A vitamin a day keeps the doctor away.
 

Hey guys, this is kind of an obvious tip, but I just thought I would share anyway in case someone is forgetting to take a good multi-vitamin. Numerous times of roughing it on the road has led to me feeling sick but after taking my vitamin I normally feel better a short time later.

I only take one when I feel sick but it is probably a better idea to just take one every day anyway.

Actually a recent study in Denmark (I think it was) showed that taking vitamins does nothing to prolong life or well being.... pure marketing and placebo effect . Best is to just eat healthily , cheaper and better for you however I can get you a deal on some Viagra if you want - just send me your email and I'll make sure you receive plenty of great offers :D

Yes, it may be a placebo effect
 

I'm getting the same Viagra spam mail just about every day :rolleyes2:.


GatoG,
The UK press has been saying recently that excessive vitamin pills can kill you - take it easy on the pills as well as with the gun toting cops?
Scary life we are all living, especially when reading all the facts in the press etc.

Good travels,

mip mip
 

if you're eating a balanced diet then there's no need for vitamins but if you're roughing it on the road and not eating properly then they're beneficial. in any case a vitamin tablet a day isn't going to hurt you.

I suspect there are plenty of good (and bad) ideas amongst the people here about buying food, cooking it outside and eating the stuff, though I couldn't find anything when I did a quick search - the nearest thing being a 'best stove' thread. Is it all just noodles?:(

fattony is right - if you are getting your "essential" vitamins through diet as
the vast majority of us are, the rest just turns your urine fluorescent. Fun but useless.

That's what I love about medicine...just attach the word "natural", forget the science and rack up the cash without fear of being sued.

Mind you, the placebo effect is scientifically proven to work. It's all in the mind.

It's all noodles and rice :-)

Get plenty of slow release starch - throw in some protein in the form of some salami or similar (which should also provide you with the ever important salts) and then make sure you eat something green ;-)

As you ride along, make a point of eating at least one (large) piece of fruit a day - very easy to get on the road, exceptionally cheap and much better for you than a pill. I try to get something fruity down my neck around 4pm when I seem to have a natural 'low' - the sugars, fiber and vitamins do wonders to perk you up.

This body takes a lot of maintenance, and I make sure I pay attention to what goes down my throat!

m

I'm currently studying nutritional therapy and this is an area of interest. To be honest it's best to seek advice even with vitamins - like everything else you get what you pay for and tub of vit C from a supermarket brand can be very different from another brand designed for theraputic use - yes they contain vitamin C but it's the binders, formers used, how it's made and designed to deliver the vitamin that counts.

There's been some reports in the press about how taking vits and stuff can be bad but as with everything else try and do some background research before you're swayed about this being true or not. Indeed some recent papers reviewing the effectiveness of antioxidants actually reviewed less than 9% of the available research to show these findings.

Remember the headline is never the whole story.

As has been said eating a varied and healthy diet is the best thing you can do to fuel your body however as with low grade fuel in the overlander low grade food will affect the running of your engine.

Be mindfull of where you are in the world as certain parts of this world we travel have to little or to much of a particular nutrient. Not so much of a problem short term of course but something to bear in mind. So this is an area where a good quality supplement may help.

And look at where your local fruit and veg is grown? Pollution can be a problem. Washing it before cooking it helps but think about where the water comes from too if it's from the river flowing past the ACME Chemical Plant there may not be much point....I know it sounds like I'm saying stay at home but I'm not :) (there's just as many things at home that can do you harm as abroad :))

We need to eat and eating local is best however all I'm saying is that you should think about what you fill your face with....

:)

Wild camping for the most part and hoping to use a lot of local produce bought along the way - taking advantage of local cafes too, etc. Personally, I love cooking. It should be interesting to see what a bit of imagination and a little effort turns up at the end of each day. I'm really looking forward to it.:cool4:

I like your 'fuel' analogy as it's so easy to think more of what we put in our engines than our own bodies.

I call it instant energy. Also a good idea to substitute an apple or something for coffee in the mornings - tough one that, as coffee does have that nice comforting effect when waking up, like bacon (mmmmm bacon). Boring, but it works and actually lasts longer.

Actually, it might be easier to eat healthily along the road, than it is at home(?) Might take along some decent vitamins though.