Sometimes Joyful Hermit feels a little guilty that God has provided so much good in my life.  It is sad that there are so many people in the world who have not enough food to eat, or not the best types of food, or who are not educated in what is best to eat–let alone have vitamins and supplements.  Some people were never taught to take care of themselves, and others are born into impoverished homes in poor countries.

Nonetheless, our bodies are meant to be taken care of to the best of our abilities and means.  This includes diet, exercise and rest.  Joyful has been known to say, regarding the spiritual life, that every step we take is a step toward heaven or a step toward hell.  The other day JH heard a doctor say that whatever we put into our mouths is going to be either good for our bodies or bad.

As for cost effectiveness and aid to feeling the best we possibly can, eating healthy foods is the way to go.  For those with added ailments, not of their own choosing or doing, extra effort is well worth it in researching and consuming the foods, vitamins and supplements that are known to assist–even if slightly–our body’s ability to endure and even enjoy life.

A positive attitude is invaluable; but often attitude is governed by bodily well-being.  Pain up; attitude down.  Mind over matter only stretches so far.  Prayer is critical in all aspects of our lives, but God does love a cheerful giver.  This includes what we cheerfully give our body in improved chances for success in all decades of our lives.

As for vitamins, minerals and supplements, drugstores often offer a buy one, get one free deal.  Learn to read the little information panels as to daily dosage and amounts of ingredients, and compare that to cost per pill.  Pharmacists are there to advise; ask them!

Online sites can also provide good prices and quality in vitamins and health supplements.  Vitacost is one such entity, as is Drugstore.com.  Joyful has utilized Vitacost recently and shares the process.  They offered free shipping for over $49 in products.  The mg’s in each pill in most of the Vitacost items are slightly higher than the ones purchased at a local drugstore, on sale.  However, when the bottles arrived, JH noticed that the recommended daily servings were doubled.  Checking again with the B-complex in use,  for example, the Vitacost recommended dose was simply more than what is necessary.  Of course, they sell more that way; but do your reading and comparing or pay!  Vitacost sends numerous ad emails even when you checkmark not.  But Vitacost is still per price and mg’s, a very good deal.

One of our dear readers emailed that buying quality vitamins is worth it if the less expensive ones are not friable.  (Love that word; means can be easily broken down; fragile.)  Joyful Hermit immediately tested the sale vitamins by placing them in a glass of water overnight.  All dissolved, so they would be easily absorbed into the system.  But if not, just pound them with a pestle until they are dust.  Joyful might soak the little suckers overnight all the time because they went down very well with the morning glass of Green Glop.  Might it be a vitamin enhancer to take them partially decomposed for starters?

Regardless, Joyful Hermit is experiencing gradual, long-range help from taking such supplements as glucosamine chondroitin (joints), tumeric extract (body and brain), calcium (bones), B-complex (energy), D (energy, pain, mood), fish oil (heart and joints), magnesium (energy), and daily multi-vitamin.  Diet should provide what we need, but Joyful has fairly high level, constant pain, and it is seems wise, since God has so provided us with the luxury of these dietary aids and the ability to budget for them, to be grateful.

In the long run, keeping our bodies as healthy as possible by intermediary means is far less expensive than major medical costs later on.  Plus, God desires us to love life and to live it to the full, in health and holiness, in joy and love with upbeat spirits.  There are crosses enough that we are asked to bear, sooner or later.  And as we age, does it not seem wise to do our best with what we’ve got left?