Protein is essential to building and maintaining muscle. The most ideal sources include poultry, fish, eggs and dairy foods.
Supplements, just like any food consumed, are broken down by stomach and intestine acids and then absorbed into the bloodstream before being delivered directly to organs and cells where they serve a vital purpose. What’s the optimal way of taking in nutrition into our bodies?
Fiber
If you think fiber is only good for bran flakes and keeping you regular, then you are missing out on its many other advantages. Registered dietitian Beth Czerwony stresses the numerous health benefits dietary fiber offers besides just keeping regular. She notes how it reduces cholesterol and can aid weight loss as well.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans are excellent sources of dietary fiber, but you can also get it through supplements made with ingredients such as psyllium or methylcellulose. Food manufacturers often use these supplements to add bulkiness without increasing caloric intake – ideal for smoothies and soups!
When selecting a dietary supplement, always look for one that has been third-party tested to ensure its safety and purity. Organizations like NSF, USP and ConsumerLab provide independent evaluations that certify they meet quality standards from batch to batch; additionally the FDA regularly evaluates them to ensure they don’t contain drugs or hazardous levels of contaminants (34)
Herbal Supplements
Dietary supplements, including herbal medicines, provide a natural source of vitamins and minerals. People have used herbal products medicinally for centuries; pills, capsules, teas and other forms are readily available as herbal medicine alternatives or to stay healthy. Herbs can even serve as alternatives for prescription drugs.
Herbal products do not fall under FDA regulation and thus do not undergo clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy, unlike pharmaceutical medications which undergo extensive evaluation processes to establish safety and effectiveness. Unfortunately, some herbs can interfere with prescription medicines causing side effects to arise that require additional medical treatment.
Memorial Sloan Kettering recommends that patients disclose all use of dietary supplements and herbal remedies to healthcare providers, so all interprofessional teams are working from a uniform view and can communicate consistently to patients. Some dietary supplements should be avoided by individuals who are immunocompromised, have liver disease or are scheduled for surgery as these could interfere with certain cancer treatments; others may impede cancer therapy altogether.
Whole Food Supplements
Your body can only effectively absorb synthetic vitamins and minerals when supplemented with whole food supplements, like Drucker Labs intraMAX 2.0 and PhytoMulti, that contain essential organic trace minerals, nutrients, and vitamins from food rather than being chemically engineered in a laboratory! For maximum effectiveness we advise switching over to whole food-based options like these!
Rooted Nutrition only sells true whole food supplements. When labeling their products as “whole food,” “food-based,” or “raw,” these terms must correspond with ingredients found naturally, not chemically synthesized ones like pyridoxine hydrochloride that have no place in a raw food supplement.
Foods containing natural compounds that enhance their bioavailability make whole foods superior to synthetic supplements; bitter foods in particular are known to trigger digestive secretions and help your body more easily absorb vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins & Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are considered essential nutrients, as their numerous functions range from strengthening bones to supporting immunity. From turning food into energy to repairing cell damage, vitamins and minerals help your body use fat efficiently while producing haemoglobin and producing proteins – essential ingredients indeed! Minerals are commonly known by their initials (A, C, D, E and K). There are two groups of minerals: macrominerals and microminerals. Macrominerals include those needed by our bodies in greater amounts than 100 milligrams for everyday functioning such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium; microminerals have smaller requirements. Microminerals, such as zinc and iodine, are essential elements needed in smaller quantities for body function. To get enough vitamins and minerals in a balanced diet, vitamin supplements should only be taken at low dosage under medical guidance.
High dose supplements may lead to toxicity. Therefore, getting most of your vitamins and minerals from fresh, unprocessed food sources remains the ideal way to ensure maximum nutritional intake. Supplements may be beneficial in certain instances such as pregnant women who do not consume enough fruits and vegetables or people who lack access to healthful produce such as vitamins.
