Rationale: In order to be classified as a “vitamin” or “essential mineral”, many studies were conducted that showed that the lack of that vitamin or mineral resulted in disease or even death. The RDA is the minimum amount required to prevent disease, but may be less that the amount needed for optimal mental and physical health. Most people in the US consume less than the Required Daily Allowance (RDA) of one or more vitamins and minerals. For example, many women lack enough calcium and iron, leading to osteoporosis and anemia, respectively.
Explanation of Treatment:
Vitamins and minerals are available in vegetables, fruits, meat, and other sources. However, the typical U.S. diet is lacking in key vitamins and minerals, so many people need to take a supplement.
Juicing: One option is to use a juicer to make fresh vegetable/fruit juice, and storing it for up to a few days in an airtight glass container. Fresh vegetable/fruit juice is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Commercial juices are “pasteurized” or heated to destroy bacteria, which also causes a loss of some nutrients. Grinding vegetables/fruit one time provides only about half of the original vitamins/minerals, so after the first juicing it is useful to soak the pulp for about 15 minutes in a small amount of pure water (about 10% of the amount of liquid initially squeezed out), and then grind the pulp again – this will yield most of the remaining vitamins/minerals. The only small disadvantage to juicing is a loss of insoluble fiber, but the soluble fiber remains, and that is the most important fiber. However, the advantage of juicing is that it is often a very easy and tasteful way to get healthy nutrients into children who don’t eat fruits/vegetables. Some of the healthiest vegetables to use include cabbage, spinach, carrots, broccoli, parsley, oregano, mixed with a small amount of fresh fruit for flavor and other nutrients. Organic vegetables and fruits are preferred, as they have a higher amount of vitamins and minerals and less toxic pesticides. 8 ounces/day should be enough for most children and adults, depending on their intake of other vegetables and fruits.
Supplements: Vitamin/mineral supplements are largely unregulated, and some supplements do not contain what they claim, or use forms that are poorly absorbed. Some companies choose to participate in the Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP) of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) - that program verifies that the contents of the supplement match the label.
• Also, most supplements do not contain all the essential vitamins and minerals, or do not contain enough of them.
• Several good choices for broad-spectrum vitamin/mineral supplements include Kirkman’s Super Nu Thera (very high in vitamin B6), Kirkman’s Spectrum Complete, Brainchild’s Spectrum Support, and Awaken Nutrition. However, most of those supplements do not contain enough calcium, which is also very important to supplement, and they do not contain iron, which some children may need.
• Calcium supplements are especially important if a person is on a dairy-free diet.
• Iron supplements are needed by some typical children as well as children with autism, but should only be given if a test indicates a need, as too much iron can also be a problem.
• In general, nutritional supplements are a good way to boost key nutrients that may be lacking in the diet.
Testing:
Most vitamin and mineral levels can be tested using blood samples taken while fasting. Vitamin Diagnostics is one of very few companies that can measure the level of all vitamins. Several commercial labs can measure the level of most minerals, most of which can be measured reliably in Red Blood Cells (RBC). Calcium is best measured in the urine, preferably with a 24-hour urine collection. Some laboratories also offer functional assessments of the need for vitamins and minerals based on blood and/or urine testing.
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