Supplements can help address nutritional deficiencies caused by poor eating habits, but with so many choices out there it can be daunting to choose one.
Before taking any new supplements, it’s essential to read labels and look for products with either the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or NSF International logo, which confirm they contain verified ingredients without contaminants or harmful impurities. Also consult your internal medicine physician in Cary before initiating them.
Vitamins
Vitamins are vital nutrients your body requires in order to thrive and perform normally. Most of these essential vitamins come from food sources; deficiencies may have serious adverse consequences on health in different ways.
Water-soluble vitamins include vitamins C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, folate/folic acid and biotin. As these do not store within your body’s tissues, liver and fat tissues act as reservoirs to store these essential vitamins until you need them again.
Vitamin D is another essential nutrient, essential to normal bone health and mood regulation. Working in tandem with vitamin K to move calcium into bones, Vitamin D helps ensure good mood by helping keep serotonin levels regulated within the brain.
Select wellness supplements bearing the United States Pharmacopeia or NSF International logos to ensure quality products with verified ingredients. These symbols can often be seen on packaging and indicate that quality inspection has taken place on this item. Taking multivitamins can easily help fill nutritional gaps and promote overall wellbeing.
Minerals
Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances with distinct chemical composition and orderly atomic structure that occur naturally in nature. There are thousands of known minerals, with quartz and coal among the more popular examples that are common enough to be found in everyday products.
Most minerals can be identified based on their chemical makeup and crystalline structure; however, other physical characteristics also play an important part. Hardness, lustre, streaking colour diaphaneity cleavage fracture specific gravity are all helpful indicators in classifying minerals.
Graphite, commonly found in pencils, and diamonds are both carbon-based minerals with very different physical properties: graphite is soft and breaks easily while diamonds are known for being one of the hardest substances on Earth due to different bonds among their carbon atoms. This variation results from these differences between their chemical bonds.
Iron is a beloved mineral that plays an essential role in keeping blood cells functioning effectively to transport oxygen throughout your body and reduce bruising while maintaining energy levels.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes such as calcium, potassium and sodium play an essential role in our bodies – maintaining fluid balance, controlling heart rate and muscle contractions and supporting brain health are among their many functions.
Traditional sports drinks provide athletes with an easy, sugar-laden solution for longer-duration exercise and replacing electrolytes lost through sweat, but may only offer low-grade electrolytes that don’t help their performance.
Your body relies on potassium to contract and move food through your system, and any shortage can impede this process and result in bloating, constipation and nausea.
Healthy potassium levels are vital in controlling blood pressure, since potassium works together with sodium to create the ideal environment for normalizing it. A deficiency can result in high blood pressure; thus some individuals receive intravenous fluids with electrolytes prior to, during, and after surgery to help restore their levels.
Fiber
Wellness supplements such as general health vitamins and daily fiber supplements are among the most essential to our wellbeing. They supply essential nutrients that support basic functions in our bodies such as immune system function and energy production.
Fiber can be found in whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, but for many individuals an extra boost may be necessary to prevent constipation, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome. Soluble fiber supplements made of psyllium or methylcellulose offer a gritless texture that mixes easily in water for easy consumption.
Search for wellness supplements bearing the USP or NSF International logos to ensure contaminant-free products. Increase fiber slowly so as to avoid side effects like gas and bloating; general health vitamins with antioxidants and herbs will increase energy levels as you work toward overall wellbeing.
