Using Health Food Supplements The Right Way
The past several decades has seen quite a resurgence in the interest
in traditional and natural ways of treating disease. As more and more
prescription and over the counter medications are shown to have significant
side effects and cause other serious health problems, interest in using
health food supplements is only likely to grow.
Why Use Health Food Supplements?
Many people distrust modern medicine and seek a more natural approach
to their health care. This natural approach can make a lot of sense, and
choosing natural products to treat illness can mean few side effects,
greater effectiveness and lower cost.
There are herbs and natural cures on the market for just about any condition
you can name. From colds to cancer, there are herbal remedies that have
already shown promise, and more that are undergoing study as we speak.
Health food supplements are everywhere, and the value of individual
supplements and combinations of supplements can vary widely. It is important
to do as much research as you can into your particular condition, and
to study the scientific literate and study results to determine which
herbal remedies show the greatest promise in treating your disease or
ailment.
The Importance Of Quality
It is also important to seek out the highest quality herbal health food
supplements, as the quality of individual supplements can vary widely
as well. There are a large number of companies, from the smallest operations
to the largest multinational companies, that make health food supplements.
Buying your health food supplements from the companies with the strongest
reputation for quality, and the longest history in the business, can often
be the best way to ensure quality.
Getting The Best Deal On Health Food Supplements
Likewise there are a number of different places to buy health food supplements,
and it is important to shop around for the best price you can find without
compromising the quality you need. Once you know which health food supplements
you need, shopping around is pretty simple. It is important to choose
brands you recognize and trust, and to comparison shop between stores.
As you are doing your comparison shopping, it is important not to ignore
the power of the internet. There are a number of excellent internet retailers
who sell a variety of health food supplements, and they can provide some
very competitive prices. Shopping around, both online and off, can help
ensure you get the most for your money.
Know Your Combinations
Many health food supplements are sold in combinations, with many different supplements, herbs, vitamins and minerals in one bottle. While these combinations can be excellent, it is important to be sure that they provide enough of each element to be effective for their intended use. Some manufacturers simply will cram as many vitamins, minerals and herbs as they can into their health food supplements, with little thought given to providing the therapeutic benefits you need. It is important to choose your combinations carefully, and to know which compounds are most important to your good health.
About Nutrition
| Drinking Water |
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Good nutrition isn't just about the foods you eat, it also includes the beverages you drink. Water is a good beverage. It doesn't have any calories or artificial colorings or flavorings and your body needs it. It's also cheap when you get it from the tap. Maybe you prefer bottled water or you use a filtered pitcher to avoid impurities or you prefer the flavor.
I don't like to drink water. I don't like the way it tastes. A lot of people think that's weird because water doesn't really have any flavor. I was a picky eater as a kid so maybe that's related, I don't know. Anyway, if you're like me you can still get enough water by choosing other beverages or flavoring your water with a slice of lemon or lime. I also like sparkling water. You can choose flavored waters too. Just because they're flavored doesn't change the fact that they're almost completely water. Common Questions About Water
Drinking Water originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 10:45:21. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Sweet Potatoes |
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Did you know that yams and sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A and beta carotene? Sweet potatoes are also a good source of fiber. They have a naturally sweet flavor that doesn't need much extra seasoning, although they're often glazed or served in sweet potato pie. Today I wrote an article about sweet potatoes, how to choose them, how to cook them and I included some links to healthy and delicious recipes that feature sweet potatoes: What's your favorite way to serve sweet potatoes? I like mine baked and then served with a little bit of real maple syrup with a few pecans sprinkled on top. Sweet Potatoes originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 11:07:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Vitamin D In the Winter |
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Vitamin D is a popular vitamin in the world of nutrition right now - it seems there's news about vitamin D research every week. Your body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium and various research studies have linked deficiencies with several health conditions, including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Today I read a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology in which the authors looked at vitamin D deficiency, supplementation and cardiovascular disease risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes. The researchers (not surprisingly) found an association of vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and also with decreased survival time. So they looked a little closer at the patients who were deficient in vitamin D levels to see if taking vitamin D supplements had any impact on survival times. Turns out the vitamin D deficient-subjects who were taking vitamin D supplements tended to have increased survival times. This was an observational study and not a randomized control trial (which provides the highest form of evidence), so there was no specific dosage used and the subjects weren't required to take any vitamin D. So there was a wide range of dosages reported, from 1,000 International Units per day up to prescription forms of vitamin D taken at 50,000 International Units bi-weekly. Interestingly, subjects who had cardiovascular disease but were not deficient in vitamin D according to blood tests, but took vitamin D supplements anyway didn't have the same increased survival times. We still have a lot to learn about any therapeutic benefits of vitamin D. You don't usually get much vitamin D from the foods you eat, although milk is usually fortified with it, you're body makes vitamin D after your skin is exposed to sunlight. Those of us who live north of a line drawn on a map from the northern border of California in the west to Boston in the east can't even get vitamin D from the sun during the colder months because the sun's rays just aren't strong enough to give us the UV exposure we need. So it's a good idea to take vitamin D supplements during the winter (or any time of the year if you avoid sun exposure). Vitamin D In the Winter originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 14:40:43. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Dietary Magnesium and Stroke Risk |
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A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition came to the conclusion that dietary magnesium intake is inversely associated with the risk of ischemic stroke (these are the strokes caused by blood clots in the brain). The authors performed a meta-analysis, which is a type of study that involves taking the data from previous similar studies and combining them. The authors of the study used the data from seven previous studies and determined that an increased intake of 100 milligrams magnesium per day was associated with an 8 - 9% decreased risk of ischemic stroke. Eight or nine percent may not sound like much, but according to the Internet Stroke Center, stroke is the third highest cause of death in the United States and of those strokes, 88% are ischemic strokes, so something as simple as increasing a dietary mineral could be quite significant.
So this could be a good thing, but, it's important to keep a couple of things in mind with this study. The authors of this study looked at dietary intake of magnesium so it doesn't indicate that taking magnesium supplements will have the same decrease in risk, and it's important (I think) to understand that magnesium deficiency symptoms are uncommon. Also, it's possible that the reduction of stroke risk is caused by other factors besides the actual magnesium since foods that contain magnesium are generally healthy fiber-rich foods - things like whole grains, nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables. Still, I believe it adds some evidence to the idea that eating magnesium-rich plant-based foods is important for good health. Dietary Magnesium and Stroke Risk originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 15:36:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Nutritionist or Dietitian? |
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A reader wants to know if there's a difference between nutritionists and dietitians? Here's my answer: Nutritionist or Dietitian Have you been to a dietitian or a nutritionist? Or both? Share your experiences and opinions of the two by leaving a comment. Nutritionist or Dietitian? originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 15:32:29. Permalink | Comment | Email this |