Health food supplements are among the hottest selling products in the marketplace nowadays. Their overall consumption values billions of dollars in the U.S. Recent polls reveal that over half the adults in the U.S.. The higher consumption of health food supplements can result from public awareness of health problems and improved quality of living in our society.

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Many studies have proven that there’s a close correlation between nutrition and health. Insufficient supply of nutrients can weaken our body defense mechanisms, causing medical problems from common ailments to more severe illnesses in the long run. There are various sorts of health food supplements, such as macronutrients (amino acids, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), enzymes (digestive enzymes and antioxidant enzymes), probiotics (beneficial bacteria in the gut), and herbal supplements.

These supplements have unique functions in our body. Many people argue that there’s not any need to eat health food supplements as long as you have a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet. While this might be true, the simple fact is keeping a healthy lifestyle and proper diet is tough to achieve by lots of men and women. Over the last couple of decades, the green revolution has altered the farming practices around the world.

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We use more chemical fertilizers, more pesticides to grow the food produce to be able to increase harvest and enhance the development period. Because of this, soil nutrients and the population of beneficial soil bacteria are depleted quickly, and the produce we grow now contain less micronutrient than previously. A stressful lifestyle, improper eating habits, imbalanced diet and increased exposure to substances like environmental pollutants (air, water) and pesticides, hormones, drugs, heavy metals in foods also weaken our body slowly.

Although health food supplements can be beneficial to our health, customers should still opt for the products carefully. Currently, there’s minimal regulation on the level of health food supplements. Composition of some health food products might not fit the label claims and the quality of raw materials and finished products isn’t guaranteed.

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Therefore, consumers should only buy from reputable health food makers, read the labels carefully and read more related literatures.

  • Supplements made from whole foods, natural sources are greater than the synthetic ones. They’re more bioactive, can be absorbed easily, and less likely to be contaminated by chemicals like coal tars used in chemical synthesis.
  • Protein-bonded vitamins and minerals (minerals and vitamins in organic form, binding to amino acids) are more potent compared to the inorganic forms.
  • Buy supplements with safe extraction procedures, such as cold pressed extraction or supercritical extraction. This can avoid the damaging residue from chemical extraction.
  • Herbal concentrate and infusion are usually more powerful than the raw herbs.
  • Organically grown or wild crafted herbs are not as likely to be contaminated by heavy metals, pesticides and other compounds.
  • Read the labels, don’t eat more than the recommended dose.
  • Be careful when consuming certain herbal supplements, such as Ma Huang / ephedra, Kava Kava, comfrey, etc.. Some studies have shown that these herbs can cause serious side effects to a people. Stop use if unusual signs appear after ingestion.
  • Some health food supplements may interact with drugs, either by diminishing or increasing their consequences. Consult your doctor if you’re currently taking medications.
  • Pregnant and nursing women, individuals with particular medical conditions such consult with the physicians when swallowing health food supplements.
  • If not sure, get in touch with the supplement manufacturers or distributors for more details of their products.
  • Health food supplements can be found in a number of areas, such as grocery stores, health food stores, drug stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, department stores, online shops, etc.. Be a wise consumer, compare the cost and service before purchase.