Author: Carrie Myers

Um yeah, of course you do!

(Did you really expect us to say you don’t?)

Okay, seriously, though… Yes, you want to be getting as much of your nutrition as possible through the foods you eat. But let’s face it, the typical “mom diet”—foraging off your kids’ plates—probably doesn’t score high in nutritive value. And even if you eat according to what the "experts" say you should be eating, there is still no guarantee that you’re getting the full amount of nutrients your body needs.

For example, research suggests that the longer produce is stored after it’s harvested, the more nutritional value it loses. This nutritional loss happens even faster when it’s not stored at ideal temperatures for that particular food.

Studies also suggest that the soil our fruits and veggies are grown in is slowly being depleted of vitamins and minerals. And since produce gets its nutritive value from what it’s grown in, the fruits and veggies we eat today might have fewer vitamins and minerals in them than the fruits and veggies our parents and grandparents ate.

We don’t give you this information to discourage you from eating fruits and vegetables! It’s actually a reason to eat more of them! And the positive reasons for eating produce far outweigh the negative ones, so keep eating those delicious, colorful plants as much as you can, and invest in a high-quality vitamin to bridge any nutrition gap that might exist from these other reasons.

Remember, vitamin supplements should not replace eating. They are simply a little extra insurance to make sure you’re getting the nutrition you need, whether it’s a “five fruits and veggies” kind of day—or a “pick off my kids’ plates” kind of one.