While a healthy and balanced diet is essential for leading a healthy lifestyle, our busy schedules and food choices prevent us from getting all the nutrients our body needs.
Hence, in such cases, dietary supplements can be the perfect alternative to ensure that your body gets all the vitamins it needs in order to function at it’s best by filling in the nutritional gaps in our meals.
That said, it is imperative to consult your healthcare provider before taking any supplements as they may react adversely to any underlying medical condition or interact with prescription medications.
This is because, minerals and vitamins, though essential, their overuse through supplements can sometimes cause more harm than good.
Therefore using the right supplements can help achieve overall health and wellness as they enrich your meals with omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins A,C,E and B complex. zinc and other minerals.
While both good health and hair are a result of a well-balanced diet, it is essential that it should include the right proportion of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, water and fiber as well.
Diet optimization holds the key
Begin your day with a nutrient-rich breakfast and follow with healthy snacks and dinners rich with iron. Incorporate fruits, vegetables, lean proteins in your food to nourish not only your hair, but overall body health.
In a nutshell, to make sure your body receives all the nutrients necessary to remain strong and healthy, incorporate all the rich foods mentioned above and add supplements as a useful tool in case of any deficiency.
How to make informal choices when choosing high-quality dietary supplements
The dietary supplement market is so saturated today that it is difficult to know which product to choose over another, especially when they are not regulated like medicine.
Dietary supplements can also come in various forms including pills, powder, gummies and tablets, but their purity and even existence of active ingredients is not guaranteed. Despite that, there are safe ways to navigate supplements and choose one right for you.
Here are some tips on how to make the best choices when choosing supplements to integrate in your diet to maximize athletic performance and overall well-being.
Choose from reputable brands
Choosing a reputable brand is a guarantee of quality and safety when it comes to selecting dietary supplements. However, it is also important to identify which brands can be trusted over another.
Check for transformative products using quality materials with pure vegan ingredients, gluten-free and non-GMO, backed by solid clinical research and trusted physicians.
The product should provide a proper balance of the essential vitamins, phytonutrients and minerals to equally support overall skin, hair, nail and body health.
Other things to check are:
● Transparency
● Reputation and history
● Reviews and customer feedback
● Commitment to quality
● Market presence
Prioritize natural ingredients
Prioritizing natural ingredients can offer multiple health benefits when it comes to choosing a supplement to incorporate in your diet.
Avoid chemicals and artificial additives in order to maintain a healthy hormonal balance and support immune function.
Moreover natural ingredients are better absorbed by the body and carry much fewer risks of any side-effects and are also a sustainable choice.
For example, Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is crucial for men’s health as this water soluble vitamin helps the body to convert food into energy and also supports skin, hair and nail health.
When choosing natural ingredients look for:
● Organic certifications
● No artificial additives
● Ingredients sourced sustainably
● Support for overall well-being
● Community driven
Verify labels and quality certificates
In order to ensure you are consuming a safe and effective product, check for quality certification and labels to choose the right dietary supplement.
These certifications are an important indicator that the product has been manufactured in accordance with standards like quality assurance, safety and transparency.
Unlike prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs, the FDA does not regulate supplements. Hence, the facility should be controlled by rigorous third party audits that meet the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) standards.
This effective testing means you can then trust all products of the manufacturer for purity, strength and composition of every label. Apart from the brand’s website, you can check certifications on online databases like the NSF international website.
Compare Prices
Comparing prices is also a good step to take when choosing a dietary supplement to make sure you are getting the best value for your money.
Since a high price tag does not necessarily mean better quality, on the other hand a cheaper product may contain low-quality ingredients.
To compare prices and arriving at the best choice do an analysis of value for money by:
● Checking the ingredients and dosage
● Formulation and effectiveness
● Established brands vs New brands
● Identifying similar products from other brands
● Compromising on quality
● Additives and Contaminants
● Seasonal offers
● Loyalty programs
● Reading reviews and comparing websites
● Subscriptions and renewal
● Delivery fees
Avoid supplements with a long list of ingredients
Avoid products with too many ingredients because simple targeted formulations are often more safe and effective.Toidentify the best product to suit your needs, check for:
● Concentration of active ingredients
● Optimized absorption quality
● Risk of allergies and interactions
● Easy identification of ingredients
● Increased trust and commitment to quality
To identify the best products read the labels carefully to ensure the ingredients serve the specific beneficial purpose.
Also ensure that the quantity of the active ingredients is sufficient enough to be effective and avoid products touting numerous ingredients, albeit in small amounts.
Consult reliable sources
Consult reliable sources to make informal decisions when seeking information on dietary supplements. Use the following sources to check the safety and quality of your supplement choices:
● Peer-reviewed publications
● Scientific databases
● Read the summary and conclusions of the studies
In addition, consult the websites of major health institutions like the WHO or National Institute of Health(NIH) to gather information based on solid data.
Specialized websites such as WebMD, Mayo Clinic etc offer articles written by healthcare professionals to ensure the reliability of the information.
Also make sure the information is up to date as nutrition recommendations keep evolving from time to time.
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