Supplements cannot fix THIS...

Perhaps it is TV commercials, magazine ads, and other forms of advertising that somehow get us thinking that we can take a pill and it will magically make everything else go away.

We are told that we need to take a multivitamin, or fish oil, or CLA pills, or weight loss pills, or metabolism boosters, or...whatever.

Here is the thing: If you haven't refined your eating habits, then taking those supplements will be like pouring a bottle of water into a molded, algae filled, waste filled lake.

And here's the real kicker...when you clean up the lake, you won't need the bottle of clean water, figuratively speaking. When your eating habits are dialed in and you are doing the things listed below, you won't need to take any supplements because your vitamin, mineral, fatty acid needs will be met.

So here are 5 meals to eat, from breakfast to dinner, that would constitute a quality day.

1. Breakfast - 2 slices of whole grain toast, tablespoon of peanut butter, medium banana, glass of grapefruit juice/water (50/50).
2. Snack - 1/2 cup blueberries, small container of vanilla bean yogurt, cup of tea
   
3. Lunch - Small cup of minestrone soup, 5" turkey sub, water
4. Snack - apple slices + 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
5. Dinner - 4 oz salmon, 2 cups of romaine/spinach salad, 1/2 cup black beans
   

Indeed the amounts will vary based on your caloric needs, but the day listed above has plenty of fat, protein and carbohydrates, along with a variety of vitamins, minerals and anything else you could think to supplement your diet with.

Again, when you are eating a complete diet there is minimal, if any, need for supplements. Supplements are meant to supplement the diet. They are not meant to replace part of it.

So record your diet, write down how much, and how often you are eating. This will give you a more clearer picture of what you are eating and what you might be missing.