You’ll find nutritional supplements almost anywhere; in departmental stores, pharmacies, or online stores like Simply Nutrients. While most people treat them as multivitamins, these supplements are not just vitamins.
Nutritional supplements include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, zinc, etc., found naturally in fruits, vegetables, grains, and pulses. They can come as pills, capsules, powder, or even liquids, but they all have the same purpose: supplementing your diet.
So, let’s say, if you have iron deficiency, you can take an iron supplement. The idea is simple; they are used to fill up for any nutritional deficiencies you have.
What’s The Need For Nutritional Supplements?
It’s pretty much easy to get supplements and incorporate them as a part of your diet. But the question you might have is what is the need for supplements. Is it not possible to get it through the food itself? There are many reasons why it’s so hard to get all the nutrients you need from food.
Today, everyone is so much exposed to toxins, heavy metals, pesticides, and chemicals in the environment that all of this is creating a burden on the immune system. Secondly, the quality of the food is different. Almost 70% of the food consumed is processed. When the food is processed, you lose a lot of essential nutrients.
You will now say that you can have whole fresh food to make up for the processed food’s nutritional loss. But sadly, the problem of soil depletion and overuse of pesticides and other chemicals have lowered the nutrient content in the food. A study by the American Society of Horticulture Science revealed a staggering decline of 5% to 40 % in minerals in a group of vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. It pointed out the reduction in nutrients in the food in the past 50 to 100 years. Even if you have fresh fruits or vegetables, it would not have the same nutrients that it had a few decades ago.
The other major problem, or say the biggest challenge is lack of a proper diet. According to the CDC, a majority of Americans do not have a healthy diet. It says that ‘less than 1 in 10 adults and adolescents eat enough fruits and vegetables’.
A poor diet leads to a deficit in brain function, fatigue, weakness, stroke, diabetes, and many more health issues. It hints that you are not giving enough nutrition to your body to function, and here comes the role of nutritional supplements. Nutritional supplements compensate for your poor nutrition. Taking supplements will help your body function better. You can also prevent several future conditions by taking the right supplements.
There are various supplements on the market to overwhelm the buyers. So here are some points to help you in buying the right ones.
Things to ask before buying nutritional supplements
Ask Your Doctor
Before starting with any supplements, you must consult a doctor first. Your doctor can tell you about the type of supplement you need as you might not need the same as your friend or family is taking. They’ll run a couple of blood tests to determine the minerals and vitamins your body lacks.
Find A Trusted Website
You’ll find dozens of websites that sell nutritional supplements. Before you choose any, it is necessary that you check the website, its offered products, and customer reviews. Website such as Simply Nutrients is a trusted one for nutrient supplements. So, buy from a trusted website only.
Choose Single Ingredient Supplement
When you buy supplements, you will see many of them containing multiple components like a calcium supplement containing magnesium and Vitamin D. Such a supplement will have less calcium. So, if you need a calcium supplement, go only for a supplement with calcium as the main ingredient. Some might contain extra herbs and ingredients. While these may sound fancy, the additional component might lead to side effects. So, try to check all their ingredients.
Read the label
Labels are essential, and you must give full attention to reading them. Read all the ingredients in the product. Review the supplement chart and related information such as the manufacturer’s details. It will give you an idea of what you are buying. Skip products that have questionable ingredients are mentioned in the FDA list of hazardous ingredients. Look for products certified by ConsumerLabs, NSF International, or The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention to ensure their quality.
Be sure that you keep all the points mentioned above to make a safe purchase. Supplements help maintain optimal health. But it’s important to note that they are not a replacement for your food. Instead, you can use them to boost your performance if you are chasing a physical goal, following a training regime, or exercising.
As you age, you can consume supplements to maintain your health. They can help you stay strong and healthy. Including them in your diet will surely help in the long run.