Supplements role in health and wellness
The supplement industry today is big business! A new study funded by the Natural Products Foundation (April 2010) has found the total economic contribution of the dietary supplement industry to the U.S. economy is more than three times annual consumer sales, or $61 billion per year. Despite this widespread consumption, the average person is dazed and confused when it comes to how to use supplements to support their wellness goals; and the confusion gets worse as we enter the weight loss aisles. Slimtronics will give you a good grasp of the fundamentals essential to sound health and fitness supplementation.
Although it's assumed by countless individuals that they get everything they need from food alone without supplements, no study has ever confirmed this notion at least with respect to standards needed to achieve optimum health and prevent the premature degeneration of the mind and body, or prevent the disability we see in the geriatric population. Need is generally confined to the prevention of classical disease, such as scurvy or pellagra, as opposed to enhancing quality of life, optimizing energy balance, attaining ideal body composition or maximizing peak physical performance.
Dietary supplements guarantee a minimal or optimal quantity of nutrients essential to our practical and functional requirements, depending on their potency, form and quality.
Micronutrient density
All foods possess limitations and an incomplete diet causes symptoms of disease and even death. The USDA surveyed 21,500 people and discovered that not one single person obtained 100% of the RDA for each of ten essential nutrients (B6, B12, B1, B2, vitamin A, D, C, E, magnesium, and calcium).
Variance in micronutrient density in food obtained from different regions of the world is a scientific given, and without actual chemical analysis, it's impossible to know for sure. In other words, you can't tell by looking at a tomato its exact nutritional makeup. And when commercial health food is analyzed, it seldom if ever meets textbook reference values. Can our food base possibly sustain us with everything we need, if the soil upon which it is grown is infertile, eroded and stripped of elements through years of forced production. Without selenium or chromium in the soil, there won't be any selenium or chromium in the asparagus or spinach grown on that particular soil. Plants and people can't create minerals out of thin air.
Micronutrient values of 200 of the most common natural foods selected varied tremendously depending on where they were grown or raised, their age, exposure to light, heat, and oxygen, methods of growth, packaging, processing and soil fertility. The preparation and cooking of even the freshest, organic food further reduces its potential to nourish our bodies. Without a reliable food supply, and based on the current science of nutritional pharmacology, it makes perfect sense to reinforce the best possible diet with supplements. Getting everything needed from food alone is possible, but only in the context of achieving the lowest possible standards. Even the very best food choices cannot compete with what 3 to 12 grams of Vitamin C and 800 to 2000mg of Vitamin E can achieve against Sick Building Syndrome, smog, secondhand smoke and the chemical toxicants in the water supply.
Supplements to compensate
Some people believe you can take supplements to compensate for a bad diet, but that's a fallacy; the new paradigm is that you add the finest supplements you can find to the best possible diet you can eat, and then combine that strategy with controlled exercise. The new paradigm of sports nutrition focuses on health, biological age and function. It parallels nutrition science and clinical research in human performance. The objective is to minimize the quality of your life. Supplementation allows you to achieve an even higher level of performance and health.
The name of the game is performance. Whether you're on the field, at home behind closed doors or in the office, your ability to perform is the bottom line. The good news is that anyone can improve his or her performance, regardless of age or gender. The correct use of reputable dietary supplements can play a vital role in optimal nutrition. Best of all, for our clients, we have a proven online technology that helps our end-users stay on track with the finest supplements that provide maximum flexibility with their meal plan.