If all of the above does not apply to your lifestyle, you NEED nutritional supplements. Why? There are a multitude of reasons. Most of us know and realize that our dietary intake is not very complete and is not as good as it should be. That is no longer a very big secret. It used to be thought that the government and the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA's) or now the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI's) for vitamins and minerals would fulfill what our body needs for optimum health and nutrition. Some experts joke that to strive for ordinary poor health, follow the RDIs, which are figures touted by government officials as the amount of vitamins and minerals necessary to prevent common deficiency diseases such as scurvy and rickets. 

If you want optimum health, aim higher - ten to two hundred times higher than the RDAs. One of the most obvious reasons why there is a need for nutritional supplements is an inadequate dietary intake. For many people, breakfast may be little more than a cup of coffee and a doughnut. The amount of nutritional value in a cup of coffee and a doughnut is almost worse that skipping breakfast totally. Fast disappearing is the notion that food can give you everything you need for good health and nutrition. Dr. Linus Pauling, a two time Nobel Prize recipient, calls vitamin supplements a technological advance that can usher in a new era of optimal health, not merely survival. Vitamin megadoses can prime the body's cells to perform at their genetic peak of efficiency, he argued, slowing the aging process and minimizing degenerative diseases. 

As we age, our digestive capacity seems to decrease. It is not known why, but it is an enzymatic process that occurs in the stomach and the small intestine, and that enzymatic capacity decreases and our body's ability to uptake the nourishment from the food we eat decreases as we get older. That is a problem we all face as we get older. Nutritional supplements are certainly helpful for the reduced digestive capacity as we age. 

Enhancement of Detoxification. Detoxification is a word that the toxicologists or the bio-chemists uses as a "catch all" phrase to describe the chemistry that goes on in the body to rid ourselves of waste products, toxins and unwanted things. It is not just poisons in the environment that detoxification chemistry has to work against. When we eat food, we eat carbohydrates, which are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, that is why they are called carbohydrates. We also eat proteins which contain nitrogen, which in the body forms small amounts of ammonia as a waste product. Ammonia is very toxic, and because of this, there is a small amount of ammonia in our cells and bloodstream everyday, that is a fact of life. The detoxification chemistry that occurs in the liver, turns that ammonia into a non-toxic form of nitrogen called urea. That is detoxification chemistry. Detoxification chemistry in the body consumes more than half the energy that we derive from the food that we eat. Detoxification is the "housekeeping chore" of the body can consume as much as half of the nutrient energy that we take in from food to run that chemical engine. 

Enhancement of antioxidant capacity. Some scientists think we simply need more antioxidant vitamins and minerals to stay even with the aging process because we are exposed to increased barrages from the polluted environment, including pesticides, radiation from nuclear energy, auto exhaust smog, fat and chemical-loaded processed foods, all of which step up the free radical attacks on our bodies and thus cause us to age prematurely. In this new self-created hazardous landscape or "unnatural environment", we require "heroic countermeasures" in the form of antioxidant vitamins and minerals to boost our biological defenses and survival odds, say vitamin C expert Emanuel Cheraskin, M.D., emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Alabama. This is not to fault nature for deliberately short-changing us. 

Maybe nature didn't foresee the hazards that modern civilization would bring. Multiple antioxidants are very important and should be balanced in our body since we have more exposure to free radicals now than ever and nutritional supplements can help to enhance the capacity of antioxidants. 

Stress, limited rest and sleep is another reason to take nutritional supplements. Stress and sleep deprivation can have a depleting effect on some of the essential nutrients. An example of this is magnesium. When the body is under stress, magnesium comes out of the cells and into the bloodstream, which then deposits that excess magnesium into the urine and is discharged from the body. The stressed body has now depleted its magnesium supply, and this can result in irritability, lack of sleep, lack of energy, and even mental depression. 

Mal-absorption and food intolerance's. There are certainly many people that have intolerance to milk, dairy products in general, gluten or wheat products, etc. These people need nutritional supplements to bolster their nutritional status when they can't eat these types of nutritious foods. 

Exposure to viruses, flu and colds. Certainly watching the diet is extremely important when you begin to feel the effects coming on from a cold or the flu. There are certain nutrients than can help make life more pleasant when you feel these familiar symptoms. Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Zinc, lots of liquids and fresh juice drinks just to name a few. 

There are many nutritional strategies than can be taken for certain family history conditions. If a person has a family history of heart disease for example, there are many nutritional products available that support the cardiovascular system. If a person has a family history of cancer, there is very strong literature on the protective nature of selenium in preventing the occurrence of cancer. 

Specific therapeutic purposes depending on your individual health needs. The Nutritional Department at the Nutrition for Life International World Headquarters, offers certified nutritional regimens specifically designed for each individual. By simply filling out a one page health profile, a certified nutritionist will recommend a nutritional regimen at no cost to the consumer. 

There are four pillars that support the theory and practice of high quality nutritional supplements. 

Bio-Availability - Which means the body can absorb and fully utilize the value of the supplement. Nutrition for Life tests all supplements in a machine that simulates stomach acids and movements for accuracy. This test ensures every supplement dissolves within a thirty minute time frame. This is the most desirable amount of time necessary for absorption into the intestinal tract and throughout the body. 

Purity - The supplement is free of contaminates, herbicides, pesticides, additives, artificial dyes and flavors, fragrances, binders and fillers. Every nutritional supplement that Nutrition for Life produces has a certificate of analysis for each ingredient that states that the supplement has been tested for purity and passed these strict guidelines. 

Completeness and Compatibility - Vitamins need to be balance according to human need. The body needs more folic acid than Vitamin B-12. We need more Vitamin B-1 than Vitamin B-2. Balancing the vitamins are important. There are certain nutrients that they body cannot do without, but too much of a certain nutrient can create problems. Balancing the nutrients at certain levels are paid great attention to at Nutrition for Life. All of the ingredients in Nutrition for Life products work together to provide assistance to each other in a compatible and completely balanced state. 

Safety - Supplements that have been fully tested, documented and proven. Nutrition for Life also provides a complete disclosure label on every product. 

It may cost a little bit more money to formulate a supplement according to these guidelines, but these are the four most important factors of Nutrition for Life products. Just do an ingredient comparison from a Nutrition for Life ingredient list to see the quality difference. And all Nutrition for Life products come with a satisfaction money back guarantee. 

The case for taking vitamins and minerals grows so persuasive that not taking them is an invitation to reckless aging and premature death. Numerous studies show that people who take vitamins delay the onset and severity of aging diseases. 

People who take vitamins, especially vitamin C and vitamin E, live several years longer than people who don't. 

Faltering immune systems as you age can be rejuvenated by taking vitamins, sometimes a simple multiple vitamin. 

Heart disease victims have comparatively low blood and tissue levels of dietary antioxidants, including vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene (vitamin A) and selenium. 

Those most susceptible to cancer also have comparatively low blood and tissue levels of dietary antioxidants, including vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene (vitamin A) and selenium. 

A deficiency in B vitamins can trigger senility, artery damage, heart attack, and some cancers; replenishing the vitamins often prevents or remedies these problems. 

90% of Americans are deficient in chromium, and even a marginal chromium deficiency can precipitate a midlife slide into diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

Calcium and vitamin D supplements after a year can dramatically prevent broken bones even in eighty-year olds. 

Regularly taking any type of vitamin slashes odds of common skin cancer 70 percent, Johns Hopkins investigators reports. 

Regular vitamin takers have a 27 percent lower risk of developing cataracts, say Harvard Researchers. 

It has been proven at UCLA that every person who does not supplement their diet with quality supplements is deficient in at least 10 nutrients. It is also proven that even borderline deficiencies over time will result is a deficiency that will develop an illness that can lead to a life threatening disease or illness. 

Indeed, the accumulating evidence is staggering. Wearing a seat belt while driving your car doesn't give you a license to drive recklessly, it just protects you in case of an accident. Vitamin supplements work the same way: they don't give you a license to eat poorly and otherwise abuse your health, but provide an added cushion of protection. - Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, Tufts University.