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Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and Minerals

Date: Jun 06 2008

Themes: Health

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

For every ailment, there’s a vitamin or mineral. Have a cold? Take some zinc. Can’t focus? Try some vitamin B.

supplements[/def] are a big industry. There’s no doubt they can do a lot of good. But there are so many, how do you know which ones you really need? Marni and Jason both fancy themselves vitamin experts.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Jason

Jason

Marni:  So, do you take a lot of vitamins?

Jason:  I take so many. I take so many supplements.

Marni:  Really? Do tell.

Jason:  I take garlic for my immune system. Calcium because I don’t eat a ton of dairy, really.

Marni:  Neither do I. That’s good.

Jason:  I take evening primrose oil…

Marni:  For what?

Jason:  ...which keeps my skin clear.

Marni:  It is good for that. I don’t know very many men who take that.

Jason:  Oh really? My mom is obsessed with this stuff so she’s always passing along some new supplement or vitamin. Do you take ‘em?

Marni:  I do. I take…I’ve sort of tried to pare down because for a while I felt like for a while I was like, “It’s a supplement. I want to take it!” which really isn’t very healthy for you.

Jason:  And you end up taking a handful of pills everyday.

Marni:  Yeah, and it gets a little cumbersome. But I have to say I’m kind of a secret closeted fan of Dr. Oz, he’s always on Oprah and he was talking about supplements and what you really should take and he recommends everyone take a multivitamin. So I do do that. And calcium and in conjunction with magnesium. But I think the main thing I keep hearing lately and I’ve been reading about is vitamin D because we’re so vitamin D deficient because…

Jason:  The sun…

Marni:  There’s no sun here! So I actually take fish oil. I feel like a 80-year-old woman, I’ve got my fish oil, you know. And it has vitamin D in it and it gets you all the omegas you’re supposed to get in your diet.

Jason:  Interesting. I often wonder though, when I’m taking all my supplements. I’m like, “How did people live before supplements?”

Marni:  Exactly!

Jason:  I mean, there had to be some way to get all this stuff without these pills.

Marni:  Right. Well that’s also why probably why people died at the age of 40 on the farm.

 

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Discussion

Jason takes a lot of vitamins. His mother sends them to him. He even takes evening primrose oil, which is normally only taken by women, because it keeps his skin clear.

Marni takes vitamins, too, but she’s trying to cut back. She’s afraid she’s taking too many pills and that it isn’t healthy.

She trusts a doctor she watches on TV who suggests everyone take a multivitamin and calcium and magnesium. She also takes vitamin D, which helps the body use calcium and which you absorb from sunlight. Since she lives in a rainy city, Marni doesn’t see much of the sun.

Even though he takes them, Jason thinks its strange to take so many vitamins since people lived just fine without them until recently. Marni points out that people didn’t used to live as long.

Do you take any dietary supplements?

 

Comments

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Mickey123

Mickey123

United States

I didn't  take supplements before when I didn't realize that was good for body's immune system. Now I think vitamins and minerals are improtant for health. Sometimes the things we eat in our daily don't include many vitamins and minerals we need and we feel weak when we are Vatiment or mineral deficient. Lacking of those we would lead us to the process of depression or sickness. Therefore we should take some multivitamins in our daily but not to take too many because it will damage your body system.. Just take a few of them.That will be good

 

07:32 PM Jun 07 2008 |

pugazhendhi

India

as faras iam concern good thoughts and deeds are  the two  importan VITAMINSwhich keep the MENANDWHOMEN healthy and peace . MEDITATION AND PHILOSHAPHY   are two importan minerals to get inner peace.   so pls dont take often vitamins and minerals pills  which willnot give permanent solution .

02:39 PM Jun 07 2008 |

abey_800

India

Yes, it is true that it is a very good business nowadays..but I am not really sure howmuch we are going to benifit by intaking multivitamins…it has to be naturally from the food according to what I read somewhere a few days back….article says that taking vitamin suppliments wouldnt make any effect in your body …neither positive ..nor negetive..

I dont know as I am not a doctor… but I am working in pharma co which deals with multivitamin tabs

06:35 AM Jun 07 2008 |

19891114

China

     well,i alway eat  fruits   and   drink     juices   ,   it    is   also   a   good  way    to    keep    us    fit  .   so    there   is  no  need   to    take    many  pills  .

12:48 AM Jun 07 2008 |

rose.arrows

Yemen

I'm with tintee from china , Good Food is better than pills . Fish , vegetabels ,fruits and sports also . All nature things are healthy than vitamins pills .

thanks

 

06:33 PM Jun 06 2008 |

Green Alice

Russian Federation

I keep forgetting taking vitamins. I've even put the pills on my dining table, but that didn't work! I wonder what vitamin I should take to improve my memory, hehe

04:59 PM Jun 06 2008 |

195854255

195854255

United States

I must admit that supplements are good and I used to take VB2 , VC and VD.  BUT I believe that a appropriate  diet and regular excises are more important for keeping healthy.

04:43 PM Jun 06 2008 |

maitrang88

maitrang88

Viet Nam

Vitamins and minerals are abundant in natural foods and fruits. If you have an ideal eating habit there's no need to take pills or supplements.

04:26 PM Jun 06 2008 |

Christoph07

Germany

I agree with Nellis absolutely. A lot of products have only one target: to get money from the consumer. I am seeking a pill to speak better english. When anybody have this – you will have a big market hereLaughing

04:11 PM Jun 06 2008 |

liruoshui

Bahrain

To keep health is not just take kinds of pills ,but to keep a healthy habit of living.

02:26 PM Jun 06 2008 |

nellis

nellis

Indonesia

Vitamin and minerals sometime are good but you can't consumption it too much it will be not  good for our body is better to eat a healthy food such us vegetables, fruit etc, those are come from natural planted, but

acknowledge about Vitamins and Minerals is good for people due to open their horizon, at last the story about Vitamin and Mineral is a good knowledge and is very interesting

01:56 PM Jun 06 2008 |

hoda61

hoda61

Morocco

keep work on

12:38 PM Jun 06 2008 |

hoda61

hoda61

Morocco

Nice lesson

thx, keep work on

12:38 PM Jun 06 2008 |

uaeladybird

Tanzania, United Republic Of

Multivitamin's supporter~

12:23 PM Jun 06 2008 |

Dafi

Dafi

Malaysia

i do not take any vitamins and minerals supplements cause i take a bunch of fruits,milk,vegetables and so on….hehe…i think is not good to take many supplements without doctor suggestion ..and for who do not take fruits,milk and vegetables maybe no time to buy,do not like eat em so better take vitamins and minerals supplements Laughing

12:03 PM Jun 06 2008 |

moons

Egypt

i take multivitamins pills as sometimes u dont get ur body needs from the food, buti think too many of it is obsession

11:41 AM Jun 06 2008 |

tintee

China

I usually take many different food ,as far as I know, The onion and legume are good for our body.I don't think it's healthy to take many pills .FOOD is the best for our body.

08:44 AM Jun 06 2008 |

lovelybutterfly001

China

I don't take any vitamins as i think i am very healthy and do not need them at all, although i heard that they are helpful. people who are less healthy could take these vitamins under the constructions of doctors.

08:38 AM Jun 06 2008 |

hands_1411

hands_1411

Viet Nam

It's great to take some extra vitamins when you feel like needing them. Actually, I don't usually use them as well as recommend them for health. As Jason said, there should be some other ways to get through health problems without taking pills. But after all, if the doctors give us some advise, just follow it.

08:30 AM Jun 06 2008 |

giska

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The

I don't take any vitamins because I think that I don't need it.

07:46 AM Jun 06 2008 |

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