Seniors, do you think vitamin supplements do any good?

No. Choose food over pills every time.

Vitamins In Food

These days, being an adult is no longer an excuse not to eat your vegetables. And if you're a pill-popping health buff, you probably know that food is still the best source of vitamins. So which foods should you stock on? Here are the different essential vitamins and the foods that are the best sources for each:

The Antioxidants

There are certain oxygen molecules that, when used by the body, become highly unstable free radicals. These free radicals are the result of oxidation and can damage healthy cells. Free radicals can either be produced by the body or by pollutants like smog and cigarette smoke. To counter the effects of free radicals, antioxidants like Vitamins A, C, E, K and beta-carotene must be taken daily.

Some of the richest sources of antioxidants are listed below:

Vitamin A (or its precursor, beta-carotene) - carrots, pumpkins, green leafy vegetables (the darker the green color, the better) like romaine and lettuce. It's also found in sweet potatoes, apricots, broccoli, spinach, squashes, grapefruit and cantaloupes. When choosing foods rich with this vitamin, pick those with the most intense colors.

Vitamin C - also known as ascorbic acid, is found in many citrus fruits like lemons and oranges. It's also found in tomatoes, strawberries, sweet potatoes, turnip greens and again, in broccoli and cantaloupe.

Vitamin E - olives, asparagus, corn, wheat germ, nuts, green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils.

Vitamin K - cereals, spinach, soybeans, cauliflower and cabbage.

The B Vitamins

B1 - often found in fortified food like cereals, pasta and breads. Also sourced from whole grains, fish, lean meat, peas, soybeans, dairy products and some fruits and vegetables.

B2 or riboflavin - milk, meat, liver, dark green vegetables, mushrooms, cereals and whole grains.

B3 or niacin - lean meats, poultry, fish, liver, dairy products, legumes, nuts and eggs. Also found in enriched cereals and breads.

Folate - green leafy vegetables and folate-fortified foods.

B12 - meat, poultry, eggs, liver, kidneys, shellfish and dairy products.

Biotin and Pantothenic acid - fish, eggs, dairy products, lean beef, whole-grain cereals, broccoli and cabbages.

Combining foods

There are certain foods that contain more than one vitamin and you can benefit from them significantly. One orange, for example, contains Vitamin C and folate and extras such as calcium, potassium and some phytochemicals. Milk contains calcium, Vitamins A, B2, B12 and D. It also contains calcium.

There are also certain foods that can be fortified with vitamins to add to their health-enhancing properties. These days, you'll find vitamin-fortified breads, cereals, pasta and rice. The availability of vitamins in food makes it nearly impossible not to have a good source of nutrients in your diet. To ensure you get all the necessary vitamins you need, eat a variety of foods from different food groups.

Cooking vitamins

There are many ways to kill vitamins and one effective way is to cook them in a lot of water. Water-soluble vitamins are especially vulnerable to hot liquid which is why many nutritionists recommend using very little water when cooking vegetables. Steaming and stir-frying are cooking methods that are often used to save valuable nutrients and keep them in the food.

Another way of making sure no vitamins are lost is to use the liquid you cooked with and turn it into gravy, sauce or use it for soups. As for fat-soluble vitamins, cooking doesn't affect them as much.

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If our food was grown naturally and eaten quickly after harvesting without processing we would probably get enough nutrients. Too many decades of animals being raised indoors and food being grown on depleted soils supplemented with ammonium nitrate for fertilizer instead of compost. Chronic stress takes nutrients such as B-vitamins from our bodies too, and coffee can leach iron, and illnesses and medications such as diuretics can also wash away nutrients, pollutants such as second-hand smoke also creates a need for extra anti-oxidants. I have read that people use start taking a simple one-a-day vitamin in their late 20's have longer telomeres (which are used to measure aging in humans) than those who don't take them so there is something beneficial.

Every day, I take 1000mg of B50 tablets, 1000mg of Vitamin C and 1000mg of magnesium, and 2 fish oil tablets. This is in addition to one tablet of Norvasc, Simvastatin, and Fenofibrate for my blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. One year ago, my numbers were off the charts, and now they are actually pretty close to the "low end" of the norm. In addition, I have lost 50 lbs or more, and my back feels much better, my bowels are back to normal, I'm now eating right, and have allot less stomach gas (which the people at work like).

Both hubby and I do. I take a multivitamin as well as vitamin D and Omega -3 fish oil. My doctor suggested I take these. I have a varied diet and these vitamins help me. If only I could get rid of my depression without having to take meds for it. It will never happen. Poppy

Don't get me started.I'm a firm believer in supplements.I have not taken a prescription medication in more than 30 years.

When I know salty food will be eaten I take a potassium tablet which absorbs the salt.The book I'm going to suggest is one I read several years ago and is less than 100 pages.You can get this in the health section of any book chain.This will be the best 5.00 you can spend

I'm beginning to wonder. In the past ten days I quit taking the supplements because with the prescription medications I need I felt like I was chocking down to many pills. I'm going to take a wait and see approach

The only med I take is for my thyroid and I do take tons of vitamins and lay off the vitamins on the weekends so not to overdose myself with too much vitamins.. and of course the food I eat has vitamins in it too..By doctor order is to take my vitamins...=)

I was ordered by my doctor to take them. Otherwise I will have a low blood count in a hurry. I did start taking them, but don't take one every day. I take two a day and feel better for it. I use the ones for seniors.

yes. Too many of the foods we eat are over refined. Even if we try to eat healthy the hustle and bustle of life makes it too easy to grab convenience food such as frozen meals or a burger.

Generally not, unless prescribed by a doctor.

The human race survived millions of years without extra vitamins in a bottle.

Enough is enough. More than enough the body disposes of. What cannot be disposed of may actually be harmful.