The Importance of Supplements

Did you know that supplement quality matters? Many people use dietary supplements to add vitamins, minerals, herbs, and nutrition to their bodies. However, not all supplements are created equal. Many products contain fillers and other ingredients such as dyes, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, and allergens like wheat or soy. Some also contain nutrients in a form that your body is not able to absorb. The supplement industry is flooded with products leaving most people confused and overwhelmed from the countless options. Unless you spend a lot of your own time researching products, choosing the best supplements is harder than it looks. 

Why do we need supplements? 

In a perfect world, we would be able to receive all the nutrients we need from the food that we consume. Unfortunately, this is close to impossible even when you are consuming a healthy diet. However, by consuming a whole foods diet along with high quality supplements; it is possible to achieve a well-nourished body.

Factors that affect nutrient depletion:

• Poor quality soil – Caused by modern day agriculture practices. Soil supplies our plants and food with nutrients and water. Therefore, as soil quality decreases so does the nutrition in our food. 
• Transportation, storage, and processing of our food has caused declining nutrient levels.
• Inadequate intake of vegetables and fruits – Stats Canada has stated that only 28.6% of Canadians aged 12 and older reported that they consume the daily recommended 7-10 servings/day of fruit and vegetables in 2017. That means that 71.4% are not eating enough on a daily basis!
• Gut health – Digestive function is important for the breakdown and absorption of nutrients.
• Toxins and additives in food – Pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, antibiotics, artificial colours and flavours take the nutrients from our bodies. 
• Medications – Over the counter and pharmaceutical medications also rob our bodies of nutrients.
• Stress – Constant stress in our busy lives will also deplete our bodies of vitamins and minerals. 

Does Supplement Quality Matter?

Absolutely! Supplements are not regulated and approved by the same standards as food and pharmaceutical drugs. The FDA does not need to approve supplements before they are sold. Instead, the manufacturers screen for quality, safety, and labelling themselves. Unfortunately, this has resulted in supplements containing fillers, dyes, allergens, binders, and other ingredients. In addition, synthetic and poorly absorbed forms of vitamins and minerals can also be used. At this point, you are just wasting your money on these low-quality supplements.

What are High Quality Supplements?

There are reputable manufacturers that only use high quality, active and natural forms of vitamins and minerals in their supplements. They can be purchased at health food stores or through a qualified practitioner. When you are researching and shopping for supplements, remember to keep the following in mind:

Manufactured in FDA-registered facilities

3rd Party tested (quality and purity)

>99% pure (free of fillers, dyes, binders, etc)

Free of allergens (wheat, soy, etc)

Highest bioavailable form (for absorption)

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537775/

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2020004/article/00001-eng.htm

https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/dietary-supplement-labeling-guide

https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/44/1/article-p15.xml

https://www.edf.org/health/unsafe-and-untested-chemicals-are-our-food

Blog Written by:  Kacia Mongeau

for more information or to order any of these products, click on the product links in this blog or contact us at info@nutritiondispensary.ca