Supplements: Necessary or Unnecessary?
Today we are going to discuss the importance of adding antioxidants and supplements to our diet. There is an overabundance of information available on this topic on net as well as off-net, so it is easy for anyone to get confused. I will try to simplify this here as I have mentioned in the past, confused people cannot make decisions.
Some sources say that if you are eating right, you do not need supplements. Others say, no one can eat right so you do need supplements. In my humble opinion, a common human being is not an expert on dietary habits. Nutrients from certain foods are absorbed better by our body when we eat them raw while from other foods, nutrients are better absorbed when we cook them before we consume them.
Supplements that are derived from natural sources are necessary due to several reasons like most people do not eat recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Day by day people are getting more and busier so cooking 2-3 times a day is out of the question. Fresh produce loses nutritional value while it is on the shelf and due to our cooking methods. Supplements help us met the nutritional gap in our diet.
Our body generates free radicals due to Environmental factors, modern-day lifestyle, stress, and vigorous exercise. Antioxidants assist us in combating these free radicals. The problem with most of the supplements is that they are made in factories and are not natural. Also, they are not regulated so 90% of the times hence the supplements do not have nutritional value as mentioned on the labels.
Hence, I personally believe that adding antioxidants and vitamins like Vitamin E, CoQ10, Omega 3s, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin b12 derived from reliable natural source to the diet along with eating a healthy well-balanced diet, proper stress management and maintaining an active lifestyle by doing moderate to vigorous exercise for 30-45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week will reduce the risk of stroke, heart diseases and all age-related illness. All this must be done together. Just consuming antioxidants or just exercising or just eating healthy or just meditation will not suffice. Sometimes people think that antioxidants or vigorous exercise give them permission to pursue unhealthy dietary habits. This mindset will lead to causing more harm than giving benefits of supplements and exercise.
Now the question is what is a healthy well-balanced diet? A meal is called a well-balanced meal when your plate has fruits not fruit juice, leafy green vegetables, healthy protein, whole grains, and a very small portion of healthy fat.
You can visit https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ to get more information on a balanced meal.
If you are not eating a well-balanced diet, contact us and schedule your nutrition consultation now.