Do Natural Supplements Help Your Body?
Vitamins and mineral supplements are a good way to supply your body with nutrients that you might not be getting from your diet. Go down any vitamin aisle in a drugstore, market, or health food store. The first thing you will see is all the ‘natural’ supplements and vitamin complex tablets that all claim to provide all kinds of benefits. There are supplements that claim to help you lose weight without exercise. Does it sound too good to be true? It is. You have to burn more calories than you consume and exercise will help you accomplish that but, I digress. If you are considering adding supplements to your diet, having a discussion with your doctor will help to determine whether or not adding supplements would be beneficial for you or not.
Are vitamins necessary for optimum health?
Most people, if they eat a healthy diet, do not need them. Most vitamins are fine and are not harmful. If someone does not eat a healthy diet a vitamin supplement could be very helpful. Vitamins may helpful if your diet is poor or you have an illness. Fruits and vegetables have important vitamins in them. If your doctor wants you to eliminate certain fruits and/or vegetables a supplement would almost be necessary. Your body needs vitamins to keep it functioning.
Are vitamins a source of energy?
Most people think that vitamins are a source of energy. This is not always the case. Vitamins help regulate the body’s metabolism. They help the food we eat to release its energy. It is the food that provides our body with energy.
Energy that our body gets comes from nutrients are absorbed and broken down. For example, the body will absorb calcium easily if you take Vitamin D. Most calcium supplements are already fortified with vitamin D. There are thirteen vitamins that are all important to achieve optimum health. Vitamins E & C contain antioxidants. Antioxidants help to release free radicals, which are high-energy particles. These high-energy particles damage healthy blood cells. Studies that are coming out now indicate that the consumption of vitamins and supplements may aid in fighting cancer. It may also be preventing other chronic diseases.
The research is by no means conclusive in this regard. Studies are conducted on a continual basis to provide us with the most ultimate health possible.
Excess Intake of Vitamins
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. An excess amount of vitamins in your system could cause bleeding, negative interactions with some prescription medications. Let us look at some examples.
One, too much vitamin A can cause neurological problems. Secondly, excess Vitamin D disrupts the balance of calcium in the body which can lead to deposits in the soft tissues of the body. Additionally and equally important, when you have too much vitamin C, the effectiveness of medications may cause a host of other problems. Additionally, blood that does not clot and cause other bleeding issues may be the result of excess vitamin E. Again, we can see how taking too much of something can lead to illness.
Combining Other Healthy Options
Vitamins are just one tool among many that are available to us to help us get healthy and remain healthy. Vitamins alone will not do this. A healthy diet, exercise, and regular health checkups will do this.
It is important to eat properly and to take care of your body. Sometimes, I have a tendency to be drawn to unhealthy food. I am sure I am not alone in this. This is why combining a variety of foods is important. We are better off crowding out the bad foods with more fruits and vegetables. This way there is less tendencies to be drawn to unhealthy food.
Exercise is another important aspect of remaining healthy. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to get some exercise in. For instance, taking a nice walk 20 minutes three times a week is very beneficial.
I take vitamins and other supplements to help my body work better. But most importantly, I believe that harnessing the power of change is an important step in adopting healthy food and lifestyle choices. By doing this, we can get most of our vitamins and minerals naturally through the healthy foods we eat.
Supplements and Healthy Eating
Some people believe that vitamins are not okay. Despite this belief, vitamins are generally safe. However, if vitamins are fortified with iron, this can be an issue. For instance, the effectiveness of vitamins with iron is often debated. To illustrate this, too much iron can cause an iron overload. When overload exists, it does not get ‘washed’ out of the blood efficiently. One example specifically is iron overload. It is a disease called hemochromatosis, which is fatal. It attacks the liver and ability to function properly. This is the result of high levels of iron in the blood. This can be controlled. Liver function tests among other treatments are considered and addressed for this disease. The controversy continues to reign.
You have complete control in this area. Do your research. There are a great number of websites that provide information on and how supplements work. You should sit down with your physician and discuss your options. S/he may suggest you meet with a nutrition specialist as well. Get smart and be healthy. A little knowledge is a very good thing. The more you know about how vitamins work and how they could be harmful the safer you will be. You will also be healthier.
Trust your instincts, know your body, and get help if you need it. Good eating, good exercise, plenty of water and common sense will help you to meet your goal of good health.
Reference and additional reading:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/vitamins-and-supplements/the-benefits-of-vitamin-supplements
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/08/should-you-take-dietary-supplements