Do I need to take so many pills…?
Dear Nancy,
I am a 24 year old grad student who runs 6 miles a day. I take many,
many vitamins each day, and am wondering if this is all a big hoax. I
follow what books and doctors have told me along the way and am just
trying to maintain my health. The pills are not only a hassle to take
but are also expensive.
Do I really need all of these? Cost/pill
1 Super-B complex (supposedly for energy) 10¢
1 Centrum Daily Multivitamin (because doc says so) 15¢
3 Citracal + D tablets (helps build bone) 45¢
1 Magnesium (helps absorb calcium) 35¢
2 Glucosamine-Chondroitin tabs (supposedly helps joints) 75¢
1 Conjugated Linoleic Acid (build muscle and lose fat?) 30¢
1 E (supposedly helps skin and nails) 7¢
2 Cinnamon tabs (supposedly helps blood sugar) 25¢
1 Flaxseed oil capsule (doctor said so) 6¢
1 Fish oil capsule (doctor said we need Omega 3) 10¢
Cost/day: $2.58
I try to eat well and exercise. A typical day looks like this:
Approximate Calories
BREAKFAST: packet oatmeal + an orange 200
RUN (after b’fast): 6 miles-5 days/wk; lift- 2/wk (-600)
SNACK (post-run): light string cheese + 20 almonds. 250
LUNCH: large salad, dry + can of tuna + 4 oz. yogurt 350
SNACK: Luna Bar 200
DINNER: large salad, dry + 2 Boca Burgers + cooked veg 400
I inevitably end up grazing in the afternoon and evening on goldfish
crackers, cookies, trail mix, hot cocoa, candy bars. Every night without
fail, I succumb to some sort of chocolate bar or frozen yogurt. Or both.
Writing all this down makes me feel like I eat too much... Help!!
Jessica
Dear Jessica,
You spend ~$75 per month on nutrients you could easily eat at meals.
Here’s my assessment:
At 5’4”, 120 lbs., and running 6 miles a day, your body requires
(believe it or not) about 2,400 calories. In about 1,500 wholesome
calories, you can consume the nutrients you need. In 2,400 calories, you
have the opportunity to consume even more nutrients and can eliminate
the pills.
To your detriment, your skimpy meals account for only 1,400 calories. No
wonder you graze a lot; you are hungry! To abate the snacking (and
cravings for sweets), experiment with eating about 600 calories of
wholesome food at four meals a day: breakfast, first lunch (10-11 a.m.),
second lunch (3-4 p.m), and dinner. Why just snack at 10:00 or 3:00 when
you are hungry enough to eat a whole meal? By changing your endless
grazing into an early lunch, then a second lunch (a sandwich? or
yogurt/granola/nuts?), you’ll boost your intake of the same
vitamins/minerals you now take as a supplement.
Why so many pills?
My question for you is: Why do you think you need to take so many pills?
My guess is you want to boost your energy. Assuming that is your case,
look instead at your eating patterns—not vitamin deficiencies—as
contributing to the low energy that results from under-eating in the
active part of your day. If you fuel your body better during the day,
you’ll eat less (dessert) at night, and will reduce the need for
supplements.
Here are some thoughts about the supplements you are taking:
• If you want to take a daily multivitamin for health insurance, that’s
your choice. But first read food labels. Your (highly fortified) Luna
Bar snack is a vitamin pill in itself! No need to duplicate.
• No need to take Super-B complex; you already get 100% of the
B-vitamins in the Luna Bar (and/or the multi-vitamin). While B-vitamins
help convert food into energy, I’ll bet your lack of energy is due to
lack of fuel, not vitamins. Note: women of childbearing age should have
a strong intake of the B-vitamin folic acid; it helps protect against
certain birth defects. It is in fortified foods like your instant
oatmeal and energy bar.
• The 3 Citracal + D tablets offers the recommended daily intake of
calcium (1,000 mg) plus vitamin D. You can get that same amount by
enjoying a lowfat calcium-rich food at 3 of your 4 daily meals. Simply
cook your oatmeal in 1 cup milk (300 mg Calcium), enjoy a lunchtime cup
of yogurt (300 mg Ca) and 8 oz. milk (300 mg Ca) with dinner. (The small
amount of calcium in other foods will provide the remaining 100 mg.) An
active woman can easily afford to spend 100 calories per meal on a
serving of lowfat calcium-rich food each day!
• Magnesium is already in the (fortified) Luna Bar, to say nothing of
foods like peanut butter, nuts, greens (and dark chocolate). Could you
add almonds to your oatmeal and enjoy a peanut butter sandwich for your
second lunch?
• More research is needed to determine if Glucosamine-Chondroitin tabs
will slow joint degeneration. Stay tuned.
• CLA is not the answer for fat loss. To lose fat, fuel more by day, and
then eat less dessert at night. Theoretically, eating 100 to 200
calories less at night can lead to 10 to 20 pounds of fat loss in a
year. CLA is also not the answer for building muscles; lifting weights
does that!
• Do you really think one single nutrient (E) can make your nails and
skin better? Your body needs the whole package of nutrients supplied by
a variety of wholesome foods. You can get vitamin E from almonds, peanut
butter, olive oil, soy milk, avocado—and your (fortified) Luna Bar.
• Cinnamon tabs might help stabilize blood glucose, but exercise does a
far better job. If you have swings in blood sugar, I’ll bet you have run
out of fuel. More breakfast and lunch is the solution, not cinnamon
tablets. Alternatively, you could put cinnamon in your oatmeal.
• Flax is a weak source of omega-3s; fish is more powerful in terms of
heart health. The American Heart Association recommends eating 8 ounces
of oily fish a week. (light tuna, salmon, sardines). The tuna you eat at
lunch does the job. Get hooked on fish, not pills!
What to do?
To get the vitmains and minerals your body needs, eat quality food; it
is the best source of nourishment for active people! To date, every
major medical organization recommends protecting your health with
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lowfat dairy, lean meats and plant
proteins—not pills. If you want help enhancing your intake of powerhouse
foods, go to www.SCANdpg.org and use the referral network to find a
board certified specialist in sports dietetics. The cost of the personal
consult will be far less than the ~ $1,000 per year you spend on pills!
One example of a nutrient-dense sports diet
This menu builds on what Jessica typically eats, but trades the
snack-calories into wholesome foods at substantial meals.
Breakfast (600 calories, divided pre- / post-exercise)
Approximate Calories
1 packet oatmeal 100
1 cup lowfat milk* 100 *cook oatmeal in milk
1 orange 100
Large apple 150
2 string cheeses 150
First lunch (600 calories)
Raw veggies (baby carrots, pepper) 50
2 slices hearty sandwich bread 200
1 can tuna 200 (limit to 2 cans/week)
2 Tbsp lite mayo 100
Second lunch (munched throughout the afternoon, as desired)
Luna Bar 200
Yogurt . lowfat 150
30 almonds 250
Dinner/pm snack
Large colorful salad 100
1/2 Tbsp Olive oil in dressing 50
2 Boca Burgers 200
bowl of cooked veggie 100
Hot cocoa made with milk 150
Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports
Dietetics) offers private consultations to casual and competitive
athletes in her practice at Healthworks, the premier fitness center in
Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Food
Guide for Marathoners, and Cyclist’s Food Guide are available via
www.nancyclarkrd.com. See also sportsnutritionworkshop.com.