The Truth About Supplements and How You Should Actually Be Using Them
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Supplements for anxiety
Supplements are perhaps some of the most misunderstood health products on the market. As part of this misunderstanding, some companies have found ridiculous ways to market their products that make people think that they’re actually getting a miracle pill that can transform their lives in just a few days. Unfortunately, supplements aren’t magic and they’re not going to give you some wild health benefits over a few days. So do you know the truth about supplements?
In this post, we’re going to dispel several myths surrounding supplements and explain how you should actually be using them as part of your diet and lifestyle.
Supplements come in a variety of different forms
The first thing to understand is that supplements come in many different forms. Most of them are going to be labelled as dietary supplements and can be taken in many different ways. For example, most supplements are supplied in capsule form and are usually taken with some water. However, there are also supplements in gummy form that are eaten much like sweets. This makes them a lot more palatable for some people and can actually be more convenient. A great example of this is CBD gummies, a gummy product that is infused with CBD. You can also find supplements in powder form sometimes. These are often consumed in a drink or can be mixed with things such as cereal or used in baking.
Since supplements can come in so many different forms, it’s a good idea to look at what the most effective supplement is for the price and how convenient it is to take. Most people simply take supplements because it’s the most convenient option. However, some people might find it easier to take large amounts of a supplement in powder form by mixing it into their drinks and cooking. The best approach is to simply look at how much of the supplement is contained in the products you can buy and see which offers the highest concentration.
Supplements should be taken with caution
Remember that taking too much of a supplement can be a bad thing too. If you take too many vitamins, you could experience effects such as diarrhoea, nausea, stomach cramps, hair loss, nerve damage or even gastrointestinal discomfort. Most people don’t consume enough of supplement to experience these effects. However, there are limits to how much of a certain nutrient you should be taking in. It’s all about achieving a good balance of these different nutrients to ensure that you’re not getting too little of something and too much of something else.
Here are a few steps to ensure you’re not overdosing on nutrients:
- If you’re interested in taking a specific supplement, make sure you speak to your physician beforehand. They’ll offer advice on whether the supplement will be effective and could prescribe you with a stronger dosage and guidance on how often to take it.
- If you’re buying supplements off the internet, make sure you check the dosage of the supplement. This will ensure that you’re getting the right amount of the supplement and not too much or too little.
- Remember there’s no advantage to taking in too many vitamins and minerals. However, there can be disadvantages if you take too much as it could harm your body.
- The main nutrients to look out for are vitamin D, folic acid and calcium. These are nutrients that you can get too much of, especially if you take supplements. If you plan to take supplements with any of these nutrients, make sure you speak to your physician first.
As long as you follow these tips, you’ll have a far lower chance of accidentally overdosing on certain vitamins and minerals.
Supplements are made to supplement, not to replace
At the end of the day, nutrition doesn’t have to come from pills, drinks and powders. Good nutrition can actually just come from the food you eat as long as you have a balanced diet. For example, instead of taking vitamin c supplements, you could just drink more orange juice or consume more citrus fruits. Instead of fish oil tablets, you could just eat fish once or twice a night for dinner.
Don’t underestimate the nutritional value of a well-balanced meal. A lot of people tend to overlook how important their diet is and they often think that they can replace a good meal with something like a pill. Unfortunately, supplements aren’t a substitute for real food. As the name suggests, they’re there to supplement your diet and ensure you get a healthy balance of nutrients. In most cases, supplements can be used if you’re not getting enough of a certain nutrient, but you should ask yourself why you’re not getting enough of that supplement in the first place. It’s likely going to be cheaper than paying for supplements, so always go the route of improving your diet first.
Some final words
Nobody can blame you if you thought of supplements as something more. The way they’re marketed at times is questionable at best. Some companies go the extra mile to make them seem like a magic pill for all of your problems and the exorbitant prices can often reflect that. However, the reality is that many of these supplements are used incorrectly and sold with incredible claims that just aren’t true.
While we hope that this article has shed some light on the reality of supplements, we also hope that it hasn’t completely broken down your trust in these companies. There are many effective supplements that can actually change your life and improve your health, but these are usually offered by physicians as part of a subscription, or they need to be taken over a very long period of time before you start seeing positive health benefits. We hope that you continue to take supplements to improve your health, but we also hope that you take a more informed approach and focus on improving your nutrition intake from food first.
Did you know the truth about Supplements?