The world of vitamins, minerals, and other supplements can be a confusing and scary world to enter. If you go to your local pharmacy or even grocery store, you’ll have a plethora of options to choose from. However, it goes beyond just knowing what supplements to take (in fact, our process at Honed™ takes care of that). In this article, we will break down all you need to know before starting your vitamin regime. That way, you can make the best choice for your health and well-being.
WHAT ARE SUPPLEMENTS?
Supplements are any combination of dietary ingredients including minerals, vitamins, plants, herbs, amino acids, and enzymes. However, they only act as a substitute for things you’d normally find in food. While they can help you live healthier, they are not intended to heal, cure, or treat any disease or ailment.
Typically, you can find them in the form of pills, capsules, powders, and liquids. And depending on the combination of ingredients, you can expect different results. Some are designed to support your energy, while others can aid in getting a good night’s sleep.
On the other hand, vitamins are small molecular compounds needed for proper cell function that are found in our foods. You’re probably familiar with things like vitamin B, C, and E. Whereas “supplements” include vitamins and every other compound and additives the body needs like minerals, amino acids, and herbs.
So simply put, all vitamins are supplements but not all supplements are vitamins.
SHOULD I TAKE SUPPLEMENTS?
People take supplements for a wide variety of reasons. Some people take them to help with cognitive function and improve concentration. Other people use supplements to assist with sleep. Some people take them just to make sure they’re getting their daily intake of whatever mineral or vitamin they might be lacking.
Great health is only possible with the proper balance of enzyme systems in our bodies, which make up much of the protein. Temporary deficiencies of vitamins and minerals can lead to the collapse and unbalancing of critical enzyme systems and the entire range of human illnesses that result from the disruption of specific enzyme balances.
If you have been slightly deficient in nutrients, then your levels of certain enzyme systems in cells are likely depressed and require rebuilding, and that is only possible with an abundance of nutrients necessary to support this healing. With all that in mind, the world has become an increasingly stressful and toxic environment that causes the depletion of nutrients in most people’s bodies.
Also, the body easily rids itself of small surpluses of water-soluble vitamins. Therefore, it’s wise to avoid unnecessary health problems due to their depletion by retaining a small surplus in our systems, rather than risk deficiency that can lead to illness, impeded healing, or retarded growth or development.
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING & TAKING SUPPLEMENTS
Ensure It’s A Safe, Quality Product
Vitamins and supplements are not subject to FDA approval before hitting store shelves. And while they have to follow FDA-certified Good Manufacturing Practices, not all companies and manufacturers play fair. And besides that, it’s not a guarantee that the FDA will even enforce compliance in the market.
That’s where third-party testing helps. Companies like Consumer Lab and USF check to make sure you’re actually getting what you paid for, that it’s free of deadly contaminants, and there aren’t any other surprises. You can find products stamped with a seal of approval.
And quality is something we’re particularly proud of– we ensure our products use the purest, safest, most natural, bio-available combinations of nutrients on the planet.
Examine The Ingredients
Not only does the product need to be safe, it also needs to use high-quality ingredients. For the best results, the ingredients should be pure and potent. The quality of what’s inside will determine how bio-available the supplements are. The better your body absorbs them, the more you will feel the benefits.
Ensure The Third-Party Tester Is Trustworthy and Reliable
It’s also important that the company you use to buy your supplements has a trustworthy third-party tester. At Honed™, we use ISURA™. ISURA™ uses state-of-the-art equipment and procedures to audit, test, and verify products from seed to the table. They also use a mass spectrometer test which can identify over 600 different contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, and others. Alongside that, they use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify GMOs and other genetically engineered organisms.
Learn How Vitamins/Supplements Will Interact With Your Medications
In some circumstances, medications and supplements can interact with each other for better or for worse. This is called contraindications. For example, St. John’s Wort has many interactions with different medications. These include birth control pills, anti-depressants, anti-fungals, and more.
That’s why it’s important to consult your healthcare provider before starting a vitamin regime if you aren’t currently taking medications. To help take some of that stress away, our questionnaire and algorithm will cross-reference your supplements and medications for any contraindications with specific prescription products.
Follow The Dose As Close As Possible
Typically, vitamins and supplements come with a recommended dosage amount on the bottle. However, everyone is unique and it’s wise to consult your doctor to see if you need to take more or less. Some vitamins– like A, D, E, and K– are fat-soluble and can build up in the body if you’re taking too much. In high doses, it can become toxic.
Using our Honed™ regime, you not only get the right dose but you also get the right minerals, vitamins, and supplements tailored specifically to your needs.
Know When To Take Your Supplements
Not only do you need to know how much to take but you must also be aware of when to take your supplements. Most regimes will tell you what to take and when. And it’s often recommended to take your vitamins a few minutes before a meal. That way, you can avoid an upset stomach or impaired digestion often as a result of the water taken with your supplements.
If you forget to take your morning dose with breakfast, then that’s fine. Take it with an afternoon lunch or snack. If you forget at dinner, then you can take it before you go to sleep. However, the closer you stick to a regular schedule, the better.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamins and supplements can help promote healthy living and well-being, but you don’t need to go in blind or alone. Using a trusted service can take a lot of stress and confusion out of the equation.
We use an evidence-based, scientific approach to ensure you get only what you need. By testing your metabolic health, we create a uniquely tailored regime specifically for you. If you’re ready to get started, order your test kit today and get your supplements Honed™.