Your body needs 70 essential trace minerals and around 15 other essential nutrients each day, and it should be able to get them from food – in a perfect world.

MODERN AGRICULTURE HAS STOLEN OUR NUTRIENTS

We know by now that our world is far from perfect. We need all the help we can get from daily supplements that can support the body with the critical vitamins and minerals missing in our food supply. Modern farming has robbed conventional foods of these 70 essential trace minerals with practices like over-farming and chemical fertilizer use, and essential nutrients can also be leached by the rain. Even our organic foods may not be safe. Once soil has become mineral-deficient, organic farming practices cannot offset the poor nutrient value in depleted soil. To make matters worse, any extra vitamins and minerals that may be available will be quickly lost when organic foods are not consumed within hours or when organic fruits and vegetables are cooked.

This global soil depletion is a growing problem without an end in sight. By most recent estimates, scientists from the University of Berkeley, California warn that our soil nutrients have become so depleted, and so fast, that it may not be possible to replenish them.1 The increasing nutritional deficit in our food supply could have devastating effects on our global population over the next century. According to researchers from Johannesburg’s Wits University, with findings published in the journal Science, great civilizations have fallen because dangerous levels of mineral depletion in the soil were not addressed. The same could be true for our modern world.2

“Cultivating soil continuously for too long destroys the bacteria which convert the organic matter into nutrients,” explains Professor Mary Scholes of Wits University.

HOW TO REPLACE WHAT IS MISSING

Until scientists and farmers come up with a long-lasting solution to address our dire need for environmental and food security, focusing on the creation of an agricultural soil ecosystem that can replenish vital nutrients, we are left with no choice but to supplement what is missing from our diet. At times like these, choosing a safe and effective multivitamin becomes even more important – to meet daily nutritional needs and to protect against the toxic effects of the cheap, synthetic multivitamins that have flooded the market.

Mass-marketed multivitamins are popular for a reason: They are cheaply made and sold at the lowest price point to turn the most profit for the manufacturer. And even those supplements sold in fancy packaging at higher prices may not be as pure and effective as they claim. In fact, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), a regulatory organization that reviews scientific health claims, denies roughly 80 per cent of supplement health claims out of the thousands submitted.3

When shopping for a supplement, consider this your family’s “dream” list of vital nutrients, known to form the most effective daily multivitamin and mineral supplement money can buy:

· Aloe Vera – May lower blood sugars when taken orally.
· Amino Acid Complex – Building blocks of the body, sources of energy, and precursors to enzymes and neurotransmitters needed to regulate almost all metabolic processes.
· Biotin – Critical coenzyme within the body (also called vitamin H or B7) needed to support metabolism and break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
· Boron (Sodium Borate) – A vital trace mineral that promotes healthy growth in the body, with benefits to reduce menopausal symptoms and improve calcium and magnesium absorption.
· Calcium – Essential to form the structure of cell membranes and nucleic acids and to support energy production, cell signaling, and bone m ineralization.
· Chloride Concentrate – Can be used to treat low blood levels of potassium.
· Choline Bitarate – The water-soluble B vitamin choline can help prevent neural tube defects during pregnancy, control asthma, lower cholesterol, and reduce cancer risk; bitarate enhances choline’s absorption rate.
· Chromium – Has been shown to lower haemoglobin A1C levels and stabilize blood sugar in those with prediabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes.
· Copper – Used to treat acne vulgaris, the common cold, hypertension, premature labor, the parasitic disease Leishmaniasis, and post-operative complications.
· Inositol – A compound found in many plants and animals that offers relief for diabetic nerve pain, panic disorder, high cholesterol, insomnia, cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, autism, psoriasis, and more.
· Iodine (Potassium Iodine) – A critical mineral that the body cannot produce, needed by all people to regulate thyroid function and to support healthy brain development during pregnancy.
· Ionic Trace Minerals – A group of elements with a positive or negative charge, required to support vital processes in the body.
· Magnesium – A critical mineral involved in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body, used for increasing energy and endurance, improving chest pain, lowering high blood pressure and high levels of “bad” cholesterol, and relieving symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
· Manganese – A mineral that plays an important role in supporting bone production and skin integrity, controlling blood sugar, and protecting against free radical damage.
· Molybdenum (Sodium) – A trace mineral and antioxidant needed to assist in the breakdown of proteins and sulfite toxins.
· Organic Seleniumethionine – A critical cofactor of iodine and trace element required to support normal thyroid function, healthy immune and heart function, and stable blood sugar levels, while protecting cells from oxidative stress.
· Phosphorous – A mineral essential to all living things that forms the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA and RNA; plays an important role in the energy transfer in cells as part of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
· Potassium – A critical mineral needed to support the body’s cells, kidneys, heart, muscles, and nerve function.
· Quatrefolic MTHFR (Folic Acid) – A B vitamin that assists Vitamin B12 in forming healthy red blood cells and can also reduce the risk of central nervous system defects, such as spina bifida in unborn babies. Quatrefolic MTHFR is superior to folic acid since it is the only form that can cross the blood-brain barrier.
· Vitamin A (Beta Carotene) – Precursor of Vitamin A needed by the body to produce healthy skin and mucus membranes, while supporting the immune system and eye health.
· Vitamin A (Palmitate) – A plant-derived carotenoid that can transform into retinol; plays an integral role in the body’s growth and bone development, needed to maintain skin health and eyesight.
· Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Mononitrate) – Can be used for digestive problems and supporting a positive mental attitude, with benefits for increasing energy, fighting stress, and preventing memory loss.
· Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) – Found in various foods, vitamin B2 can help to prevent riboflavin deficiency, cervical cancer, and migraine headaches.
· Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) – Used for preventing B3 deficiency and treating diabetes, along with various skin conditions. · Vitamin B5 (Calcium Pantothenate) – Can help to maintain a healthy digestive tract and enable the body to use other vitamins, particularly vitamin B2 (riboflavin).
· Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) – An immune-boosting vitamin that offers benefits for heart disease, such as reducing high cholesterol levels and blood levels of homocysteine, a chemical linked to heart disease.
· Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin) – Performs several important bodily functions, with a deficiency known to cause lack of energy, muscle weakness, extreme tiredness, depression, and memory problems.
· Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) – A water- soluble vitamin involved in the growth and repair of the body’s tissues; needed to help the body produce collagen, an important protein used to make skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.
· Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) – Can be taken as a supplement to improve overall health, with benefits to treat osteoporosis; can also help correct a common deficiency caused by lack of sun exposure or an imbalance, like an underactive parathyroid gland or low phosphate levels in the blood. · Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate) – The form of Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate that provides protection against free radicals and molecules that damage brain cells, tissues, and organs.
· Vitamin K (Phytonadione) – Man-made form of Vitamin K used to prevent bleeding when blood clotting issues are present and to correct vitamin K deficiency.
· Zinc (Zinc Oxide) – An essential trace element and known immune-booster vital to human health, with benefits to treat infection and the common cold, cataracts and macular degeneration, and high blood sugar and diabetes.

Remember, not all multivitamins are created equal, and the majority fall short. It is only when you understand what your body is missing – 70 essential daily nutrients – that you can choose the right supplement to nourish and protect your health.

Sources
1. R. Amundson, A. A. Berhe, J. W. Hopmans, C. Olson, A. E. Sztein, D. L. Sparks. Soil and human security in the 21st century. Science, 2015; 348 (6235): 1261071 DOI: 10.1126/ science.1261071.
2. M. C. Scholes, R. J. Scholes. Dust Unto Dust. Science, 2013; 342 (6158): 565 DOI: 10.1126/ science.1244579.
3. “Supplement health claims debunked.” Which?