What are Nutritional Supplements?

Nutritional supplements are products that are used to boost the nutritional content of the diet. They can also assist with improving immune system, increasing energy levels, reducing risk of degenerative diseases,  supporting the healing process during illness, etc.

According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics more than half of North American population takes supplements on a regular basis. However, what most don’t know is that it’s not a very well regulated industry. In most countries supplements are not held to the same quality standard as pharmaceuticals, so many times the products are not what they say they are and would never meet the pharmaceutical standard. These are the products that people are consuming regularly not knowing what’s in them or if there are contaminants in them that can be harmful to the body, especially after prolonged use.

How to Choose Supplements:

That is why when choosing the supplement brand you have to choose wisely. Do your homework and look for third parties studies on the supplements and check out their ratings. My favorite is “Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements” by Nutrisearch which is available in many countries and in different languages at a local bookstores or on Amazon.com. Another great source is ConsumerLab.com. which evaluates various products on approved or not approved basis. It is always a good idea to check with your local regulatory body such as FDA or Health Canada for their weekly supplement recalls (which there are quite a few).

Become and educated consumer. Before putting something in your mouth, keep in mind that everything goes straight to your blood stream and has effect on your body whether positive or negative.

Why Supplement?

In regards to needing supplements, most people need at least a good quality multivitamin, as our food is not as nutritious as it used to be many years ago. Also, most people these days lead very busy lives and are unable to eat as often as needed and don’t eat as good quality food as the body requires;  frequently  choosing fast food with no nutritional value but high in fat and preservatives.

Recent findings are that a person needs to consume around 20,000 calories per day to obtain all the optimal levels of nutrition from foods alone. Let’s face it, that is neither realistic nor cheap.  But if you live in an urban area and do not grow your own food, than you are most likely not getting adequate nutrition you need to sustain optimal cellular health. In this day and age supplementation has unfortunately become a necessity. However, the goal should always be to try to get as much of the nutrients from eating clean whole foods, and supplement to cover the gaps.

My choice for nutritional company is Usana Health Sciences due to their pharmaceutical quality, top ratings from third party research, in – house experts, Scientific Advisory Council, Olympic Athlete quality, 100% potency guarantee, many prestigious research partnerships and much more.