For all your requirements of 'NUTRILITE' products  -------------------------------------------------------------  There is a common misconception that you can obtain all the nutrients and minerals you need from a balanced diet, like the one suggested by the food pyramid.  This belief would seem to contradict the view of the learned scholars of Harvard University, who now recommend that a multi-vitamin be added to the food pyramid. The original pyramid, which contained guidelines on foods and quantities to eat, was designed to help nations obtain the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of nutrients to prevent disease for "practically all healthy persons based on the average man or woman".  The RDA guideline is like lowest common denominator nutrition. To compound matters, only a handful of the population actually eat the recommended five servings of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables.  Indeed, Donald Rudin, author of The Omega- 3 Phenomenon, claims that evidence indicates that long-term nutrient deficiencies may be associated with the development of degenerative diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.  The use of fertilizers and pesticides, acid rain, over-farming and erosion have depleted beneficial nutrients like zinc, magnesium, chromium, selenium and the B vitamins from the soil.  This can lead to an increase in nutritional deficiencies, especially in pregnant women, the elderly, alcoholics and those who exercise regularly.  These deficiencies can affect the way our body functions and the way our hormones interact.  A deficiency of zinc can reduce your testosterone production, which is needed to help build muscle to burn fat, whilst a magnesium deficiency reduces our ability to relax our heart and our muscles.  Our food intake, cooking methods and diets have changed in the last 20 years. An increased calorific intake has seen people obtain 80pc of their carbohydrates in the form of white refined flours and sugars. These nutrient-depleted foods have a higher requirement of vitamins and minerals to process them than we actually obtain from eating them. That is why they are often referred to as anti-nutrients.  Since the average person can put away 150-200lbs of sugar a year, these changes have resulted in depleted nutrient intake, which means that we have had a corresponding increase in conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart conditions.  Our lifestyle changes, with dual-career households, dieting and skipping meals, led to the emergence of the supplement industry, whose goal was to supplement deficiencies in our bodies, thus improving function. The reality is we will not obtain all the nutrients we need from our diet.  The use of supplements, also known as micro-nutrients, are not magic pills for poor nutrition and lifestyle. Without an optimal diet, vitamins and supplements only serve as compensation at best.  Some people might be wary of taking supplements, but bear in mind that in 1992 the National Centre for Health Statistics found that 125,000 people died as a result of drugs prescribed by doctors, while 9,000 died as a result of food poisoning.  No one died that year due to the use of vitamin or mineral supplements.  Alcohol depletes B vitamins, zinc and magnesium; birth-control pills, along with over the counter medications, can increase the need for B6 beyond what the diet can supply.  Women and men on diets can expect to increase what is known as free-radical damage in the cells of the body. Optimal antioxidant levels found in fruits and vegetables are needed in great numbers to reduce the damage to the liver and other organs that can occur during weight loss.  The health of our population is changing, and it's not necessarily for the best. The questions you will have to ask yourself are, what raw materials will you purchase the next time you go to the supermarket?  --------------------------------------------------------------  For all your requirements of 'NUTRILITE' products