Supplements

    Every time I enter the vitamin Shoppe I am taken aback. The overwhelming amount of options and hype intimidates me.  I can only imagine what it is like for anyone who has never studied nutrition.  I read everything available to me to find the latest studies and research and the findings are still tough to navigate.  If you listen to the sales people in a health food store, you would spend half your day popping pills. It is important that you understand that these are sales people and are often only educated enough on the selling points of products and not the science behind the product.

    There are wonderfully talented herbalists and alternative medicine practitioners. There are also a lot of quacks out there.  I urge you to do your research before you take anyone's word about what to put into your body.  

    I am not a huge supplement user or fan. There are very few things that are truly proven to be effective. There are however, some really great things you can do for your body with the help of supplements.

   Vitamins.  There are many. There are water soluble vitamins (all of the B's including Niacin, Riboflavin, and B12 , vitamin C etc) and there are fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K).  Water soluble vitamins are flushed out of your body on a regular basis in urine and even sweat. Fat soluble vitamins are stored in your body's fat and not washed out. That being said, high megadoses (which many multi vitamins contain) of water soluble vitamins will be flushed down the toilet, literally, while fat soluble vitamins will be stored.  Megadoses of Fat Soluble vitamins can actually be harmful and cause toxicity.

    Make sure you read the labels of what you are taking. You want to get the RDA% of all your needed nutrients but you do not to overdose.  Personally, I take one of children's chewables I give my twins. It has iron (which women who are still of childbearing years still need to be aware of) and 100% RDA of the basics.  As I said in earlier blogs, food is the best source for your nutrients and I am focused on trying my best to get them from a healthy diet.  A multi vitamin can fill in the gaps of what you do not get though.

    Calcium is often not offered at the full RDA in most supplements.  The jury is still out on how effective supplementation is for calcium.  The research supports getting our calcium from lean dairy. Calcium is very important for bone density and therefore metabolism. You metabolism is basically your "lean body mass". This being bones and muscle. 

    There has also been a lot of talk and discussion this year about Vitamin D.  We are getting better about sunblock and our jobs/lives no longer have us working outside so much. Vitamin D is produced by our bodies when we are in the sun.  It only takes about 10 minutes of daily exposure to get your RDA.  They are finding that some people's bodies are not making vitamin D as they should.  You can have your levels checked at your doctor's office.  Low levels have been linked to all kinds of very serious health problems. I seriously advice you all to be aware of getting your RDA of Vitamin D.

     Besides vitamins, there are all kinds of plant flavonoids that are wonderful for you.  Do your research and buy any products you use from reputable sources.  I have found a company who makes chews and drinks that I love that contain green tea and flavonoid antioxidants. You can buy condensed green tea you can add to your water or brew up a few cups and sip them throughout the day.

     The one supplement I believe everyone should take is Omega 3s.  The research is astounding how important Omega 3 fatty acids are in health of our brains, heart and even moods. Please read up on them and learn more.

    As far as weight loss goes, there are a million supplements that are heavily advertised. Weight loss is a huge business and many/most claims are not supported by any scientific research at all. CLA is perhaps the only supplement that has been shown to be conservatively effective.  Check with your doctor and do not buy into the "market" of weight loss. Healthy lifestyles and good choices are what lead to success.

    Work out/recovery wise, I personally like amino acids. When you train hard and get sore, you make tiny injuries to your muscle tissue. When they heal, you heal stronger. Soreness is a good sign that you are building lean muscle.  Muscle is built by protein and amino acids are the building blocks of protein.  I really like Amino Vital sports mixes. I put them in my water when I teach.  The chemistry behind Amino Vital is very strong.  There are other forms of Amino acids and other brands/forms that are also very good. Do you research. Do your research.

    One of most important things you can put in your body of course is WATER.  Water is such a huge business right now. Many waters are advertised as having all sorts of benefits.  Most contain lots of sugar and coloring and very little effective ingredients. I highly recommend plain old tap water that also contains flouride for your teeth.  I love to use a metal water bottle and safe the earth yet another plastic bottle.

    I invite you to ask questions. Both here on my blog and everywhere. Learn about what you are eating.  Be an educated consumer.  We all have choices to make every day.  The road to health is basically making the right choices most of the time throughout your day.  I believe it is important to eat that homemade cookie is you really want it.  As long as you make healthy choices there is room for the things you WANT to eat even if they are not what you THINK you should eat.  I tell my clients to shoot for 85% great choices only. Be kind to your body and your self.  Take the emotion and the power away from food and it gets easier and easier to be happy.