Is it time to supplement the diet?

Jan 19 2008 by Hannah Davies, The Journal

ACONTROVERSIAL question. Nutritional supplementation suggests that we require an extra source of nutrients in addition to our daily food intake to maintain and enhance our health. If this is so, we need to consider when and why the body would be lacking the required nutrients in the first place.

A lot of research points to the beneficial use of supplements, from roles in stress management to recovering from illness. However, before deciding to do so there are several factors you should consider:

What is the standard of your nutritional intake at the moment and are there any improvements you could make here first?

Could any aspect of your lifestyle, exercise routine and activity levels be altered to enhance your wellbeing?

Do you have any ailments or conditions that would benefit from specific nutrient supplementation?

What is the quality of the product?

Supplement, don’t substitute. I have many conversations with clients and colleagues on this topic. A frequent concern is that supplementation is almost a way of cheating; surely most people would benefit from simple changes to nutrition and activity levels. This is indeed true, but for real gains in health and performance we may need to look further into nutritional science.

Our bodies have evolved and are set up to work ideally with:

An excellent source of non-processed, fresh and quality foods;

A day that regularly includes functional movement and exercise;

An environment clean and free from pollution/toxins;

A day relatively free from stressors such as traffic jams.

Yet even if you are motivated and committed to quality exercise and you invest time, money and thought into what you eat, the likelihood is that you may have:

A stressful job;

Family/social pressures;

Exposure to toxins and pollutants;

Exposure to viruses, illness and disease.

Difficulty finding, preparing and time-managing an ideal nutritional intake.

So, while there should be no reliance on supplements, there may be cause to use them in specific, individual ways to reset the balance. It may not always be appropriate, but shouldn’t be seen as cheating or a substitute. Apply it as part of a comprehensive approach to optimal health and performance, free from illness and disease.

A vitamin/mineral supplement that helps control cortisol (stress hormone) levels could help us when our lifestyle is unavoidably busy, demanding and stressful. If your workplace or sitting in traffic is increasing levels of damaging heavy metals that are putting you at risk from Alzheimer’s, it might be advantageous to take an additional antioxidant or specific supplement. Whatever the specific situation, the decision to supplement should be informed and considered carefully, with appreciation of the person as a whole. BodyGuards Personal Training gym provides a comprehensive nutritional screening and programming approach through ‘Synergy’ and ‘BioSignature’ techniques.

Contact: 0779 276-1324, or jackwwalton@hotmail.com