Vitamin and Mineral Supplements -Part 1
A Basic Guide To Vitamin Supplements
Do You Really Need Vitamin Supplements?
Vitamins are an essential part of the body's metabolic processes, playing a vital role in its enzyme systems. Deficiencies in any of these essential nutrients can have serious implications on our health, so to maintain optimum health we need to ensure that our bodies always have an adequate supply of these important substances.
Because the body is unable to manufacture most vitamins by itself, we need to ingest them from outside sources. Ideally, we should obtain these vitamins from consuming a healthy diet consisting of a wide variety of foods.
But modern life has conspired to interfere with the quality of the foodstuffs that are available to us today. A recent study shows that the nutritional value of our fruits and veggies has decreased dramatically within last 50 years.
As most studies today show: "We have to eat eight oranges today to get the same
amount of vitamin A our grandparents got from a single orange."
There is a direct correlation between the declining nutritional value of our food and the growing prevalence of certain illnesses, and the medical community is beginning to suggest that we take action.
Restoring Health, Energy and Balancing the Body
with the Right Vitamin Supplement is Important
Selecting the right vitamin supplement is crucial to the maintenance of optimum health, so here are some guidelines that will help you make the best choice.
- Vitamins are Only Part of the Story -
Vitamins are not the only nutrients that our bodies require in order to maintain optimum health levels - minerals and other trace nutrients are also necessary to maintain our general health, and to give our bodies the tools they need to fight off health problems.
Vitamins also require the presence of these minerals to function correctly in the body, so unless it contains all these nutrients, any vitamin supplement we take will be useless.
Look for a multivitamin supplement that includes minerals, trace minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and herb extracts to provide your body with all the tools it needs to maintain good health.
- Natural vs. Synthetic Vitamins -
There is an overwhelming amount of information available on the merits of natural vitamins compared with those synthetically made, but if you have a choice, be sure to select the natural variety.
Recent research confirms that natural vitamins are more readily useable by the body than synthetic vitamins, and that the natural type remains active in the body for a longer period of time. Our bodies seem more receptive to vitamins in their natural state, which increases their efficacy in improving our health.
So why do manufacturers produce synthetic vitamins at all? The answer is simple; because they are cheaper to produce than their natural counterparts.
So make sure that you choose a multivitamin supplement made of natural ingredients in order to balance your body’s health naturally.
- The Synergy of Nature -
Because nature operates in harmony, producing a high quality, effective supplement does not involve simply adding separate ingredients together. The active ingredients interact in natural ways, and capturing this natural harmony in a supplement is a task that must be performed by skilled scientists and nutritionists.
The combination of active ingredients must be undertaken with great care, as many of these ingredients interact with one another, and an incorrect combination can produce harmful effects.
Before you purchase a supplement, ensure that the manufacturer has the scientific expertise to produce products that are safe and effective.
- How Do I Choose a Reliable Manufacturer? -
The supplement industry in the U.S. is only loosely regulated, and choosing a good supplement can be difficult. Some products do not even contain the active ingredients they should, and others do not the correct amounts needed to ensure optimal health. Even today some of them contain substances that might actually be harmful to your health.
Look for a manufacturer that follows GMP guidelines, as these are the highest standard available, and will ensure manufacturing and quality control procedures have been carefully followed.
- So What Is In The Bottle? -
Since what is on the label is no guarantee of what is actually in your supplement bottle, request a Certificate of Analysis (COA) for the product, which is available from the manufacturer. This will give a good indication of the quality and purity of the active ingredients. If the manufacturer does not supply this with every product they sell, simply choose another brand.
So be careful in choosing a vitamin supplement. It will help you maintain optimal health, today, and in the future. And remember, “pretty packaging” does not make them any better.
(part 2 will discuss each of the different vitamins and what they do)
Do You Really Need Vitamin Supplements?
Vitamins are an essential part of the body's metabolic processes, playing a vital role in its enzyme systems. Deficiencies in any of these essential nutrients can have serious implications on our health, so to maintain optimum health we need to ensure that our bodies always have an adequate supply of these important substances.
Because the body is unable to manufacture most vitamins by itself, we need to ingest them from outside sources. Ideally, we should obtain these vitamins from consuming a healthy diet consisting of a wide variety of foods.
But modern life has conspired to interfere with the quality of the foodstuffs that are available to us today. A recent study shows that the nutritional value of our fruits and veggies has decreased dramatically within last 50 years.
As most studies today show: "We have to eat eight oranges today to get the same
amount of vitamin A our grandparents got from a single orange."
There is a direct correlation between the declining nutritional value of our food and the growing prevalence of certain illnesses, and the medical community is beginning to suggest that we take action.
Restoring Health, Energy and Balancing the Body
with the Right Vitamin Supplement is Important
Selecting the right vitamin supplement is crucial to the maintenance of optimum health, so here are some guidelines that will help you make the best choice.
- Vitamins are Only Part of the Story -
Vitamins are not the only nutrients that our bodies require in order to maintain optimum health levels - minerals and other trace nutrients are also necessary to maintain our general health, and to give our bodies the tools they need to fight off health problems.
Vitamins also require the presence of these minerals to function correctly in the body, so unless it contains all these nutrients, any vitamin supplement we take will be useless.
Look for a multivitamin supplement that includes minerals, trace minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and herb extracts to provide your body with all the tools it needs to maintain good health.
- Natural vs. Synthetic Vitamins -
There is an overwhelming amount of information available on the merits of natural vitamins compared with those synthetically made, but if you have a choice, be sure to select the natural variety.
Recent research confirms that natural vitamins are more readily useable by the body than synthetic vitamins, and that the natural type remains active in the body for a longer period of time. Our bodies seem more receptive to vitamins in their natural state, which increases their efficacy in improving our health.
So why do manufacturers produce synthetic vitamins at all? The answer is simple; because they are cheaper to produce than their natural counterparts.
So make sure that you choose a multivitamin supplement made of natural ingredients in order to balance your body’s health naturally.
- The Synergy of Nature -
Because nature operates in harmony, producing a high quality, effective supplement does not involve simply adding separate ingredients together. The active ingredients interact in natural ways, and capturing this natural harmony in a supplement is a task that must be performed by skilled scientists and nutritionists.
The combination of active ingredients must be undertaken with great care, as many of these ingredients interact with one another, and an incorrect combination can produce harmful effects.
Before you purchase a supplement, ensure that the manufacturer has the scientific expertise to produce products that are safe and effective.
- How Do I Choose a Reliable Manufacturer? -
The supplement industry in the U.S. is only loosely regulated, and choosing a good supplement can be difficult. Some products do not even contain the active ingredients they should, and others do not the correct amounts needed to ensure optimal health. Even today some of them contain substances that might actually be harmful to your health.
Look for a manufacturer that follows GMP guidelines, as these are the highest standard available, and will ensure manufacturing and quality control procedures have been carefully followed.
- So What Is In The Bottle? -
Since what is on the label is no guarantee of what is actually in your supplement bottle, request a Certificate of Analysis (COA) for the product, which is available from the manufacturer. This will give a good indication of the quality and purity of the active ingredients. If the manufacturer does not supply this with every product they sell, simply choose another brand.
So be careful in choosing a vitamin supplement. It will help you maintain optimal health, today, and in the future. And remember, “pretty packaging” does not make them any better.
(part 2 will discuss each of the different vitamins and what they do)
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