Obtaining Vitamins Through Supplements

The hype around supplements is pretty prevalent in today’s society. Many people view supplements as fast, easy, and less time consuming and feel they aid to healthy balanced lifestyle. However, it is important to understand there are pros and cons that tag along with utilizing supplements in replace of nutritional needs from food sources. Before heavily relying on supplements to obtain nutritional needs, it is important to thoroughly think about if a supplement is right for you. Here are some simple steps to consider before beginning supplements.

Step 1: Ensure a supplement is right fit for your lifestyle

Supplements and be beneficial for people who follow vegetarian/vegan diets or people who are diagnosed with conditions that affect vitamin absorption such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrous, chronic pancreatitis and more. Many women who are pregnant take supplements for positive benefits for the feats. It is vital for pregnant women to consume adequate amounts of vitamins to ensure the baby is healthy. Supplements like prenatal vitamins, iron, and vitamin D can be extremely beneficial for mothers. For individuals without diet restrictions or conditions, obtaining vitamins through your diet should be aimed for. If you feel that you are experiencing gaps in your diet and are unable to obtain all vitamins, then considering a supplement can be beneficial.

Step 2: Before consuming supplements understand how they are regulated

Dietary supplements are regulated as food by the USDA not as drugs. This means that when the USDA checks these vitamins that are evaluated for their food content not their effectiveness. Some supplements ingredients can have negative effects on daily medicine you are taking prescribed by your physician. NCAA athletes, employers, or legal allegations at times will require a drug test. Some supplements may cause you to fail these drug test due to additive ingredients. This is commonly seen as a pressing issue due to the lack of regulation supplements have.

Step 3: Research the supplement ingredients

As mentioned before some people need to inquire supplements to positively aid their health. Consuming supplements if your lifestyle need the help of them is okay. (If you are taking the proper precautions.) Just because a supplements claims is its “all natural” does not necessarily mean its is a safe product. Some natural supplemental herbs have been proven to physical damage to your body. Supplements that put you at most high risk of harmful ingredients are products that promote weight loss, enhance athletic performance, and increase sex drive. To further research supplements you are considering to take, the National Institutes of Health has a fact sheet on dietary supplements (ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/) and a free label database to help consumers become aware of claims and cautions www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov. (click the links to learn more)

Step 4: Talk to your physician or local registered dietitian about the supplements

Before making any final decision, it is always IMPORTANT to talk to your family physician or local registered dietitian about the supplements you are considering to take. The goal of taking supplements is to fill gaps in your diet and reach an optimal health status. Sadly, while taking some supplements you may be putting yourself at a health risk. To ensure what you are consuming is safe be sure to talk to someone who has obtained an educational background on this topic.

Step 5: Be happy about your choice!

At the end of the day, your health is your decisions. Making decisions that aid your health is the goal everyone strives for. You should be happy and content with the conscious decisions you are making geared towards your health. It is okay to have conversation about how you can improve your health or areas you want to change! At the end of the day, you hold the power to make conscious decisions about your health. Sometime uncontrollable things happen in our daily lives that impact our health status. However, being proactive through you diet, exercises routines, and destressing events can be helpful in lowering your risk of disease. Health is an umbrella term and ensuring you are keeping healthy not only in the gym but at home is imperative. Your Forever Fitness staff is always here to help!

Resources:

NIH New In Health. Should You Take Dietary Supplements? Updated August 2013. Accessed March 29, 2021. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/08/should-you-take-dietary-supplements