Natural Vitamins

[blubythebay]

What is the availability of vitamins in Chiang Mai, i.e. C,B, E, calcium and some minerals etc.?

[BambinA]

vitamin a-z =centrum

or eat vary food ...cheaper and yummier

[blubythebay]

vitamin a-z =centrum

or eat vary food ...cheaper and yummier

Do you mean vitamins A to Z are readily available or centrum is available?

[meadish_sweetball]

You can buy vitamin pills from the pharmacies. The Australian brand Blackmore seems popular. They are fairly expensive. I usually bring vitamins bought in Sweden because the price is lower there.

Just like Bambi says, the variety of food and produce in Chiang Mai, as in most of Thailand, makes it fully possible to eat a balanced diet without any need for vitamin supplements.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

You can buy vitamin pills from the pharmacies. The Australian brand Blackmore seems popular. They are fairly expensive. I usually bring vitamins bought in Sweden because the price is lower there.

Just like Bambi says, the variety of food and produce in Chiang Mai, as in most of Thailand, makes it fully possible to eat a balanced diet without any need for vitamin supplements.

its a good idea to take trace minerals in Thailand because the soils are very poor. Notice how root vegetables like carrots taste like cardboard? depleted soils. Even the fruits are very bland. I used to live on Hawaii with its volcanic soils and the tastes are night and day between the two places.

Good idea to get a periodic hair analysis also to see if your deficient. If you have lived here for a while and have not been supplementing minerals then I think you might be in for a surprise.

[vultureintree]

I have looked in many places that sell vitamins and minerals and obviously there is only one supplier to all of them as they all sell the same brands.

The calcium is crap as it is carbonate from crushed oyster shells. Do you know how long it takes your body to break down an oyster shell? The best source of calcium is from vegetables but that cannot be found in Chiang Mai to my knowledge.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

coral calcium has been shown to be very bio available and aklalizing. Its harvested from non living coral reefs. The good stuff comes from Japan but I have never seen it for sale here.

I am curious if anyone has found local sources of such supplements.

I just buy it in the states and have a friend send airmail.

I have found a number of difficult to find products here if anyone is interested.

I have been able to find

psyillium seed husks --- Rimping

bentonite clay (scientific grade) --- medical supply on Suthep road

activated carbon (food grade) --- Aden foods

liquid colloidal minerals -- small hair dressing shop near Nimmanhemin

if you have any sources then please share :-)

[chownah]

You can buy vitamin pills from the pharmacies. The Australian brand Blackmore seems popular. They are fairly expensive. I usually bring vitamins bought in Sweden because the price is lower there.

Just like Bambi says, the variety of food and produce in Chiang Mai, as in most of Thailand, makes it fully possible to eat a balanced diet without any need for vitamin supplements.

its a good idea to take trace minerals in Thailand because the soils are very poor. Notice how root vegetables like carrots taste like cardboard? depleted soils. Even the fruits are very bland. I used to live on Hawaii with its volcanic soils and the tastes are night and day between the two places.

Good idea to get a periodic hair analysis also to see if your deficient. If you have lived here for a while and have not been supplementing minerals then I think you might be in for a surprise.

Carrots grown in Thailand are low in flavor because the climate is too hot...good carrots requiere a cooler climate....and also too much water in the rainy season. I don't know where you've been getting your vegies and fruits but I would have to say that I have not shared your experiences (with taste defficiencies in produce) here in Thailand.....I DEFINITELY would not say that the soil in my garden is "poor".

I am interested in hearing more about the mineral deficiencies in Thai soils in general. Do you have any links for this type of information?..either from the soils side or from the public health side?

Chownah

[Abrasol]

After one year stay in CM, I've got a quite complete blood analyse. And well, it's as perfect as it can be. I think it depends also upon your body and general health, if you assimilate vitamins and minerals well.

Otherwise, vegetables, fruits and honey (from the mountains) should be great sources for both. Imported fruit or vegetable juices may be considered for missing minerals, (even canned seems OK for minerals only). V8, perhaps, or why not Clamato?

At Airport plaza at the G-Level is a small pharmacy and the manager seems to have good knowledge of supplementary alimentation and its qualities of assimilation. He speaks english quite well.

Edited August 30, 2006 by Abrasol

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

What kind of blood test did you get and where did you do this? I have never heard of a blood test being used to analyze the bodies mineral content. Was it live blood analysis?

V8 and Clamato are sodium(salt) bombs :-)

[naammanow]

I get my supplies from the US. Order via their websites and pay via c.card. Never had a problem re delivery etc. And, better quality, more choice and much cheaper than you can get here. By the way, Calcium Citrate is Ok and more easily being absorbed by the body (you can get it in Central Kad Suan Keaw)

[sabaijai]

You can buy vitamin pills from the pharmacies. The Australian brand Blackmore seems popular. They are fairly expensive. I usually bring vitamins bought in Sweden because the price is lower there.

Just like Bambi says, the variety of food and produce in Chiang Mai, as in most of Thailand, makes it fully possible to eat a balanced diet without any need for vitamin supplements.

its a good idea to take trace minerals in Thailand because the soils are very poor. Notice how root vegetables like carrots taste like cardboard? depleted soils. Even the fruits are very bland. I used to live on Hawaii with its volcanic soils and the tastes are night and day between the two places.

Good idea to get a periodic hair analysis also to see if your deficient. If you have lived here for a while and have not been supplementing minerals then I think you might be in for a surprise.

I used to live in Hawaii too and find that most of the fruits and vegetables here in Thailand taste better. I would imagine that soil quality varies from locale to locale in Thailand, just like anywhere else. The soil along the Mekong and its tributaries is extremely rich in nutrients, and I love the taste of vegetables grown in such soil.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

You can buy vitamin pills from the pharmacies. The Australian brand Blackmore seems popular. They are fairly expensive. I usually bring vitamins bought in Sweden because the price is lower there.

Just like Bambi says, the variety of food and produce in Chiang Mai, as in most of Thailand, makes it fully possible to eat a balanced diet without any need for vitamin supplements.

its a good idea to take trace minerals in Thailand because the soils are very poor. Notice how root vegetables like carrots taste like cardboard? depleted soils. Even the fruits are very bland. I used to live on Hawaii with its volcanic soils and the tastes are night and day between the two places.

Good idea to get a periodic hair analysis also to see if your deficient. If you have lived here for a while and have not been supplementing minerals then I think you might be in for a surprise.

I used to live in Hawaii too and find that most of the fruits and vegetables here in Thailand taste better. I would imagine that soil quality varies from locale to locale in Thailand, just like anywhere else. The soil along the Mekong and its tributaries is extremely rich in nutrients, and I love the taste of vegetables grown in such soil.

Mekong could be another story all together. I don't think they truck produce that far. I have to shop in CM and the produce I am finding is nothing like on the Big island or Kauai. Bananas here are really lame and pineapples plain suck. The white sugar pineapples of hawaii , no contest. Avacado's of hawaii are actually worth buying. Coconuts grow thick shells. I could go on and on. Lots of good stuff here which you cannot get there like cashew nuts and some of the exotic fruits like Durian or Dragon fruit. Being a vegetarian who mostly eats fruit this is a good place to live. Can't argue about the prices or availability but I just don't think the soil is that great.

I just resorted to buying an australian carrot at Tops and it tasted like a real carrot.

[Dustoff]

Mekong could be another story all together. I don't think they truck produce that far. I have to shop in CM and the produce I am finding is nothing like on the Big island or Kauai. Bananas here are really lame and pineapples plain suck. The white sugar pineapples of hawaii , no contest. Avacado's of hawaii are actually worth buying. Coconuts grow thick shells. I could go on and on. Lots of good stuff here which you cannot get there like cashew nuts and some of the exotic fruits like Durian or Dragon fruit. Being a vegetarian who mostly eats fruit this is a good place to live. Can't argue about the prices or availability but I just don't think the soil is that great.

I just resorted to buying an australian carrot at Tops and it tasted like a real carrot.

We are certainly having a different experience! I lived in Hawaii for fifteen years and my move over here five+ years ago showed me what I was missing in terms of fruits and vegies. My Thai wife is a vegetarian and has this place really scoped out, obviously. Literally ALL of the things you mention are far, far better here than anything I ever had in Hawaii including pineapples for which Hawaii is famous. But then I have the luxury of having a wife who worked in the produce section of Central Dept Store for eight years. I just spoke with her and she says that Thais tend to shop mostly for price and there are few people who know how to choose quality produce so even if you have a Thai helping you shop, they may simply not have any idea what you are seeking.

Soil depletion is a possibility whenever someone grows the same crop over and over but I can hardly believe that this extends to fruit trees.

Lack of taste usually comes from produce being picked long before it has a chance to at least begin to tree-ripen or achieve maturity. It is my humble opinion that since Thailand has a history of being poor, they like most poor countries have based much of their cuisine on green fruits and under-developed produce because they just didn't, and still don't have the patience to wait for maturity.

Finding good produce over here can be difficult but like finding good workers, you just have to set your expectations high and not settle for second best. There really are growers/sellers here who know what good produce is and sell little else. Shop around some more and the King's produce outlets (there's one at the airport) is a good place to start. There is also a 'salad garden' kind of restaurant just NW of Airport Plaza toward Immigration that supposedly grows/sells hydroponically grown produce but I have to admit that I haven't checked them out as yet.

Good luck and don't give up; Thai produce beats Hawaii's hands and taste buds down...

[Dustoff]

~

My mistake. Ignore what I wrote about Durian and Dragon Fruit. I wish I knew how to delete a post... Grumble, grumble...

Edited August 30, 2006 by Dustoff