Some people try to stick away from dietary supplements while others live off of it. Dietary supplements are used for people who struggle with nutrition from natural food sources.

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Whether it be from malnutrition or a health condition where you need more of a certain nutrient, dietary supplements can be beneficial for some, while for others, it just becomes excessive and even counter-effective for health. With that being said, let’s go through the most popular types of dietary supplements and how exactly do they affect your health.

Why do People Use Dietary Supplements?

Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements can be used for many different reasons. They can range from malnutrition, weight loss pills, energy enhancers and everything else in between.

Some people need to use it to recover from illnesses or to cope with certain health concerns while some use it to give their health an extra boost or edge.

The most common dietary supplements are:

  • Multivitamins
  • Vitamins
  • Fish oil
  • Diet pills
  • Herbal Ingredients
  • Caffeine
  • Zinc
  • Iron
  • Protein powder

The Good Side

Dietary Supplements

1. Combats malnutrition

Whether it’s due to malnutrition or a personal health complication that leaves you malnourished in a certain nutrient, dietary supplements are made for the purpose of helping you balance this out.

People with nutrient deficiencies will always have a hard time combatting it by eating whole foods. Dietary supplements such as iron, zinc and vitamin tablets can combat this. 

2. Supports people who struggle to eat full meals

Young children, the elderly and anyone who struggles to eat sufficient amounts of food will struggle to reach their daily recommended intakes. Dietary supplements can help people to reach them. This is the perfect solution for children and elderly people who simply can’t stomach a lot of foods.

3. Gives your health an advantage

A lot of people take it to provide themselves with an advantage in yet day of all things health. Whether its to lose weight, boost energy levels, or just feel generally better, dietary supplements can certainly help them as an alternative to overeating and feeling bloated.

4. Assist you with your dietary goals

For most people. Dietary supplements help them to boost up or bring them closer to their health goals. Whether it be losing weight or making you feel better, dietary supplements may not necessarily be essential in some cases, but they do give you a health advantage than not using it. They are called supplements because they supplement your health and bring you closer to your health goals.

The Bad Side

Dietary Supplements
  • Overdose – It’s super easy to overdose as a lot of dietary supplements contain an abundance of nutrients and in more excessive amounts then you really need. And because dietary supplements are very nutrient-dense, it doesn’t take much to overdose and lead to adverse effects.
  • Your body shouldn’t absorb more than it needs – Not only does your body not need the number of nutrients some supplements provides, it simply won’t absorb it, wasting your money and effort in the process. 
  • Can lead to poor dieting habits – Dietary supplements have the potential to make you feel like you don’t need to trust whole foods to let you reach your dietary supplements anymore. This can make people who struggle to reach their recommended caloric intake to take in even less. 
  • Over-reliance on dietary supplements – As the saying goes, you can’t out-supplement a bad diet. So no matter how many dietary supplements you take, you still need to eat whole food sources. By over-relying too much on supplements, you will end up overdosing on certain nutrients while becoming malnourished in others.

Things to Keep in Mind

Dietary Supplements

Stick to whole food sources. Its always better to get your nutrients from whole foods sources. Not only are they better and healthier, but they also contain other healthy nutrients that you cant get from dietary supplements.

With dietary supplements, it’s very easy to overdose while it’s extremely difficult to do with whole foods. If you can reach all your daily nutrients through a healthy and full diet, you won’t need to touch dietary supplements unless you come across a personal health complication. 

Seek medical advice before using any type of dietary supplement. Especially if you have a medical condition or existing health complications, it’s extremely important to speak with your doctor if you ever pick up a new dietary supplement.

Better yet, it’s better only to take dietary supplements that your doctor prescribes. If you have any questions regarding dietary supplements and whether it’s suitable for your personal health, speak with your doctor or dietician.

Head over to the Okadoc app to immediately book an appointment with your health practitioner.