The Health Honey

Arbonne Essentials..What Vitamins to Take, and How to Take Them……

What Vitamins to Take, and How to Take Them

Do you currently take a multivitamin?What vitamins to take is one of the most popular questions asked I’m glad people are asking this question, because there are two very important aspects to the answer… What vitamins to take, AND how to take them.

ARBONNE ESSENTIALS…..

What Vitamins to Take

According to a respected natural doctor, Dr. Joseph Mercola, “If you’re currently taking or considering taking a multivitamin with a recommended serving size of only one pill a day, you’re pretty much wasting your time.”

Furthermore, in order to make minerals absorbable by the body, they should be chelated, which means an amino acid is added to each molecule of the mineral. This greatly increases the size and weight of raw material, and hence the size of the pill! When choosing what vitamins to take, you should look for minerals that are chelated, such as gluconate and malate forms.

About the Recommended Daily Allowance

Just about every one-a-day formula out there meets the 100% of the US RDA for the primary vitamins A,C,D,E,K, and B complex. They typically supply 50% or less of the essential minerals recommended by the RDA.

It is important to note that except for a few exceptions, the RDA is the minimum amount of a vitamin or mineral required to prevent deficiency. This is an important distinction for many reasons. First, if you wish to obtain the therapeutic benefits of these nutrients, you will require more than a minimal dose, and second,people who are active require even more vitamin and mineral support than sedentary people do.

What Vitamins to Take – Examples Mineral Dosages

First, let’s talk about minerals. Several one-a-day formula completely leave out essential minerals, or only put useless trace amounts of them, into their formulas. Let’s start with the essentials:

Calcium

Calcium, along with Vitamin D3 provides the primary nutritional support for your skeletal system. Further, as we age, we require more and more calcium to maintain healthy bones.

According to a 2007 study performed by the US Department of Agriculture, the human body needs about 741 mg of calcium per day in order to maintain a neutral calcium balance, and more is needed for children. Of course this total should come from a combination of your multivitamin, and your diet. However, calcium isn’t toxic until well over 3 times that amount! So, why would a very popular one-a-day brand only put 162mg of calcium into their formula?

It is suggested, a vitamin should supply at least 50% of this amount of calcium to be effective.

Iodine

When choosing what vitamins to take daily, you should definitely include iodine, unless you are allergic. Iodine is a critical element used by the thyroid to make thyroid hormones. Without sufficient iodine in your diet, your thyroid can not operate at peak efficiency, and it can eventually lead to hypothyroidism, developmental brain disorders (in children), and severe goiter (swelling of the thyroid).

The US RDA of iodine is 150 mcg, which I believe is right on. According to several studies, both low iodine intake, and high iodine intake can cause hypothyroidism, with the lower limit being 120 mcg, and the upper being about 900 mcg.

Unfortunately, as more and more people move away from eating sea food, their primary source of iodine has been removed. This is why iodized table salt was created; frankly, getting your iodine from salt is a bad idea,s stick with sea salt! Anyhow, there is no reason to believe that a vitamin should contain 100% of the RDA of iodine, as the most you will get from your diet alone is about 300mcg.

Most one-a-day formulas do contain this level of iodine

Magnesium

Magnesium is utilized in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body! It is crucial in normal muscle and nerve function, regulation of heart rhythm, immune system function, and bone health!

The US RDA for magnesium is 400mg. However, there is no known toxic level of magnesium in the body. Taking too much might lead to upset stomach and diarrhea. Again, I believe any supplement should provide at least 50% of the RDA of magnesium.

Many one-a-day formulas contain 25% or less of the RDA of magnesium.

Selenium

Selenium is an essential trace mineral that is involved in many processes throughout the body! It is particularly present in the kidneys, spleen, liver, testes, and pancreas.

Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that fights against free radical damage within your cells. It is a powerful fighter of cancer in the prostate, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer.

Selenium also has been shown to improve your overall cholesterol ratios!

The US RDA of selenium is 70 mcg, however this recommendation is incredibly low. Selenium is not toxic until you get to 750 mcg! I believe a multivitamin should contain at least 100% of the US RDA of this trace mineral.

Most one-a-day formulas contain less than 33% of the RDA of selenium!

What Can Taking a Multivitamin Do for You?

Taking a high quality, well designed multivitamin can promote optimal health, a strong immune system, disease support, and an overall defense against a growing number of chronic diseases. While they are not a replacement for healthy nutrition and exercise, taking a daily vitamin is a proactive step toward maintaining and boosting good health an wellness.

Choosing What Vitamin To Take...

When I began researching which vitamins to take,  I had a very stringent set of criteria that had to be met:

They must go beyond the US RDA / RDI guidelines in order to provide therapeutic levels

They must contain only chelated minerals – Non chelated mineralssimply are not absorbable by the body, you will simply excrete them into the toilet!

They must contain a whole food antioxidant / phytonutrient blend whole foods contain phytonutrients that can not be replicated (yet) by science. While vitamin isolates have their place, who wouldn’t want the insurance of getting high quality whole food nutrition.

They must contain digestive enzymes and probiotics to support proper digestive health. It just makes good sense that if you’re trying to improve your health by ingesting supplemental vitamins and minerals, that you would want your body to be able to absorb them! If your digestive system is malfunctioning, or is unhealthy in anyway, it is doubtful you will receive the benefit of taking your vitamins!

Why Arbonne Essentials Daily Power Packs are the Best

With over 14 years in the supplement business, I have literally taken over 50 different brands of vitamins. I have spent many hours reading labels, researching the effects of each vitamin, mineral, and all of their different forms.

As I said earlier, many of these formulas come up short, or completely leave out key ingredients that are contained in Arbonne Essentials Daily Power Packs.

Remember, one of my primary criteria for a high potency multivitamin is for it to contain chelated essential minerals in a high enough dose to be therapeutic.

The Arbonne Essentials Daily Power Packs contain super high potency, chelated forms of calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, and chromium!

They also contain a very high quality form of iodine, called potassium iodide, which is very usable by the thyroid!

Arbonne Essentials Daily Power Packs Provide a Powerful Fruit, Vegetable, and Herb Based Antioxidant Blend

Another criteria I had was the formula must contain a whole food antioxidant / phytonutrient blend that promotes overall health. The Arbonne Essentials Daily Power Packs contain over 800 mg of super high potency natural fruits, vegetables, and herbs!

Nutrients	Health Benefit
Green Tea	Cardiovascular health Anti Cancer
Grape Seed	arterial health lowers LDL Cholesterol anti-inflammatory Anti-arthritic Brain function and concentration Skin elacticity
Cranberry	Digestive health Urinary health Cardiovascular health Tooth health / cavity prevention Anti Cancer Fights Stroke
Black Currant	Anti-inflammatory Anti-arthritic Anti-cancer
Pomegranate	Inhibit Prostate Cancer Improve cholesterol profile Cardiovascular health Anti-viral Anti-arthritic Aromatase inhibitor Kidney Health

Support For Digestive Health and Improved Bio-availability (nutrient absorption)

Every vitamin, mineral, and other nutrient in a vitamin pack must undergo several enzymatic processes in order for the body to properly use them. Therefore, a vitamin pack without digestive support from enzymes, and probiotics. However, all digestive enzymes and probiotics are not created equally. You see, enzymes and probiotics are live organisms! In order for the enzymes and probiotics to be beneficial, they must be able to survive the acids in your stomach in order to reach your intestines. There they can begin to assist your organs such as the pancreas and the liver by supplementing their enzyme production, and balancing digestive flora in the large intestine!

Arbonne Essentials Daily Power Packs take this one step further by including piperine in their vitamin and mineral formula. Piperine is an extract of black pepper that has shown the ability to greatly increase the bio-availability of vitamins and minerals.

How To Take Your Arbonne Vitamins...

Vitally important in receiving the maximum benefit from your multivitamin is when you take them! You should take the yellow vitamin first thing in the morning, upon rising. You should then take the 3 mineral pills and the green digestive support pill with your lunch or dinner in order to fortify your meal!