Nutrition Supplements

Few things have been as controversial as nutritional supplements have been recently. Depending on who you listen to, they are either the answer to any problem you have or they are the devil incarnate. The truth about nutritional supplements, though, is really somewhere in between.

Nutritional supplements are more widely used now than in other time in history. This is because many people have turned to nutritional supplements in order to fill the gaps in what they know to be unhealthy diets that don't meet the minimum daily requirements for many, many necessary vitamins and minerals. Others have turned to nutritional supplements in order to enhance everything from their workout regimes to their memory and mental functions.

Considering the controversy over whether it's safe to take nutritional supplements or not, you probably wonder just what you can really expect from taking nutritional supplements. Do they have any real benefit?

The fact is that taking nutritional supplements in their recommended dosages is extremely helpful for everyone from infants to elderly people. The methods used to grow and process our foods have changed drastically in the last 100 years. In many cases, this means that the food itself is deficient in many essential, basic vitamins and minerals.

Add that to the fact that people are so time-starved today that many of us practically live on meals out of paper bags makes taking nutritional supplements almost mandatory. Taking vitamins and other nutritional supplements is a good way to be certain you get all the proper vitamins and minerals you need daily.

However, nutritional supplements should never be used as a substitute for a good diet. Eating at least three (and many experts recommend five) well-balanced meals and two well-balanced snacks per day is still the best way to be sure you're getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay fit and healthy. Adding nutritional supplements to good eating habits simply goes the extra mile to see that you're getting all the nutrients that your body needs each day.

There are many high-quality multi-vitamins available at your local drugstores, as well as through many online sources. The key thing to remember when you decide to take (and you should!) nutritional supplements of any kind is to take them only as directed. Those directions are put on the bottles and packages for a reason—to ensure the vitamins and other herbal supplements are taken correctly.

This is vital for any nutritional supplement you take to be both as safe and effective as it should be. Too high doses of anything can cause side effects you aren't expecting and don't want. When you take more of any vitamin or nutritional supplement than the manufacturer recommends you take daily, then you run the risk of taking more than your body can effectively and safely process in a twenty-four hour period of time. Any risk of taking too much or of unwanted side effects is slight, though, for nutritional supplements when they're taken as directed. Even slightly higher dosages, in most cases, will have few side effects because your kidneys will flush them from your system, which keeps your body from absorbing too much of any one vitamin or mineral. Still, to be totally safe, take nutritional supplements exactly as instructed.

If you're still uncertain as to whether you should take a nutritional supplement each day, ask for your doctor's advice. This is particularly true if you're on any prescribed medications. It is possible for some supplements to decrease the efficiency of some prescribed medicines and to interact with them, causing unwanted side effects. However, despite many news headlines you may have read, this is rare, especially when nutritional supplements are taken as directed.

Taken properly, nutritional supplements are an excellent way to ensure your body has all it needs to be healthy. Just be sure to use them to supplement, not substitute for, a good healthy diet.

By: Wesley Atkins

Labels: health nutrition supplements, nutrition dietary supplements, nutrition supplements, nutritional supplements, supplements nutritional, vitamins nutrition supplements, vitamins nutritional supplements

Health is the greatest treasure a man can have.

There are several factors that influence our health. Among them we find the pollution, stress, inadequate nutrition. All these factors are hurtful to our body.

Did you know that in a whole year we consume over four kilos and a half to five kilos of poisonous substances present in our food?

If not eliminated, these substances create a chaotic movement of our body cells and generate a favorable ground for the action of free radicals. These free radicals generate a great diversity of cancer forms.

Health depends on an adequate diet too. "Scientific evidence in support of the health benefits of nutritional supplements has grown dramatically in recent years," said Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. "We must now work to translate this knowledge to health care providers, policy makers and consumers so the simple actions people can take to promote their health and prevent disease can be more fully realized. The impact of a rational use of dietary supplements can also help reduce health care costs which escalate every year as our population grows older.

Symptoms

Many problems such as : lack of energy, insomnia, headaches, depression, mood swings, anxiety, easy bruising, bleeding gums, slow wound healing etc. can be traced directly to deficiencies in specific vitamins and minerals.

Circumstances

Because of the methods applied nowadays in agriculture, which destroy the natural mineral substances, we cannot be sure that the agricultural products ensure us the necessary vitamins and minerals. Although all people should try to have healthy and balanced diet, few in reality do.

Nutritional Supplements to bridge your nutrition gaps

More and more people try the nutritional supplements as a way to combat the nutritional deficiencies and to ensure the necessary of vital nutrients for maintaining the quality of their life. Before you start taking nutritional supplements you must know a few things about them.

Nutritional supplements represent a support to our body. The nutritional supplements clean the human body and restore the deficiencies present inside. While taken constantly, nutritional supplements promote good health and help prevent disease. Nutritional supplements represent a good thing that we need . Here are a few things that you might consider before taking nutritional supplements:

1. Everybody can consume nutritional supplement and mostly if is diagnosed with a nutritional deficiency.

2. You must find out if you have a nutritional deficiency.

3. Ask your physician if it is safe for you to take nutritional supplements.

4. Does this supplement interacts with any drug or food you are consuming?

5. If you want to know more you can read about it or you can find more information at nutritional supplements guide from the Internet.

Quality

Regarding their quality, the nutritional supplements must be natural, easy to assimilate, must have a high nutritional value, must come from ecologically non-polluted areas and must be certified.

On the market are thousands of dietary supplements. Great companies fight for a place on the market. Each of them offers a diversity of products. These products seem to bring the same benefits to our body but they are in fact very different one from another. The difference is obvious when you read the label and you see the ingredients. The ingredients are the ones which make the products so valuable.

Research

The nutritional supplements are usually obtained after a period of research.

The research services work hard in order to offer us good products having great and rapid effects. It would be good for you when you choose to take nutritional supplements to inform upon the company which produces the products. If it is a world leadership or if it is among the greatest in the world than you may decide to consume the products it proposes to you. They are first tested over and over again and are only then offered to the public.

So we must be very careful when choosing nutritional supplements and do not forget to consult your physician!

By: Tan Kim Kia

Labels: health nutrition supplements, nutrition dietary supplements, nutrition supplements, nutritional supplements, supplements nutritional, vitamins nutrition supplements, vitamins nutritional supplements

The benefits of taking nutritional supplements are endless no matter if you have a chronic illness or feel that you are perfectly healthy. In today's world of instant gratification, high-paced lifestyles with fast food and on-the-go meals, it is no wonder that our society's personal health is degenerating at an alarming rate. Although we do have more medical resources in order to diagnose and treat illnesses quicker and easier, wouldn't it be more feasible to prevent an illness before it even starts, or at best minimize the results of having a chronic illness.

Nutritional supplements range in price and product depending on what you are looking for. Nutritional supplements can help aid muscle aches, cell regeneration, providing the body with actively fighting antibodies against harmful substances in the home or work environment. Anti-aging benefits, balancing your daily intake of vitamins and minerals and helping your body rid itself of environmental toxins are just a few of the positive aspects of using a nutritional supplement on a regular basis.

Tips For Choosing Nutritional Supplements

1. The first thing you must do before running out to your local health food store is to examine what you take in each day as part of your balanced diet. Are you lacking fruits or vegetables? Should you be drinking more milk or eating too much protein?

2. Once you have narrowed down what your natural diet is lacking, then you can begin your search to fill that void with a nutritional supplement. If need be, keep a food journal for one week to recognize any patters you may have or a specific food group that you are not getting enough of during your regular routine.

3. Consulting your health care provider will be your next vital step on the road to better health. You will need to examine your strengths and weaknesses in your diet and make calculated decisions on what supplements will fit your lifestyle and current diet best in order to give your body what it needs.

4. Analyze any medication that you are currently taking. You should not go out on your own and start taking nutritional supplements without consulting a health care provider in order to avoid any medical or health disasters in the future.

5. Reading the labels carefully will be an important part of choosing which exact brand of nutritional supplement you purchase once you have found what you need in order to maintain your health. What it says on the label may not be what is inside, and you may only be receiving trace amounts of a mineral that you desperately need.

6. Many multi-vitamins do not have the amount of isolated vitamins or minerals you are lacking, or you may be overloading your system with too much of one type of nutritional supplement if you are taking more than one product during the same time period. Utilize the staff in your local health store; let them know what you are currently taking or what you are looking for in order to get recommendations for your nutritional supplements.

Nutrient dense supplements are nutritional supplements that are packed full of natural occurring nutritional compounds from fresh whole live foods. These specific supplements are especially beneficial for those looking for an all-in-one, natural and convenient way to receive a balance of minerals and supplements. These products do come in a variety of types and those, which are concentrated to over 100 nutritional elements, can in fact save you money in the long run by limiting the amount of separate nutritional supplements that you would have purchased previously to obtain the same results.

By: Ronald Godlewski

Labels: health nutrition supplements, nutrition dietary supplements, nutrition supplements, nutritional supplements, supplements nutritional, vitamins nutrition supplements, vitamins nutritional supplements

This article will be a great place for you to start if you're new to supplementation. Sports supplements are a broad field and if you've been doing your research you already know how important they can be to your performance in the gym or in your sport, but you're probably also a bit confused with all the information, some of it conflicting. What you need to be able to do is look beyond the advertising hype and be able to make your decision based on current and accurate advice.

As with any new area it's best to start with the basics. There is a lot of good and bad information out there regarding sports supplements so let's start simple and go from there.

You really have to look out for bad sports supplement information because if you head down the wrong path you could actually end up harming your efforts. You don't want to set yourself up with the wrong ideas only to be later disappointed and finding that you're no better off than when you started and you've spent hundreds of dollars on the wrong supplements.

So, in order to get off on the right foot let's look at 2 myths and 2 facts about sports supplements.

Myth #1 - Taking sports supplements is a valid replacement for hard work. While this seems like it should go without saying, you would be surprised how wide spread this belief is. So many people are looking for a quick fix and a way to take short cuts. While sports supplements can help improve your performance they are simply supplements to your hard work in the gym.

Myth #2 - If I take this supplement I'll be transformed in just a week or two. While sports supplements can make you stronger, bigger, more muscular and faster in a shorter time than training alone, training is the cornerstone of your efforts and nothing can make a huge difference overnight. Changes to your body from lifting weights is a slow steady progression.

Fact #1 - When taking the right sports supplement you'll recover faster and be able to work harder. No one likes being sore after working out (well, some of us do, but we're a different breed). Anything that can reduce the soreness after a workout and let you lift weights again sooner is a benefit to your training.

Fact #2 - There is a right time to take supplements and it can be different for each. Some supplements work better when taken before a work, some work better when taken after. Some supplements should be taken before bed and some should be taken with meals. By learning the proper timing for each of your supplements you can also increase their effectiveness.

By Steven Walters

Labels: myths, nutrition, supplement, supplements, vitamin, vitamin d, vitamins, vitamins supplements, weight loss

Well, I think I've done really well. I joined this gym in January along with all the others who thought they'd piled it on over Christmas and its now May and I'm still here. The rest of the gym population has decreased greatly since then, but I'm one of the few who have stuck it out.

My strategy is 'slowly but surely'. I've followed a sensible diet slightly increasing proteins to cope with the light weight training I'm doing and have kept the rest to low fat healthy eating. Gradually, I have seen a change that I'm happy with. I just want to get healthier, fitter and a little stronger, enough to cope with everyday life and the dreaded aging process.

Of course, there is plenty of advertising at the gym to push sports supplements but I wouldn't call myself a sports person. Apparently, it's protein and creatine that is needed to boost muscle strength but I prefer to get mine from food than from a sports supplement.

Going to the gym is also a good way of widening your social circle too. I have made several friends since I joined and we're all making steady progress. However, one young (ish) man, I believe, has become obsessed with his own body.

I fit my gym timetable around my life. The gym IS his life. If I go at 6am, he's there. If I go at 9pm, he's there. Admittedly, he has made a great improvement in his physique but I do think he's taking it a little too far.

At first, he was the same as the rest of us. Turning up in his comfy jogging bottoms and t shirt that did the job. As his strength, and ego, improved he went down to shorts and vest. Now he's just stretching the bounds of decency with his Lycra attire!

This young man was doing well in his fitness regime. He took note of all the sports supplement advertising to help speed his way to his goal and after a time of testing it out on himself, he became a bit of a bore, talking about nothing else.

His posing in front of the mirror was just embarrassing! He was spending less time actually lifting the weights and more time admiring himself. The day he came up to me, flexed his arm muscles and pointed towards the coffee bar, offering me an after work out drink, well, I just felt embarrassed for him and declined his offer.

I couldn't believe that my turning down his offer could have such an impact on his self esteem as to bring about such a dramatic change in him over the next few weeks. And I was right. He went from being a self obsessed ego maniac to a very moody, quite aggressive man that nobody wanted to get in the way of.

After several members of the gym had experienced some unpleasant run ins with him and complained to the staff about his hostile behaviour, he was taken to one side to discover what the problem was.

It turns out after starting on a fitness programme and healthy eating plan like the rest of us, things were going well for him. He took note of the advertising campaigns in the gym and had, for some time been consuming sports supplements. He believed that if he exceeded the recommended dosage he would increase his muscles even quicker but it didn't work.

Sports supplements are designed to work with your body in a healthy way, giving you that little extra boost in addition to a good diet and sensible workout.

Because this young man had become obsessed, he wasn't happy with the limits his body had set and wanted to continually push the boundaries. He did this by foolishly buying steroids and using them to unnaturally enhance his physique.

When the gym management learn of his actions, he was strongly advised to visit his doctor for a check up. Without the all clear from a doctor the gym were unwilling to let him continue membership because they believed he was at risk of serious damage to himself.

A check up revealed he had a dangerously high heart rate due to misuse of steroids and he was banned from the gym until such time as he could prove he was off the steroids. If only he had stuck to the sensible sports supplements and not been greedy for false popularity.

By Catherine Harvey

Labels: nutrition sports supplements, sport supplement, sport supplements, sports nutrition supplements, sports supplement, sports supplements, supplements and sports, supplements sport

Under the broad heading of nutritional supplements, you will find vitamins, amino acids, minerals, herbal supplements, some steroids and even hormones like melatonin. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate dietary supplements and require the manufacturer ensure they are safe before they are marketed.

The FDA only takes action against any unsafe nutritional products after it reaches the market. Dietary supplements are classified as foods, not drugs as regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so they are treated differently than prescription drugs.

A nutritional supplement is a product that is intended to supplement the diet and contain any of the following dietary ingredients:

A vitamin
A mineral
An herb or other botanical (excluding tobacco)
An amino acid
A dietary substance for use by people to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake, or
A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of any of the above

Furthermore, it must also conform to the following criteria:

It is intended for ingestion in pill, capsule, tablet, powder or liquid form.
It is not to be represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a meal or diet.
It is labeled as a dietary supplement.
While hormones are not included in the above list, some hormones are labeled as "dietary supplements".

Dietary supplements are permitted to make structure and/or functional nutritional value claims. These are broad claims that the product can support the structure or function of the body, as in "glucosamine helps support healthy joints", "the hormone melatonin helps establish normal sleep patterns". The FDA must be notified of these claims within 30 days of their first use, and there is a requirement that these claims be substantiated.

The possibility of interactions between nutritional supplements and prescription drugs is something you need to keep in mind before starting a new supplement regimen. A product may be from an "herbal" or "natural" source, but that alone does not ensure its safety.

Combined with other drugs, supplements can produce unwanted pharmacological side effects. Though a nutritional supplement may be available without a prescription, it is a good idea to seek medical counsel regarding possible adverse side effects.

The bottom line is, in order to protect yourself; it is highly recommended you investigate nutritional supplements before you start taking them. Make sure plenty of studies have been conducted that show its nutritional value, safety and effectiveness. A good rule of thumb is to evaluate whether you are already getting enough of the vitamin, mineral or herbal supplement through your dietary intake, without additional supplementation.

Eating a healthy, nutritious diet is preferable, if that is a feasible option. If you recognize you are falling short of recommended daily allowances, ask your physician or nutritionist what supplements and dosages he recommends.

By MIKE SELVON

Labels: nutrition, protein, supplement, supplements, vitamins

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