I am really into fitness. Do I need to take protein supplements?

Raw Zucchini and Beetroot Salad with Lime Avocado Dressing

High-quality, whole, organic raw foods are bursting with nutrients. Be sure to consume foods in all the colours of the rainbow every day.

Serves 2 Ingredients:

• ½ a yellow zucchini, julienned
• ½ a green zucchini, julienned
• ½ a beetroot, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• ½ avocado, chopped
• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp lemongrass paste (lemongrass stalks ground to a fine paste), optional
• 1-2 tbsp lime avocado dressing
• A few walnuts, chopped, for the garnish

Method:

Place all the ingredients (except the walnuts) in a mixing bowl and toss gently. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped walnuts.

Serve chilled.

Food For The Mind

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Supplementation can be harmful

In nature, nutrients and minerals are available in different foods in balance. Having too much of a good thing can, in reality, be bad. If there is a deficiency, instead of supplementing, we should ask the question why do I have a deficiency and what should I change in my lifestyle to solve it? Resolving the root cause will help maintain the balance. Remember that high-quality, whole, organic raw foods are bursting with nutrients. Include green smoothies and salads in your meals every day.

Here are some reasons why unnecessary supplementation is harmful. 1. Excess is as harmful as lack Too much vitamin C can reduce the available vitamin B. Too much calcium can reduce iron absorption. People take large doses of vitamin B12 thinking that it’s a water-soluble vitamin and the excess will be flushed out. However, that is a load on the kidneys. We should never take doses that are more than the RDA (recommended daily allowance), but supplements often have really high doses. On the other hand, whole foods have these nutrients in balance with others.

2. Supplements may contain other ingredients The ingredients of the tablet, its capsule or filler, or the preservatives and colouring materials may all be unnecessary chemicals.

3. They are a load on the liver and kidneys The supplements and their ingredients are broken down by the liver and excreted by the kidneys. These are an unnecessary and avoidable load on these organs.

4. They prevent our bodies from working efficiently  Our bodies work to extract nutrients from our foods. If we always have an excess of them this process will stop working.

5. Supplements cost a lot It is better to spend money on good-quality, organic whole foods than on supplements.