What is Supplementing?
Supplementing as per dictionary.com means something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole. When it comes to diet or nourishment it also means: to help you get stronger or healthier or complete a dietary requirement one lacks.
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Our bodies rely mostly on the food that we eat for vitamins and minerals which we get mainly from fruits and vegetables. However, with the depleting quality of the food these days, we do not get the right amount of nutrients our body needs anymore. That’s why it is recommended to supplement or take vitamins. Supplementing is to fill the gap of what food can’t give.
Do we really need to?
Supplementing is really a personal choice. However, there are times when it is necessary. Have you ever had the doctor advise you to take additional vitamins, say a B12 or as simple as Vitamin C or Zinc? There will be days and periods of our health that we are lacking in vitamins and minerals and supplementing with multi-vitamin will help to keep us well supported. What about your doctor advising on avoiding certain foods and focusing on having more dark leafy vegetables (Vitamin A, D)? Definitely, our bodies will need extra support, maybe not through pills, but definitely through eating whole foods.
We have to admit that our earth is not what it used to be. Pollution in the air, water, and soil increase as the years go by, and many farmers need to supplement the soil and water as well. We need to understand that the quality of the harvest will depend on the quality of the soil, air, and water they are grown in. And so because of this, we will likely need to supplement.
5 Tips before you supplement
Here are tips to jumpstart before you decide to purchase your supplements,
- Educate yourself. Research is the best way to know more about what supplements can do for you and what you need. Read up on the supplement and get from various resources, and not just one or two.
- Set your goals and do it for the right reasons. Ask yourself: WHY DO I NEED IT? Do not rely on other people’s words or results. There is no one size fits all when it comes to choosing supplements.
- Discuss with your doctor. If you are having health issues, see your doctor first. Do not self medicate.
- Not a magic pill. Supplements are not the cure to any health problems, weight and fitness concerns.
- Quality vs Quantity. Be wary of cheap (i.e. buy-two-take-one) and claim health benefits. They may do you more harm than good.
Remember not all supplements are created equal. Good quality supplements are science-based and PDR (Physician Desk Reference) plus FDR approved.
For more information on how to choose the right supplements, we came across this interesting podcast with Dr. Dan Gubler, a world-renown scientist and has 10 patents to date. https://www.buzzsprout.com/222448/1941188. Very informative.
7 Supplements that Women need
It’s a given, we women are made differently from men, therefore our needs are different in some ways too. Here are what women need especially if we want to age gracefully. *source: https://fullscript.com/blog/best-womens-health-supplements-by-age
- Probiotic – Probiotics help build good gut bacteria. The more good bacteria, the better. Probiotic that is recommended by the US PDR containing 5 different strains of good bacteria per dose is recommended. Having good bacteria and a healthy gut is key to better absorbing the nutrients from food and makes supplementing more efficacious.
- Calcium – Women need calcium more since pregrancy/post-natal/ all through menopausal till post-menopause causes a depletion in calcium in our bones and because our bodies can’t create calcium at the same level.
- Iron – You may have taken iron supplements while pregnant, but as we age, our iron levels need to be maintained for healthy blood cells.
- Omega-3 – Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid that our body doesn’t produce and therefore we need to source it from food and supplements. Omega 3 helps in brain and heart health and is anti-inflammatory. Select an Omega-3 that is approved by the U.S. PDR and is rated ‘purest form’
- Magnesium – Magnesium aids with the absorption of Calcium, plus it has great benefits to reduce anxiety and stress. It also plays a role in lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels. A combination of both Calcium and Magnesium is recommended.
- Vitamin B – B complex vitamins support mood, digestion, heart, and sleep health. Plus, as we age, Vitamin B12 helps fight against memory loss.
- Vitamin D – If you’ve been building your career all these years in the office, you probably haven’t had enough Vitamin D from being outdoors and sunlight. Vitamin D is an immune builder.
Conclusion
So should we supplement? We can’t deny that there are times we feel over-stretched over-worked, stressed and fatigued. We have a lot of balls in the air to juggle too — as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a career woman, etc. And truly, we cannot say we get that 100% nutrition that we need on a daily basis. We don’t even get to eat properly, much less get the chance to sit down and enjoy the meal. Supplementing is a personal choice. But it’s worth thinking about and taking as part of your daily healthy habit of eating whole foods, exercising, and taking enough rest. At the end of it all, you know you’re supplementing right when you feel improvement in your daily activities, an uplift in your emotional wellbeing, and improved focus and mental ability. Who wouldn’t want this?