for the brand of breakfast cereal Nutri-Grain. Everybody knows that Nutri-Grain is packed full of sugar and is not good for you at all. But the commercial promotes the cereal as a ‘power’ food because it contains added nutrients. But can a food this sweet and this processed really be good for you?
Our body requires a certain amount of nutrients to function well (how it’s supposed to). The only place we can get these nutrients from is from the food we eat, and the only place the food we eat can get these nutrients from is the soil the food is grown in. So if the soil that your food is grown in is lacking in vital nutrients, then your body is just not getting what it needs.
It gets worse. If you shop at a grocery store, and buy non-organic food. Then chances are your food is already up to a week old (nutrients in food decrease with the age of the food), and chances are the soil the food is grown in is of poor quality, and chances are the food has been sprayed with chemicals and pesticides.
So really, you’re eating something that is old, lacking in nutrients and covered in toxins.
I don’t think I need to go into great detail about why eating this kind of food is not that great for our body or our skin because it’s obvious. If we’re not providing our body with what it needs to function properly, then of course we’re going to get sick, and it’ll very likely show on our skin with excessive oiliness or dryness, uneven skin tone, clogged pores and possibly acne.
So what do we do about it? Eat organic food if you can afford it for starters. To be honest, I don’t have a lot of money at the moment, I’m a traveller living on ‘the edge’. But whenever I can I will buy organic food. I’ve put good organic food as the highest priority in my life. I’d rather do something less fun tomorrow if it means I can eat good, healthy food every day.
And find a good multi-vitamin and take it. I’m in downtown Toronto today. I’m going to find myself a decent looking health store and I’m going to buy the best multi-vitamin in store. I’m going to support my body as much as I can by giving it what it needs.
The more I learn about health, the skin and acne, the more I realize how holistic it all is. It doesn’t work to just treat one symptom, like clogged pores or pimples. You must work on making your body healthier and stronger as a whole. The only way to achieve healthy, clear skin long term is to lead as healthy a lifestyle as you can. Eat well, take supplements, exercise and relax.
Fran
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
13 responses ↓
Hey Fran,
Hope your enjoying your excursions.: ) But how do you decide if you should start taking multi-vitamins? If we do decide to start taking them how do we manage to stay on track with all this? I personally find that this will be a bit hectic having to remember to take a vitamin everyday while checking the ingredients on stuff,finding a good regimen,avoiding sugar,doing yoga and exercising.I mean, are australians equipped with all this extra energy to do stuff that people from the rest of the world arent?
hehe, Kevin I totally agree, sometimes it does seem like a lot work! Especially for someone like you who is still quite young so should be out there enjoying yourself.
I guess with this stuff, you can just slowly build it into your lifestyle and choose the parts that fit well with you and your body. My job is to provide you with all the information you need so you can then make your own decision on what you want to follow.
And you’re allowed to start slowly. I find that when I started to eat a little healthier, slowly I started to prefer healthier foods, until my diet got better and better. Same with yoga, I started just once a week, then after a few months it built up and up, and now a year later I’m doing it every day. But it did take me a year to get that far, and it’s not for everyone
Hi Fran!! I hope your skin is doing good with the wild canadian weather. Anyway I remember about a year ago when I was taking zinc,vitamin c and vitamin D or E (can’t remember!) my skin got really clear I even remember a friend telling me “wow Zack your skin is really clear”, But then I stopped taking them beacuse they were my parents and I was like “these are only for the older crowd” and I’m only 18 at the time but maybe I should just go the health food store and get a multi-vitamin to see if it helps again. Oh by the way Fran I know what is causing my acne. THE SUN! Yes the sun ever since I started completey avoiding it my skin has got wayyyy better and clearer. I know its the sun beacuse now that I look back I remember walking home from school when I was younger in very very very hot weather-over a 100 degrees Fahrenheit and my skin would completey break out but I mean really bad even on my arms. Then once I was inside in the air conditioned house about 2 hours later everything would go back to normal. Am I crazy or is this possible? Talk to U later! -ZACK
Zack, have you checked with your doctor or dermatologist to see if you have acne rosacea? Because sun is one of the contributing factors for that, a bit of sun can break you out big time.
Hi Fran! I was thinking of taking some multivitamins too, but I’ve been reading about some people who have actually broken out from taking these, even though they didn’t contain iron or preservatives that can aggravate acne. I don’t know what to think now. What kind of multivitamins were you thinking of taking?
hey fan…i read in some beauty magizen that vitamins are good for you skin ..i think a,c and something els ..
i realy found you site to be very usefull for a teen like you to get on with my life ..
but ive been useing a therapy called “water therapy” i think ..
its drinking water on an empty stomach..
its really been a big help for me…
hope you can check it out…and tell us more..
Hi Seema, you can buy multi-vitamins that are specifically for the skin, you could try those. Being for the skin I doubt they would break you out ..I saw a lot at the health store (I went to Whole Foods in Toronto).
I bought one that’s for women. It contains iron which I think I need being vegetarian. I think maybe people have broken out because some of them contain iodine, although it’s such a low dose that I doubt it. Maybe something else broke them out or they had an allergy? Either way it’s odd ..because vitamins and minerals are a really good way to make our whole body healthy. And a healthy body and a healthy system means healthy skin.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately so I recently made a trip to Whole Foods myself. I was completely overwhelmed with the choices but I found one that I am enjoying. Which brand and such did you end up with?
I’m thinking of also buying extra vitamin D because it seems the regular multivitamins don’t have nearly enough and it’s hard to get from food from all the research I’ve been reading, especially since I avoid the sun like the plague.
Hi Heather, I bought one from NewChapter Organics. It’s called ‘Every Woman’s One Daily’.
I’ve noticed since I’ve been in Canada that there is a big hype about Vitamin D here. It’s strange because in Brisbane where I’m from there is so much sun and so much UV that we’re scaed of the sun! And really with my fair skin I only need to be outside in the Australian sun for 2 seconds to get my vit D.
Hi Fran,
I started taking a highly regarded vitamin, mineral and anti-oxidant supplement over 12mths ago. I have found it hasn’t improved my skin at all, although I haven’t been sick once with the cold or flu since taking them, so that’s a bonus.
Interestingly, I recently started taking medication that reduces the levels of Oestrogen in my body - that has caused major breakouts in places I haven’t had acne since high school!
I don’t think multivitamins are usually necessary and I think they discourage people from eating well and trying to get vitamins from their actual diet as they should. Most vitamins like A, C, etc. are very easy to get your daily requirement of through food - just eat half a carrot and an orange.
The only one that’s pretty much impossible is Vitamin E (which of course is so important for skin). Not many commonly eaten foods are rich in E. Those that are have too high of a fat content (like wheat germ oil, or surprisingly almonds). That’s why I bought a Vitamin E supplement recently. But I think I’ll try to get most of my vitamins from diet… and maybe take a multivitamin a few times a week to get what I may be missing.
Also I’ve heard some multivitamins are too high in Iodine and that can aggravate acne.
Yeah Ana that’s what I thought too until I watched that Food Matters documentary. It makes sense though, that we SHOULD be able to get all the vitamins and minerals from our food but we can’t always control the quality of the food we’re eating. If I ate at home every day, and ate only farm fresh organic foods, then I’ll have a good chance of getting what I need. But that’s just not possible on a daily basis. If I eat out I’m eating non-organic food that’s likely depleted in essential vitamins and minerals. Minerals especially seem to be a big one, because we need to rely on the quality of the soil that the food was grown in.
If you’re worried about iodine you can read the listing of added vitamins and minerals and choose one that does not contain added iodine or a lot of it. My multi does contain a small amount of iodine but taking it hasn’t aggravated my skin. Actually my skin is healthier.
Hmm, I guess it’s really complicated
Hi Fran,
Welcome to Toronto!
I agree with taking vitamins for the skin. I have always taken a multivitamin (well most of the time). The one I prefer is called “Progressive” and you need to take them two or three times a day. This way your body gets a controlled amount throughout the day, otherwise the excess just gets sloughed out. The problem is remembering to take them 2-3 times a day!
I have also recently been taking a pill called “Perfect Skin” by Genuine Health, which contains fish oils, green tea extract, zinc, selenium and chromium. I have been getting compliments on my skin, not only because it is clear but also just looking hydrated and smooth
- finally happy with my skin at age 46!
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