You hear a lot about supplements. Your friends, your family or you are using them as well. But you do not know clearly about it, or even wondering if these supplements are really good for health? All of your concerns will be answered by Nikenko below.
THE CONCEPT OF SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements are the food products that are manufactured to supplement nutrients for human. Supplements can be minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids and others. They are supplied in tablet, capsule, liquid or powder form for oral use.
THE SOURCE OF THE SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements derived naturally from animals, plants or minerals. They are extracted, concentrated or removed from harmful ingredients, added beneficial ingredients, to supplement nutrients, to help improve the health of consumers.
ARE SUPPLEMENTS AND FUNCTIONAL FOODS SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT?
Supplements are part of functional foods, but they are different. Functional foods are used to support the functions of the human body to increase resistance, reduce the risk of disease. These include supplements, health protection foods and nutritious foods.
SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT MEDICINES
Although supplementation is necessary and can support for the prevention of some diseases. However, the supplements are not medicines, and they cannot replace medicines.
In Japan, the cradle of functional foods is also distinguished. The medicines are managed quite tightly, to buy the medicines you need to have a prescription from your doctor. With supplements, you can easily buy them anywhere like a supermarket, trade center or store. And Japanese take supplements for good health every day.
SHOULD WE USE SUPPLEMENTS?
Many studies have shown that most of us tend to be nutrient deficient rather than adequate. Some of the nutrients that are essential to the body are found very little, or incomplete in nature. Moreover, the food processing also reduces or even loses the important nutrients (for example: vitamins B, C... will be lost if cooked for too long at high temperature).
Therefore, the supplements contain nutrients found naturally in either refined or concentrated form, effectively helping to supply the above deficiency. In addition, it also provides a number of vitamins, minerals or other organic substances that the human body cannot synthesize. This is one of the very good solutions for the body to improve its resistance, enhance immunity, anti-aging and diseases.
WHEN WE NEED TO TAKE SUPPLEMENTS?
You need to understand that a balanced daily diet is always the top choice for your body to absorb the best and most natural nutrients. Thus, before you take any supplements, you should determine whether you really need them or not. If your diet is balanced with a variety of foods (for example: vegetables, roots, fruits, grains, meat, milk...) and your body is healthy, well absorbed, you may not need to use them.
On the other hand, if you have an unbalanced diet, often skip meals, eat according to your preferences or a diet, or on a vegetarian diet ... then supplementing with oral food is the solution for you. It is also a useful choice for people with chronic diseases, the atopic ability has poor absorption or cannot synthesize essential nutrients for the body.
BENEFITS OF SUPPLEMENTS TO OUR HEALTH
Many studies have shown that the deficiency of vitamins, minerals, fiber ... and bioactive substances in the daily diet is related to a number of chronic diseases. This is also the reason why the experts recommend that we take supplements to improve our diet, help our health to stay healthy and minimize the risk of disease.
Beside, depending on the intended use, the supplement is also incorporated into beauty, weight loss, fitness or energy-increasing support, meeting the needs of exercise and sports. Antioxidant foods are also helpful in neutralizing free radicals and toxins. It can help the body reduce damage by harmful factors from the environment, slow down the aging process
CONCLUSION
Despite many positive health benefits, each supplement has its own composition, function, and its object. It is not a "panacea", nor can completely replace the daily diet. So, do not overuse it and should consider and choose the right product for your body. Maintaining healthy habits, eating well, and taking appropriate supplements are the best way to stay healthy and get optimal performance.