Monday, May 11, 2009

A Food Supplement Is Not The Same As An Isolated Vitamin or Mineral Supplement

By Dean Cantwell

Be careful in choosing your supplements. There are different types of supplements on the market today both food supplements and your typical isolated vitamin and mineral supplements. Proper research will keep you from wasting your time or money on products that do not work.

How do you know something is good for your health? With so many supplements on the market today and all the advertising that goes along with it you need to be careful and not fall for the advertising gimmicks such as "lose 30 pounds in 30 days".

My goal is to help you choose a whole food supplement that will have an impact on your health. Now you could go through the expensive and time-consuming process of trial and error, however if you follow my advice I'll help you avoid that pitfall.

Just because a supplement is costly does not mean high quality. You need to go through a process of using research to choose a high quality supplement. High quality products are those supplements that work!

The first step is to determine whether a supplement is a whole food supplement or another type of supplement. The second step is to research the product. And the third step is to ask people you know for their recommendations and opinions about products that they use.

If you're looking for a supplement that works as nature intended it, it makes sense to use a whole food supplement, the new elite class of nutritional supplements. Science tells us that vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are often synergistic. This means that they require the presence of each other to give you maximum benefit. The whole range of good nutrients you find in whole foods you will also find in whole food supplements.

To eliminate 99% of everything on the market ask yourself this question about the supplement you are interested in. Where is the research to support the claims being made? And, are these studies randomized, peer reviewed, double-blind, and third-party studies. With the Internet it's easy to do research and determine whether the studies are viable or not. Look for prominent published studies such as in the American College of Cardiology or in the professional journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

It's also recommended to ask around to your friends and coworkers to determine what products they are using and most importantly are the products having a positive impact on their health. By not relying on the manufacturer's claims, using the Internet to properly research your product, and ask for your friends opinions, you are most likely to find a supplement that has the best impact on your health.

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