On Wed, 1 Apr 1998, Wolfson440 wrote:

> Having been a suscriber to the Atkins list I've seen much debate on whether to
> take vitamins, the need for them etc. I finally understand now the true role
> of vitamins (or any other supplements). My conclusion is that vitamins are
> important in therapeutic doses to reverse the effects of years of poor diet,
> but after health is restored vitamins should not be needed if the proper diet
> is consumed. Or if a person has underlying health conditions that cannot be
> corrected by diet, then again vitamins can be used to help the body as a
> therapeutic element.

This is a perennial question.  Here's another factor to consider:
The food that we buy in stores is often far from fresh, even the
supposedly "fresh" produce.  The nutrients in these foods begin
to degrade immediately when they are picked, and that process is
accelerated when they are cooked.  So, unless one is picking
one's own vegetables and eating them immediately, one could be
losing substantial nutrients.  In fact, I heard a news item on
the radio this morning announcing that frozen vegetables are
generally more nutritious than fresh, for this very reason.  I
don't know how accurate that is, but it's worth thinking about.

Todd Moody
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