If you’re supposed to be eating whole foods and you do that, isn’t that enough? Do you really need to take supplements?
Why isn’t a whole food diet enough?
If you’re eating a whole food diet rich in high-quality protein, a rainbow of veggies and fruits, and quality fats, you’re doing your body and mind a world of good. However, various factors can make it impossible to get all the nutrition you need from food to be at your peak of health or correct imbalances.
Did you know that 50% of the Vitamin C in an orange is gone just 20 minutes after it’s been cut? Or that just one 500mg capsule of Vitamin C gives you more Vitamin C than eight oranges?!
High-quality supplements, targeted just for your needs, may be the missing piece. Let’s examine several factors to consider when it comes to supplements.
Why You Might Need Supplements: The Effects of the Environment, Stress, and Aging
Our exposure to environmental toxins is increasing and hard for the body to process effectively on its own. Environmental toxins are all around and can enter your body through the food and water you consume, the air you breathe, cleaning products used at home, and the beauty products you use on your skin. They’re pretty much impossible to avoid! You may need supplements to support your body’s daily task of detoxification.
Stress is another inescapable factor of everyday life. Too much stress can lower your immune system and you may need support to help you stay well and energetic. Even good stress, such as gathering with family and friends at the holidays is taxing on the body. Supplementation can support you throughout the busy, high-pressure times of the year.
Your body changes as you age — including muscle loss, thinner skin and less stomach acid. Low stomach acid can affect the absorption of vital nutrients, such as iron, vitamin B12, calcium, and magnesium.
As you age, you need fewer calories, but more nutrients. This paradox can make it difficult to get all your nutrition from food. Nutrients that become especially important as you age include protein, vitamin D, calcium and vitamin B12.
If you have specific detoxification or weight loss goals, or you exercise a lot, it’s important to have your need for supplementation checked and monitored. Becoming lethargic, imbalanced, or even sick, will impede your progress in achieving the health and fitness levels you want.
Getting The Most Out Of Your Supplements
Take Only What You Need
We recommend Functional Nutritional Tests to help us determine exactly what supplements your body needs. We literally ask your body what it’s lacking, imbalanced in, and allergic to — it doesn’t get more personal than that!
Even if you don’t do the testing, our trained clinicians can use your history, needs, complaints, and goals to create a custom fit plan just for you.
We also offer “Supplement Checks” for past clients, so we can talk with you about how things are going and update your regimen. You don’t need to take every supplement forever, and through discussion and period testing, we can keep your regimen highly focused and financially efficient.
Purchase From A High-Quality Manufacturer
We’re so proud to work with Designs For Health, our primary supplement supplier because we know the research, testing, and quality standards of each and every product. We know everything from DFH contains the purest ingredients, and that they do everything they can to avoid the fillers, additives, inferior ingredients, and impurities often found in over the counter supplements.
This week we sat down for our monthly meeting with our rep from DFH. We spent over an hour discussing the best way to use the products to help our clients and staying up-to-date on current research. DFH also provides us with seminars, webinars, clinical talks, and a weekly podcast to keep us well informed and able to recommend the best supplements for you.
To learn more about Designs For Health’s rigorous testing and quality assurance, watch a short video HERE.
Consider A Custom Formula
Do you hate to figure out which supplement to take when and how to keep them all straight every day? Consider having us order a custom formula for you. Imagine having one large bottle of powder or capsules with everything you specifically need, with simple directions on how many to take and when. Custom formulas are available in 1 – 3-month supplies. Ask a qualified clinical nutritionist about this option.
The Bottom Line
- Eating a whole foods diet may not be enough to combat the effects of environmental toxins, stress, and aging.
- Smart strategies for taking supplements include:
- Finding out exactly what you need through testing and/or a conversation with one of our clinicians
- Have a Supplement Check periodically, especially if you’re not seeing your clinical nutritionist regularly, to help you stay in top form and save money in the long run
- Only take supplements from a reputable, professional manufacturer with the highest standards
- If you hate taking a lot of supplements, consider the convenience of a custom formula where everything you need is in one big jar of powder or capsules.
In good health,
The BeWell Associates Team
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