Vitamin Supplements

Question 1

NUTRI-CASE: JUDY

“Every since my doctor put me on this crazy diet, I’ve been feeling hungry and exhausted. This morning I’m sitting in the lunch room on my break, and I actually doze off and start dreaming about food! Maureen, one of the girls I work with, comes in and has to wake me up! I told her what’s been going on with me, and she thinks I should start taking some B-vitamins so I stay healthy while I’m on the diet. She says B-vitamins are the most important because they give you energy. Maybe after work I’ll stop off at the drugstore and buy some. If the give you energy, maybe they’ll make it easier to stick to my diet, too.”

Is Judy’s coworker correct when she asserts that B-vitamins “give you energy”? Either way, do you think it’s likely that Judy needs to take B-vitamin supplements to ensure that she “stays healthy” while she is on her prescribed diet? Why or why not? Finally, could taking B-vitamins help Judy stick to her diet?

Question 2

Explore the provided CDC website CDC – Health literacy

and think about what health literacy is and why it is important in the context of nutrition and health on domestic and global level. May health illiteracy increase the risk of nutrition-related diseases? What is your suggestion to improve health literacy regarding nutrition?