hydrates, a macronutrient. Fatigue, excess blood loss and the habit of
chewing on ice may indicate the need for iron, a micronutrient.
Unfortunately, many people are led to believe they need a dietary
supplement through other unreliable means — advertising, newspa-
per and magazine articles, a next-door neighbor (“it works for me!”).
If you determine that you do need to supplement for a particular
nutrient, there are several things to consider. The fact that a dietary
supplement contains nutrients does not mean it’s natural, or even
safe. The vitamins in most dietary supplements, for example, are syn-
thetic. And, research is showing that many forms of dietary supple-
ments are dangerous.
Beware of HSAIDS
First, most dietary supplements on the market do not provide vita-
mins and minerals as they naturally occur in real food. Although
these supplements may be labeled “natural,” their vitamins are typi-
cally synthetic. And, they often provide doses much higher than
foods in nature, isolated from other key parts of the food complex in
which they would occur naturally. Specifically, these high-dose, syn-
thetic and isolated supplements usually don’t contain important asso-
ciated phytonutrients found in real foods. I call these supplements
HSAIDS, which stands for “High-Dose Synthetic and Isolated Dietary
Supplements.” When consumed, HSAIDS act more like drugs than
like food, thus the first major difference between HSAIDS and truly
natural nutrients from foods.
HSAIDS are not necessarily bad, although some can be dead-
ly, but they’re not what most people think they are — equivalent to
the same nutrient counterpart in food. The most important nutrients
are those contained in foods, and if you supplement, products made
from food are the best and safest choice. In some instances, such as
with the careful direction of a health-care practitioner who has expert-
ise in nutrition, HSAIDS may be required. In this case, it may be for a
relatively short period of time to correct a specific condition, such as
anemia. Others may have long term needs or require a very high dose
of a particular nutrient, such as folic acid, to address a genetic prob-
lem. While these issues are not that uncommon, they are the excep-
tions. Most people do not need HSAIDS.
130 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH