Vitamins

Vitamins are also known as supplements. Nowadays, one can get many types of vitamins as well as herbs in capsules or tablets from the pharmacies, clinics or even the supermarket. There are basically two types of vitamins : natural and synthetic. The latter is manufactured in laboratories whereas the former is extracted from natural sources. Supplements have become very popular since the last few decades both in the East and the West.

Although most physicians and specialists recommend the intake of vitamins only if the person is suffering from certain deficiency in his or her diet, it has become almost a trend for most people to consume vitamins on a regular basis. There is widespread belief that vitamins promote good health, aids in weight loss and improve complexion among others. There are others who believe that certain vitamins help prevent cancer and other dangerous diseases. 

The multibillionaire dollar vitamin industry is a rapidly expanding one as increasing number of people including children and teenagers consume vitamins to enhance their health and general well being. There is some truth tot he belief that vitamins form an essential part of a person's diet. This mainly springs from the fact that most of our food (except foods such as lettuce, fruits and juices) are cooked using heat and hence loses its properties. Not may of us eat salads and raw vegetables such as carrots, cauliflowers, broccoli and leafy vegetables. Hence, overcooking or even steaming these vegetables which employs extreme heat results in us eating food which have lost its nutritional content.

In addition, most of us also tend to eat more refined than complex carbohydrates. The former is more popular such as polished rice, pasta, white bread and others which have almost no nutritional benefits. Polishing is a process that strips carbohydram of fiber and other essential vitamins. Hence, vitamins provide these important elements that are missing in our diet. Unlike in the west, Asians generally do not consume much fresh vegetable or fruit juices and most of our drinks here are spiked with sugar. Many of us also tend to drink copious amounts of soft drinks which can cause diabetes and other health complications. Young people too tend to avoid or reduce vegetables and fruits in their diet, preferring junk food or fast food.

Hence, vitamins play a role in ensuring we maintain a balanced diet. Supplements provide the essential vitamins lacking in our meals due to our unhealthy eating habits.