Why You Should Take Nutritional 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.
Wesley Atkins is a fitness and nutrition coach and owner of
http://www.nutritional-supplements-advisor.com which aims to
cut through the hype of supplements and gives you the facts on
each. He is also a successful author of “The Low GI Diet
Breakthrough” ebook available at:
http://www.lowgidietbreakthrough.com
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