Fitness enthusiasts have been able to create enough awareness to increase focus on health, food choices and diets for the past few years. Everyone is trying to improve their health and longevity and reaching out for solutions that are perceived to be quick and natural.
Health Supplements are being extensively promoted for usage across all age groups. Taking the right dietary supplement under proper supervision and in appropriate doses can certainly help supply your body with the nutrients it needs for optimal health but it can turn out to be harmful if consumed inappropriately.
There are numerous misconceptions about these nutritional supplements, here I will bust a few common myths and help you stay healthy and benefit from the supplements as per your needs.
1: Everyone Needs Supplements
Convinced with the prevalent marketing gimmicks of companies manufacturing nutritional supplements people have started believing that every individual from infants to elders are in need of these supplements as food they consume cannot fulfil their daily dietary requirements.
Fact: Most individuals can get all their needs through a well-balanced, healthy diet if they include raw fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Only in cases of deficiency that cannot be solved through food alone, taking prescribed doses of specific vitamins and minerals in which you’re deficient can help fill the gaps. Supplement consumption should be tailored and personalized to fulfil requirements basis your medical history. You should consult a doctor and run proper lab tests before taking any supplements.
2: Supplements Can Manage Lifestyle Diseases And Deficiencies
Most people believe that consuming dietary supplements can help cure or reduce risk of common diseases and deficiencies.
Fact: It is important for you to understand that nutritional supplements are not meant to treat health issues. They can only fill nutritional gaps, which are not being fulfilled even after having a good diet. Supplements cannot cure or reduce risks of health issues such as diabetes or heart attack.
3: Supplements Can Be A Replacement For Balanced Diet
People tend to opt for easier ways of staying healthy and a common misconception is using pills as a replacement for consuming nutrients through food.
Fact: When you eat whole foods, the nutrients your body needs are absorbed and the rest omitted from the system but the same does not stand true for nutrients received through supplements. They also do not ensure the exact same benefits as natural product like a calcium pill cannot provide the benefits of milk. You should not depend on supplements to fix your diet flaws as they can only be used on top of a balanced diet. Self-administering supplements can even lead to health hazards; it should always be done under medical supervision only.
4: All Protein Powders Or Multivitamins Are The Same
Most people believe it is safe to consume any protein powder or multivitamin capsule as they all have same composition and benefits.
Fact: All dietary supplements have different compositions. Protein powders are available in variants of soy protein, whey protein, casein and others; they all have different usage and specifications. They all have different amount of carbs, fat, cholesterol, and calories and work differently from each other. Similarly not all multivitamin capsules have all vitamins needed by you. They have different compositions and usage. The key is to choose the one that’s suitable for your goals and pocket.
5: No Need Of Supplements If You Eat Right
There is an age old belief that nothing can beat a balanced diet and nearly all nutrients found in supplements are available in food sources or are generated by the body itself.
Fact: In ideal conditions this might be true but not many people are actually aware of what and how much their body needs and where to get it from. You need to eat the right foods in just the right proportions to be able to absorb all the vital nutrients that your body needs to meet its caloric and nutritive requirement, especially if you are working out extensively. Moreover, the nutrients present in your daily diet may often get compromised while growing, processing and cooking due to faulty farming practices and over-cooking of the food. Proper testing and consultation with a doctor can help you analyze your deficiencies and appropriate dosage of dietary supplements.
6: Protein Puts Stress On Your Kidneys
Protein is essential for maintaining a healthy body and also aids in controlling your weight. High protein diets are recommended for building muscle mass but the popular misconception is that it affects the normal working of your kidneys.
Fact: Your kidneys are efficient at filtering and flushing out unwanted substances from your body. It is advised that you increase your water consumption when consuming proteins in higher quantities so that it does not stress your kidneys.
Key Takeaways
- Nutritional supplements are great to fill dietary gaps if administered under medical supervision.
- They are not magic pills for good health; they just support you by fixing flaws in your diet.
- A balanced diet with regular exercise and supplements as per your requirements can help you stay healthy and fit.