THE MODERN MYTH OF THE BALANCED DIET

We hear it every day. I don't need to take vitamins. I eat a good, balanced diet.

While we are of course thrilled every time someone makes eating wholesome foods a priority, unfortunately, it's simply not enough. After all, a perfect diet - one that would provide all the exact amount of nutrients to optimize health and performance - is different for each person, each day, and has thus been completely undefined. And even if such a thing had been identified, it would be unattainable through modern food sources.

In truth, it would be easier to discuss the balanced diet if anyone knew what that was, but this nebulous phrase has never been scientifically defined. Indeed, there has never been a single clinical study documenting what that would include, nor demonstrating that it is possible to meet nutritional requirements through whole foods alone. Not to mention, it has never been identified how that diet would vary based on activity levels, geographic location, season, or any other countless features of our unique and individualized needs.

What studies do show, however, is that the modern food supply cannot provide all the micronutrients we need to prevent deficiencies (and their related health impacts), let alone achieve optimal health. Research also documents the drastic demineralization of soils (up to 90% declines in some cases), leading to nutritionally poor foods. Once nutrient-dense foods such as common fruits and vegetables now grown in industrialized soils contain just a fraction of the vitamins and minerals they once did.

These foods undergo further damage during harvest and production, then degradation during shipping and cooking. With this all combined, the picture becomes clear - a balanced diet will not meet your needs - even assuming food choices are quality from the start. When we consider the average American's overconsumption of processed and packaged foods, we see in a hurry why so many people suffer from poor health.

If you want to look, feel, and perform your best, the first step is always a diet dominated by nutrient-dense whole foods. But that alone will no longer suffice - supplementation has become a part of modern life.

For this reason, every person - regardless of age, activity level, or dietary habits - should be taking Premium Insurance Caps. This wide-ranging multivitamin and mineral complex offers a bountiful array of nutrients specifically formulated to fill in the gaps left by the modern diet. A few daily doses of 1-4 capsules are a surefire way to ensure that you have what you need to thrive.