Providing yourself with the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your daily diet is essential for maintaining full health and proper functioning of the body. However, a balanced diet can be difficult to maintain, especially in today’s busy world, when we are overwhelmed with work or home responsibilities and rarely find time to take proper care of ourselves. In such situations, dietary supplements come to the rescue , promising to supplement deficiencies and achieve spectacular results. What is supplementation and is it worth using?
What are dietary supplements?
In short, a dietary supplement is a product that is designed to make your life easier and help you provide the right amount of nutrients, being the best possible supplement to your diet with the right vitamins.
Difference Between Drug and Dietary Supplement
The main difference between a drug and a dietary supplement is that medicinal products should contain substances that help prevent and treat diseases. The supplement, on the other hand, is a concentrated source of vitamins, which helps to supplement the daily menu with nutrients that we are not able to provide in adequate amounts.
We use the medication according to the doctor’s recommendations, while the supplement can be dosed at our own discretion, reading the manufacturer’s leaflet. However, it is worth remembering that supplementation is not a substitute for a varied diet and before choosing the right dietary supplement, we should verify its composition and origin. In order to consciously take care of your health, it is also advisable to consult a dietician. which will help you choose the right product and dispel any doubts about its use.
Is supplementation good?
Is it worth using dietary supplements? Or maybe a change in eating habits is enough? These are questions that we often ask ourselves when assessing our diet and lifestyle.
Taking dietary supplements can have a very beneficial effect on our health, appearance and well-being. Proper supplementation will support a healthy lifestyle and reduce the possible effects of vitamin and mineral deficiency. However, when planning to supplement your diet with supplements, it is worth being extra careful, because our health is at stake. If we choose our supplementation incorrectly, there is a risk of, for example, overdosing on a given substance. It may also happen that a dietary supplement reacts with the medications you are taking, so it is always worth consulting a specialist before starting a possible vitamin treatment.
When is it worth taking supplements?
Dietary supplements save our skin (literally;)), for example in situations when we notice an increased demand for certain vitamins or minerals. They are also indicated when we fail to provide the daily dose of vitamins in the diet. With appropriate supplementation, we are able to take care of the proper functioning of the body in a relatively short time, improve the nervous system or improve the appearance of the skin, hair and nails.
Who should use dietary supplements?
People who have problems with providing themselves with the right amount of nutrients in their daily diet should supplement it by taking specific dietary supplements. On the other hand, supplementation of individual ingredients should be considered above all by:
- Athletes – they have a higher need for protein, energy and often want to increase their exercise capacity, so in order to absorb the right amount of valuable ingredients, they should consider supplementing them.
- Vegans – it is worth it for people who reject animal products in their daily diet and all those who are on an elimination diet to pay special attention to whether they manage to absorb the right amount of nutrients. Vegans should usually consider supplementing with vitamin D and B12.
- Pregnant women – usually supplementation recommended for women in this particular period contains folic acid, omega-3 acids and vitamin D. Often, due to an insufficiently varied diet, it is necessary to take additional ingredients as well. However, in the case of pregnant women, it is always recommended to consult a doctor.
Are there vitamins and minerals that are always worth supplementing?
Dietary supplements have the advantage that you can use them depending on your needs, but there is no one, universal and best way to do it. It is certainly worth getting acquainted with the daily requirement for individual nutrients and analysing your diet.
Among all the minerals and vitamins, we can distinguish a few whose effects on the human body are
- Magnesium – it has a very beneficial effect on the whole body. It supports m.in nervous system, digestive system particularly beneficial., improves memory and concentration, eliminates headaches and much more. When choosing a dietary supplement with magnesium, pay attention to its amount, type and absorption for the body.
- Probiotics – regular use provides protection for our digestive tract and increases the body’s immunity.
- Vitamin C – ascorbic acid with multidirectional action. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, which is why its proper level is important especially in autumn and winter, and maintaining it at a high level delays the aging process of the skin and seals blood vessels.
- Vitamin D – it certainly cannot be missing in the daily diet. Vitamin D deficiency causes reduced immunity, fatigue, sleep problems or hair loss. It can also cause abnormal bone mineralization, which increases the risk of fractures, which is why taking vitamin D is recommended, for example, in the group of professional athletes.
To summarize the information gathered above – if your daily diet is not rich enough in the most necessary ingredients for the body, it is worth including dietary supplements in it. Properly selected and used dietary supplements should supplement deficiencies, make it easier to cope with stress and fatigue and, above all, ensure the proper functioning of the body.