Supplements & The Rest

First know that the information contained on this blog is not medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health-care professionals. I am not a registered dietician. Consult your physician before beginning or making changes in your diet or exercise program, for diagnosis and treatment of illness and injuries, and for advice regarding medications. 

That all said....Just a little blurb on supplements.  Supplements should not be "replacements" for obtaining actual sources of nutrients your body needs, but only in addition to obtaining these nutrients.  Bottom-line is you should always try to get your vitamins and minerals from natural, whole food sources.  That being said, sometimes this isn't always feasible.  A good whole food multi-vitamin with probiotics can be a great way to supplement your healthy and supportive dietary intake daily.  When choosing a vitamin, make sure it is from a good source, will be ingested as opposed to excreted out and what times of day and with what foods is best for it to be taken, and that you are not taking an overabundance of any such vitamin.  B Complexes are another good add on ... not to replace actual produce and other food sources, but to enhance what you are not able to intake on a daily basis.  Things to know about any supplements you choose to take:

1) No one other than a medical doctor and/or a registered dietician who also know your full medical history should advise you of what supplements to take.  Why?  There can be severe drug and medical interactions that without full knowledge of your personal situation could cause harm to you. 

2) It is important to get educated on what you are taking, whether it be medicine or supplement because there are certain foods you have to take with certain things in order for your body to ingest it as intended as well as certain foods you should not eat while taking certain things or they will cause adverse effects to you either immediately or over time.  An example would be certain medications that cause adverse effects if you also eat grapefruit while taking.  Another example would be something as simple as a vitamin which in large doses and with certain auto-immune diseases can cause thinning of the blood.

3) Everyone's make up is different and so too are their bodily demands.  What an athlete may require, I would not, nor would you most likely need.  So don't get caught up in sports enhancing selling practices for reasons why you need this sports drink and/or supplement.....'cause you don't, nor would that very sports drink and/or supplement have the same effect in your body as it does in a highly trained athlete. 

Mostly what everyone needs is a balanced and supportive diet with proper daily/weekly exercise and rest.  Save the quick fixes and gimmicks for folks who are not yet educated on proper healthy choices and practices!