ICAMA

There are actually studies showing that people who religiously take vitamins every day live on average 5-10 years less than someone who does not. http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/are-vitamins-really-that-good-for-you-/... Whatever your body does not use, it will be excreted (if water soluble, B Vitamins, and C)or stored in your fat tissues (if fat soluble, Vitamins A,D,E,K) I was a biology major with a focus in nutrition and there is a lot not understood regarding vitamin metabolism. Many experts believe that you need the fiber in foods to help you absorb certain vitamins/minerals. Calcium is absorbed better in the presence of an acidic environment and vitamin D. I believe that the foods on this earth have all the nutrients we need. One stalk of broccoli contains 87% daily RDA of Vitamin A, 303% of RDA of Vitamin C, 11% of daily Calcium requirement. Go to http://www.nutritiondata.com to check out these facts on the diet Matia has us on. Unfortunately, I think the drug industry is big business that tries to use scare tactics to get us to buy into their products. I definitely understand your concern though. I had the same feelings as you when I started. NOw I look so much more healthy though. Anyhow, many IC patients bodies are so toxic that they are not able to properly metabolize vitamins, so until the body gets all of the junk out, vitamins might just be a waste? I would definitly purchase locally grown organic foods. This way they don't have to be picked prematurely and you aren't worried about conventional means. In my neighborhood there is a co-op that whole sells organic food in bulk to customers. Because it is such a large quantity, families usually pair up and split an order. Also, try to stir fry your veggies meaning that they still will be a bit hard when you eat them...just warmed through. Hope this helps.

Hi, I felt the same way when I started!!

But I sincerely believe that the best way to get nutrients is through whole, fresh foods and not supplementation. Going through this process with Matia has really opened my eyes to how we live and eat so differently than the way that we were evolutionarily adapted to live.

I recently joined a community supported agriculture (CSA) and I highly recommend to everyone going through this process to look and see if there are CSAs that you can join in your area. More info can be found here: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

 

The CSA group consists of members from the local community. We pool our money together and pay a local organic farm a flat fee to cover their yearly growing costs. The farmers pick the vegetables out of the ground on Thursday morning and deliver them to a community center on Thursday evening, where we come to pick up our shares. It's energy efficient and truly delicious. I paid $450 for the yearly share flat fee. I can't always eat all of the vegetbles or fruit in the weekly share, but they don't go to waste because my family eats the rest of it.

 

 

 

Matia has been my primary heath care provider for four years. Due to numerous other health problems along with my IC, I have been on the IC diet for the entire time. At first, I was extremely worried about not getting enough vitamins and minerals from my 'limited" diet. I have had my blood checked numerous times over the years and my levels are always perfect. More importantly, I do not feel or look undernourished. I dance, lift weights, hike and etc, have great muscle tone, maintain a steady weight have healthy skin, very hard nails, strong, shiny hair and bright eyes - all indications of proper nourishment. So I wouldn't worry. In fact, you'll probably feel better and more nourished after being on the diet than off the diet and on tons of supplements - I know I do!!!

I'm writing this again, since it didn't show up the first time. I totally understand your concern for nutrients, I used to think about this a lot and I used to take many supplements. For now, fresh, organic and locally grown produce is the best you can buy. Although the claims that our foods are not as nutritious as they used to be may be true, I believe that these facts are exaggerated by vitamin/supplements companies to influence us into buying their products. Be strong :) if they make you feel bad, they're probably not good for you, no matter how much they claim you need them. I think that the idea behind the diet is that we will include more and more veggies and foods gradually as we get better. And if you buy organic foods, you will be doing as much as you can for your body. What do you think?