Taking Supplements: Everything You Need To Know
Supplements are a great way to give your body more of the good stuff 🥬 and boost its functions. But what supplements should we be taking? 🤔 And how much should we be taking? Well, it depends on our diet 🥗, health conditions 🤒 we may have, what medication 💊 we’re on, so we always recommend checking with your pharmacist 1st. In this guide we will share with you some general advice to consider and follow up.
What Is A Supplement?
The goal of a supplement is to add to your diet and so that you get enough nutrients 👍. Supplements generally contain vitamins, minerals, herbs, or amino acids.
What Supplements Should I Take?
There is no magical 🤩 one-size-fits all solution to taking supplements. What our body is lacking is specific to us, our lifestyle, and our diet.
Usually, people can get enough vitamins and minerals from their diet. But if you feel you’re lacking in certain areas of your diet, a supplement may help. You may need extra support if you are vegan 🌿, pregnant 🤰, or if you have a nutrient deficiency, such as a vitamin B12 deficiency or anaemia.
What’s The Difference Between Water-Soluble And Fat-Soluble Supplements?
Some supplements are water-soluble. This means that our body uses what it needs and then gets rid of what it doesn’t need, through urine.
Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in our liver and fatty tissue to be used later. Fat-soluble vitamins are naturally found in high-fat foods 🥑.
Can They Affect Other Medications?
The answer here is yes, they can. They can affect the medication 💊 we take in two ways: supplements can increase ⬆ the effect of our medication, and they can decrease ⬇ the efficacy of our medication. Supplements affect how our body absorbs things, our metabolism, and how we excrete medication.
Essentially, some supplements can make our medication super powerful 💪. Other supplements can prevent them from being properly absorbed by our body 😬. It’s important that you speak to your doctor 👩⚕️ about any medications you take before you introduce a supplement.
Are they safe?
Too much of a good thing is still a bad thing. And even though supplements can be good for us, taking too much of a particular supplement can be dangerous 💀. For example, too much vitamin B6 can cause nerve pain and too much vitamin C can cause tummy problems. Certain fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin can be toxic at high levels as well.
What Supplements Should I Take During Chiropractic Care?
As chiropractors, we often see the symptoms of deficiencies in vitamin D, and B12. So, we may recommend you go for testing with your GP or privately to rule out an underlying problem.
What Else Should I Know?
Nothing beats the power of a healthy diet 🍏 and balanced ⚖ lifestyle. Supplements, no matter the reason we take them, are no replacement for a nutrient-dense, healthy diet. Supplements are meant to be just that, supplementary to eating well. They shouldn’t be used in place of real food.
