Different Food Supplements

Health food supplements are one of the most popular selling products in the market these days. Recent surveys show that more than half of the adults consume health food supplements in different forms, such as capsules, tablets, powders, soft gels, gel caps and liquids. The increased consumption of health food supplements can be attributed to public awareness of health issues and improved standard of living in the society. Many studies have shown that there is a close connection between health and nutrition.

Inadequate supply of nutrients can weaken the body defense mechanism, causing medical problems from common ailments to more severe illnesses in the long term. There are different types of health food supplements, including macronutrients like amino acids, proteins, essential fatty acids; micronutrients like vitamins and minerals; enzymes like digestive enzymes and antioxidant enzymes; probiotics like beneficial bacteria in the gut; and herbal supplements. These supplements have unique functions in the body system. These supplements are either essential for life and good health, modulate the immune system or help with liver detoxification, digestion, mental clarity etc.

Most of the people argue that there is no need to consume health food supplements as long as they have a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet. While this may be true, the fact is maintaining a healthy lifestyle and proper healthy diet is difficult to achieve by most of the people. Over the past few decades, the green revolution has changed the farming process over the world. People use more chemical fertilizers, more pesticides to grow the food produce in order to increase harvest and shorten the growth period. As a result, soil nutrients and the population of beneficial soil bacteria are depleted rapidly, and the produce they grow today contain less micronutrient than before.

An improper eating habits, stressful lifestyle, imbalanced diet and increased exposure to chemicals such as environmental pollutants like air, water and pesticides, hormones, drugs, heavy metals in foods also weaken our body gradually.

Although health food supplements can be beneficial to the health, consumers should still choose the products carefully. Currently, there is little guideline on the quality of health food supplements. Composition of some health food supplementary products may not match the label claims and the quality of raw materials and finished products is not guaranteed. Therefore, consumers should only buy from reputable health food supplement manufacturers, and should read the labels carefully and read more related literatures.

Herbal products are a staple in low-fat cooking because they enhance flavor without adding fat or sugars to the food. But they also contain antioxidants, which help to fight free radicals that cause cell and immune damage. Curry spices, ginger, dill, rosemary, and sage are all rich in antioxidants. People can also take herbs in supplement form to better control. Liquid supplements are better than solids because they are absorbed faster and they can be mixed in with regular preferable drinks. However, since most foods contain only a selective nutrients, most dietitians recommend nutritional supplements health food to meet RDAs. Multivitamin supplements combine essential vitamins and minerals making them ideal for diabetics and people on weight-loss diets, who have limited food choices.

• John Palsson
• 07/12/2008, 9:09 PM
• 0 Comments