How supplementation can help you with your wellness goals

Vitamins and mineral supplements are a good way to supply your body with nutrients that you might not be getting from your diet. Go down any vitamin aisle in a drugstore, market, or health food store. The first thing you will see is all the 'natural' supplements and vitamin complex tablets that all claim to provide all kinds of benefits.  There are supplements that claim to help you lose weight without exercise. Does it sound too good to be true? It is.  You have to burn more calories than you consume and exercise will help you accomplish that but I digress.  If you are considering adding supplements to your diet, having a discussion with your doctor will help to determine whether or not adding supplements would be beneficial for you or not.

Are vitamins necessary for optimum health?  Most people, even if they eat a healthy diet, may need some sort of supplementation.  Most vitamins are fine and are not harmful.  If someone does not eat a healthy diet or because of illness has a limited diet a vitamin supplement could be very helpful. Fruits and vegetables have important vitamins in them and should not be eliminated from a diet unless a doctor orders it. In this case, a supplement would most likely be necessary.  Your body needs vitamins to keep it functioning. 

Most people think that vitamins alone are a source of energy.  That is not the case. Vitamins help regulate the body's metabolism. Vitamins also help the food we eat release its energy. It's the food that when absorbed and broken down into the nutrients the body can use that provides our body with energy. For instance, the body more easily absorbs calcium if you are also taking Vitamin D.  Most calcium supplements are already fortified with Vitamin D. 

There are thirteen vitamins that are all important to achieve optimum health. Vitamins E & C contain antioxidants. Antioxidants help to release free radicals, which are high-energy particles. These high-energy particles damage healthy blood cells. Studies are now coming out that indicate that the consumption of vitamins and supplements may aid in fighting cancer and preventing other chronic diseases. The research is by no means conclusive in this regard. Studies continue to be conducted in an effort to aid us with achieving optimal health.

A word of caution…there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  An excess amount of vitamins in your system could cause bleeding and negative interactions with some prescription medications. 

Listed below are some vitamins and how overdoses can affect you.

• Vitamin A - Too much vitamin A can cause neurological problems

• Vitamin D - Too much vitamin D disrupts the balance of calcium in the body that can lead to calcium deposits in the soft tissues of the body.

• Vitamin C - Too much vitamin C can lessen the effectiveness of other medications.

• Vitamin E - Too much vitamin E can cause blood not to clot and can cause other bleeding issues.

Vitamins are just one tool among many that are available to us to help us get healthy and remain healthy. Vitamins alone will not do this. A healthy diet, exercise, and regular health checkups will do this.  

No one knows better than I do how important it is to eat properly and take care of my body. Also, like many others I have a tendency to be drawn to junk food. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to get some exercise in. I also take vitamins and other supplements to help my body work better. 

There are a variety of opinions about vitamins, supplements, and healthy eating.  Vitamins are generally ok unless they are fortified with iron.  The effectiveness of vitamins with iron is often hotly debated. Some studies argue that too much iron can result in a fatal disease called Hemochromatosis, which attacks liver function. Therefore, some researchers suggest that iron supplementation should only be recommended if there is a diagnosed iron deficiency such as anemia.

You have complete control in this area. Do your research; there are a great number of websites that provide information on supplements and how they work. You should sit down with your physician and discuss your options.  S/he may suggest you meet with a nutrition specialist as well. Get smart and be healthy.  A little knowledge is a very good thing and in the case of vitamins the more you know how they work and how they could be harmful, the safer and healthier you will be. Trust your instincts, know your body, and get help if you need it. Good eating, good exercise, plenty of water and common sense will help you to meet your goal of good health.

For a nutrition and exercise plan that helps you achieve optimal health, click here.