Nutritional Health Supplements Guide

Archive for the ‘Nutritional Supplement Info’ Category

Most of us tend to search for the fast way out, like a diet that makes you lose weight instantly and without any work at all. Well such a thing does not exist and will never exist because weight is something your body accumulates in a long period of time and it is impossible to make it go away in the blink of an eye.

These processes take time, your body has to metabolize food and adjust to certain changes in your diet and lifestyle, and this is where your kidneys, liver and other important systems come into action.

Today we are going to talk about the kidneys.

They do most of the work when it comes to cleaning the body and they must also be cleansed that is why an average weight human being must drink between 8 and 10 glasses of water a day. (more…)

Training to jump higher vertically is not all about jumping vertically. It is not enough that you perform the required exercises to jump higher for basketball or volleyball because, like any athletic training, your training should be multi-faceted. It should not only deal with one aspect of your athletic skills but should also deal with the other aspects underlying your target skills. If you want to learn how to in you should also learn to control your weight and moderate muscle growth. If you wish to increase your jump height you need to strengthen your core muscles, train your leg muscles and you should put the right food inside your body. (more…)

In today’s world many people have medical problems that are contributed to by lifestyle. It may be diabetes, obesity, heart problem, damaged eyesight (from staring too long at computer screens) or any other kind of problem that is related to our health.

Our diet has a lot to do with many of these issues, especially when we are not taking care of our body and what we put into it. The food that we are eating does not contain all the essential nutrients that are required by the body for working properly because we live on processed food, or we are simply eating too much of it.  While health supplements can be an important addition to our diets, we must remember that supplements alone cannot give us all of the nutrients and vitamins we need.

Further to that, many people do not follow any kind of exercise routine at all. All these things lead to poor health.

Here are some of the good habits that should be followed for getting good health.

1. We should eat a diet that is low in fat content. It greatly helps in reducing the fat and diabetes and all other kind of problems that are related with these diseases.

2. We should make it a point to follow some kind of exercise routine daily in our life. Many kinds of health problems can be avoided by increasing our activity level.

3. We should listen to what our body is saying to us and if it does not want to eat then we should avoid eating just for the sake of taste.

4. We should avoid taking stimulants such as caffeine and cacao etc.

5. We should include fresh fruits and vegetables in our diet. These are very good for good health. We need to eat more lean and green meals.

6. We should take good care of our dental health.

7. We should drink lots of water during the day.

8. We should keep our body alkaline. We should eat alkaline foods 90% of time.

9. We should take good care of our sleep also. Our body requires proper rest.

10. We should try to include some blended green vegetables in our diet.

Are you one of the millions of people around the world suffering from insomnia or some other sleep disorder?  If you are, then you already know how stressful, exhausting, and miserable suffering from a sleep disorder can be.  Many people suffering from insomnia turn to medications and sedatives to put them to sleep.  However, these drugs can cause dependence and induce a sleep that leaves you unrested.

However, many people today are finding great success using natural supplements and vitamins to help them sleep.  Which health supplements are best for you will obviously depend on what type of sleep disorder you are suffering from, but here area  few supplements and natural remedies that you may wish to further research.

Melatonin is a supplement that many are now using to help regulate their circadian rhythm, or internal body clock.  Your circadian rhythm dictates when you naturally are more alert and when you are more sleepy.  Optimal sleep can only occur when it is in concert with your circadian rhtyhm, so disruptions in the rhythm cause trouble in sleep patterns.  Melatonin is available in most vitamin and health supplement stores.

Chamomile or “camomile,” generally coming in the form of herbal teas, is a very healthy sleep aid.  Because it comes in the form of an herbal tea, you also get the benefit of numerous antioxidants.  Camomile acts as a sedative and is thought to help you relax, unwind, and fall into efficient sleep if taken near bedtime.

There are numerous other natural aids that may help some people find better sleep.  However, if you have difficulty sleeping, it is important to see your doctor first.  You should also alert your doctor about any supplements that you are taking, because many supplements can have harmful or even deadly interactions with certain drugs and medications.  

If you suffer from sleep apnea, you should check out these sleep apnea treatments.

Many people wonder if we really even need to take nutritional supplements, or if they are simply a waste of money.  Here is a great video of a pharmacist explaining exactly why we need nutritional supplements for our health and well being.

When reading or talking about nutritional health supplements, you will often hear terms like herbs, herbal supplements, and botanicals being thrown around.  To most of us, these terms often have very vague meanings and we do not understand what, exactly, a botanical or herbal supplement is.  Well, lucky for you, you’re about to learn all about herbal and botanical nutritional health supplements.A botanical is a plant or part of a plant that is used for its medicinal (or therapeutic) properties.  Herbs are just certain types of botanicals, and nutritional supplements that are made from botanicals and herbs are often referred to as botanicals, botanical supplements, herbal supplements, or herbal remedies.  Many botanicals are manufactured, packaged, and sold as dietary supplements.

Botanical supplements can be prepared, packaged, and marketed in several different forms.  Many are sold as a tea, which is a dried form that the consumer later adds boiling water to.  Herbs and botanicals can also be found in their original plant or root form.  Many supplements contain extracts from herbs and botanicals and are sold in pill, capsule, or tablet form.

Many of the most popular nutritional supplements sold today are actually botanicals and herbal products.  Green tea, ginkgo biloba, and ginseng root are all common examples.  Ginseng, for example, is sold as a ground up root, in a tea form, and as an extract in the form of pills and capsules.  And while green tea has been around for centuries, new marketing such as green tea weight loss has created a surge in popularity. recently. (more…)

With the hectic lifestyles that many people lead today, it can be extremely difficult to eat a well balanced, nutritious diet consistently.  So, more and more people now turn to nutritional health supplements to get the vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients that they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

However, when it comes to choosing the right supplements, most people are totally confused and lost.  How can you go about choosing the right nutritional health supplements?

The first step in choosing the right dietary supplement is determining what purpose you have for taking a supplement.  Is there something that your regular diet lacks that you wish to augment?  Are you looking for an energy boost, or maybe just a mental boost?   (more…)

When a nutritional health supplement becomes popular and begins to have a lot of buzz and hype surrounding it, the million dollar question on most people’s minds is:  does it really work?  Creatine is perhaps, outside of steriods and pro-hormones, the most hyped, most used, and most talked about bodybuilding supplement of all time.  Proponents of creatine claim that it can provide a host of awesome benefits, including:  faster recovery time from workouts, fast gains in muscle mass and strength, and increased energy.  So of course we all want to know, does creatine really work? 

Creatine is sold primarily in two different forms these days:  the original and most common form, creatine monohydrate, and the newer form creatine ethyl ester.  Which of these forms is better is a debate for another article.  The question of course is, do they work? (more…)

Here at the Nutritional Health Supplements Guide, we will be adding a regular feature where a guest, usually a doctor or some other form of nutritional supplement expert, will share what supplements they take for health, nutrition, or other reasons.  The guest will explain which dietary supplements they take and why in detail.  Today, we have the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Billy.  Dr. Billy is a general practice physician in North Carolina, and is a self described health and nutritional supplement enthusiast. 

Hello all, Dr. Billy here.  Thanks for having me here at the Nutritional Health Supplements Guide.  I do firmly believe that nutritional supplements can be very useful in helping many of us maintain our health and fight off disease.  With that said, I also believe that there is a lot of empty marketing hype involving some supplements.  Today, I’m going to share with you all some of the supplements that I take for my personal health and that I believe are very useful, healthy, and well worth the money. 

1. A Multi-Vitamin Supplement.  I believe that nearly everyone should be taking a daily vitamin supplement.  While we get many essential vitamins and nutrients from what we eat, most of us do not get adequate amounts of these vitamins every day.  Understand that taking a vitamin is not a replacement for a good diet, but that it can help you bridge the gap.  Nearly everyone should take their vitamins every day!
2. Whey Protein.  No, I’m not some bodybuilder.  But I do workout regularly and maintain an active lifestyle.  Protein is crucial to building lean muscle, which in turn can help you burn off body fat and become a leaner, healthier person.  You don’t have to be a bodybuilder trying to pack on bulk to benefit from protein.  Even if you are trying to lose weight, a protein supplement may be of help to you if you take the proper amounts in accordance with your diet. 
3. Creatine.  Like I said, I’m no bodybuilder, but I do take creatine supplements because I do try to keep a muscular build.  I do not take creatine constantly, but I cycle on and off of it.  However, I do not recommend creatine supplements to patients.  With creatine, you have to be careful about dosage, how long you take it, and you have to absolutely drink adequate amounts of water.  I hesitate to even put this on the list because I don’t like to recommend it, but I was asked to list what nutritional health supplements I personally take, so here it is.
4. Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements.  That’s right, I’m on the fish oil bandwagon.  More and more studies are showing the importance of omega 3 fatty acids and the numerous health benefits they have.  They are crucial to heart and cardiovascular health if nothing else, and that is the main reason I take omega 3 supplements.  I also recommend these to most of my adult patients. 
5. Ginseng.  Ginseng is purported to increase energy, perhaps prevent cancer, and has been used to boost libido since ancient times.  Studies have proven ginseng to be effective regarding many of these claims (although it has yet to be proven to prevent cancer in humans).  How could I not add ginseng to pill popping routines?  

So there you have it, the 5 nutritional supplements that ol’ Dr. Billy takes.  And other than creatine, these are taken daily.  If asked for my professional opinion, I would probably recommend that nearly everyone take a vitamin supplement and that all active, regular excercisers (of at least moderate intensity) supplement with a protein shake.  For those at risk for heart or cardiovascular trouble, I would recommend the omega 3 fish oil supplements along with a strict, healthy diet.    I do take other health supplements on occasion, but these are my top 5, regularly taken nutritional supplements.

Among the many benefits people seek from taking various nutritional health supplements, increasing or maintaining memory and cognitive function (i.e. “brainpower”) is one of the most sought after reasons for taking nutritional supplements.  Nearly all of us would like to increase our memories and mental abilities, so let’s take a look at which health supplements are touted as food for the brain. 

• Antioxidants, especially Vitamin C and Beta Carotene.  Antioxidants protect cells throughout your entire body from oxidative stress and free radical damage.  Basically, this means that antioxidants protect your cells from premature damage and death, including those all important brain cells.  A natural antioxidant supplement may help protect your brain and, consequently, your memory and cognitive ability. 
• B Vitamins.  While it is generally a good idea to take a good multi vitamin supplement for your general health, your B Vitamins, particularly B6, folic acid, and choline, have a significant impact on your mental ability and memory.  Some studies even show that choline may be helpful in preventing memory loss to due the natural aging process.  If you are not getting these important B Vitamins with your multi-vitamin, you may want to make sure you get them from a seperate nutritional health supplement.
• Omega 3 fatty acids.  Omega 3 fatty acids are the trendy supplements today.  They are attributed with a wide variety of benefits, especially with cardiovascular benefits and preventing heart and stroke problems.  Omega 3′s also have been shown to boost mental abilities and cognitive function, perhaps through its cardiovascular role and improving bloodflow to the brain.  Omega 3′s are most commonly found in fish.  Since it is difficult for many people to get adequate omega 3′s from diet alone, many people turn to omega 3 supplements or fish oil supplements.

While many brain boosting nutrients are found naturally in the diet, very few people are able to get adequate amounts of these nutrients naturally.  If you are looking to boost your brainpower, taking nutritional health supplements with these nutrients would be a smart bet.