Are Supplements Necessary for Achieving a Healthy Lifestyle?
Are Supplements Necessary for Achieving a Healthy Lifestyle?
A word on supplements
The topic of supplementation is very relevant and I believe it is necessary to reiterate the discussion and highlight some of the reasons for supplement consumption.
In many ways, supplements are to humans what fertilizers are to plants. Supplements would not be for you if you were living in an ideal world with minimal work hours, time to yourself, a perfect diet, adequate sleep and a flawless work/social/personal life balance. As this is not the case, supplements are necessary for you to maintain optimal health.
Supplements not only maintain your health and help you gain muscle mass but they also supply the required nutrition to your body.
Am I referring to fat burners, shakes or miracle muscle supplements? Absolutely not!
Our focus here is the supplements responsible for maintaining overall health. These supplements may include multivitamins, fish oil, magnesium, vitamin D and probiotics to improve digestion.
Quality is a big issue with supplements. There are many red flags to watch out for. As supplements play an integral part in shaping your health, their quality should never be compromised.
Few of us have had the opportunity to visit the labs of supplement companies and witness the process/quality norms that go into creating their products.
Here are a few tips that can help you spot a bad product:
- Look for “oxides” on ingredient labels – magnesium-oxide, zinc-oxide, etc. These are the cheapest nutrients and have the lowest absorption potential.
- If taking fish oil results in eructation (burping), it means that it is a contaminated product.
- Probiotics should list the exact strain of the healthy bacteria used and the content should be well into the millions.
- Supplements should have an expiration date. Beware of products listing “time of manufacture” as their expiration period.
- A good multivitamin will list the exact type of nutrient. For example, it should not list magnesium, but instead magnesium glycinate or magnesium orotate, etc.
I recommend Metagenics as a premium supplement provider. They take great pride in providing quality products. All herbs are quarantined for 21 days and retested for quality by a third party with no financial stake in the company.
Combating Our Toxic Environment
Supplements are necessary because we live in a toxic world with poor food quality. Modern-day fertilizers block full absorption of the necessary vitamins and minerals in food.
When taking a good supplement you will feel the benefits within the first few days. Odd are, if you do not notice anything, it is a bad product with a poor absorption rate or the manufacturers are lying about what is in the product. For example, cheap fish oil can have elevated levels of PCBs and dioxins, which contribute to insulin resistance and can increase cancer rates.
We live in a time when high-quality supplement support is a must! Health and recovery from training and overall wellness are dependent on nutrient status and deficiencies. Soil nutrient is compromised by modern-day fertilizers and environmental toxins which affects the nutrients available to plants, to animals, and to us by extension.
Everyone on this planet would benefit from taking the foundation 5+1 supplements outlined below. The 5+1 nutrients work together synergistically for the greatest benefit.
My favorite foundation products from Metagenics are:
- PhytoMulti Caps
- Vitamin D3 5,000
- Omegagenics EPA/DHA 1,000
- Magnesium Glycinate
- Ultraflora Balance
- Zinc A.G.
If you are serious about your health and attaining results, supplementing with the foundation 5+1 will put you in the best position to succeed.
Based on my experience as a trainee, trainer and owner of a fitness facility, I believe these supplements will benefit you and help you to achieve your goals. There is no silver bullet for instant success but it is my assertion that these supplements can make a difference to your success so long as you are training, eating and resting well.
We have these available for purchase at BBCT, or you can find these at our online store: www.nickklein.metagenics.com
