Live Smart: Health and Safety Activities for Youth Clubs

Bulletin 907

Supplementing Your Diet

YOU WILL TEACH CLUB MEMBERS

What a supplement is. How to get vitamins and minerals from their diets.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

If possible, obtain Food Guide Pyramid handouts from your local Extension office. Otherwise, a simple drawing of the Food Guide Pyramid on construction paper is needed.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Ask club members: What do you think of when you hear the word "supplement"?

Tell club members: Supplements are more than just daily vitamins. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines a supplement as " . . . any product taken by mouth that contains a 'dietary ingredient' and its label clearly states that it is a dietary supplement." So, in short, dietary supplements may be vitamins, minerals, herbs, protein, and many other substances.

Ask club members: How many of you take a daily vitamin or another kind of supplement?

Tell club members: Those of you who take vitamins and other supplements are not alone. The use of dietary supplements is a growing practice. According to a 1993 Newsweek poll, seven out of 10 Americans occasionally take supplements. With more than 3,400 different products in various stores, this is a very large industry.

Ask club members: Why do you take daily vitamins? Why do you think other people take supplements?

Most members will probably say that vitamins are taken to stay healthy. Possibly they are taken to improve a health condition or keep from developing one.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?

Ask club members: Medical sources tend to agree that if you are eating the right foods, you probably don't need to take dietary supplements. But, how do you know if you are getting the right foods?
Answer: The RDA, or Recommended Daily Allowance, is the best indicator of whether or not you are getting the right foods. The RDA is broken down into age groups according to gender. For example, there is a group for Males age 14 - 18 and another group for girls age 14 - 18. Each group lists the specific amount of each vitamin and mineral you need to take in on a daily basis. Fortunately, rather than having to refer to this rather long, complicated list, the RDA has been incorporated into a very useful tool called the Food Guide Pyramid.

Hand out copies of the Food Guide Pyramid to club members, or simply hang a piece of construction paper with a simplified Food Guide Pyramid drawing.

Tell club members: Note how the Pyramid is broken down into five main groups. Each of these groups adds very important nutrients to your diet. You can compare what you eat every day to the five groups represented. Aim to get the number of servings recommended for each group! If you are able to do this, you will take in most of the vitamins, minerals, protein, and energy that you need. More importantly, it will be in a form that your body can easily use!

Ask club members: If most people can meet their dietary needs by eating foods from the groups on the Food Guide Pyramid, then who needs supplements?
Answer: Some people have lifestyles and diet patterns that prevent them from meeting all of the recommendations. People with hectic lifestyles usually don't eat much or tend to eat irregularly. Vegetarians, as well as other individuals who can't or won't eat dairy products, might want to consider a dietary supplement. Before choosing a supplement, talk it over with your doctor or dietitian.

Ask club members: For daily use, do you think it is better to take a supplement that contains one specific nutrient, or is it better to take a supplement with many different nutrients, sometimes called a multi-vitamin?
Answer: While in some cases a specific nutrient, such as calcium, might be taken, in general, it is better to take a multi-vitamin. Keep in mind that too much of a good thing can have bad consequences. Even small amounts of some vitamins can be toxic. This means that they can make you sick and maybe even cause death. While it is not likely that this will happen when you are getting your nutrients from food sources only, it could happen if you are trying to get a day's worth of nutrients from a single pill! Also, when you take in a lot of one nutrient, chances are you won't be able to take in as much of another.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Members may want to keep track of what they are eating and compare it to the suggestions made by the Food Guide Pyramid. Especially aim to get at least the minimum number of suggested servings for fruits and vegetables!

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