It’s hard not to be aware that part of a happy life includes being fit and healthy and this  can be achieved by a good balanced diet and regular exercise. Our diet should provide optimum nutrition which means that it gives our body the full requirement and range of nutrients it needs.  If our diet is deficient in any particular one or group of nutrients or we wish change the balance of the nutrients in any way, nutritional supplements are available to achieve this.

What are supplements?

Supplements are a range of food and health products that include full meal replacements, sports nutrition products, vitamins, minerals, natural food supplements and herbs. Supplements may take the form of being a concentration of one particular nutrient or group of nutrients or it may be a mix across the range. Common mixed supplements are multi vitamins, an example of a single supplement is vitamin C tablets, sports nutrition products are things like whey powder and we class things like evening primrose oil and garlic tablets as herbal supplements.

What do supplements do?

Although they are called nutritional and diet supplements, people can be confused into thinking they only relate to what we eat but nutritional supplements are used for many purposes relating to our bodies and our health; Food related supplements are taken when a diet is not providing optimum nutrition through normal food intake; Food and/or herbal supplements are taken to boost energy and overall health; they can be taken to provide immunity support reducing the risk of illness or age related conditions; another use is to improve athletic and metal activities and they can be used to support the healing process during illness or in the course of a disease.

Who should take supplements?

Supplements can be taken because you have been advised to do so by a health practitioner or because you personally feel you are not achieving optimum nutrition with your diet or you are an athlete who needs natural performance enhancement and additional intake of certain nutrients.

Examples:

• Vegetarians should take a vitamin B12 supplement because food sources of B12 are almost exclusively animal products and are naturally excluded from a meat free diet.
• Pregnant women are advised that additional folic acid and Omega 3 oils are advantageous during foetal development.
• Body builders and athletes in power based sports might look to supplements to help them turn more fat into muscle or to regulate their metabolism to burn foods faster or to replace nutrients lost during periods of strenuous exercise.

What form do supplements take?

Nutritional supplements come in many forms, partly driven by the products themselves – some might only be able to be synthesised in liquid form for example and partly because people have various preferred methods of how they take them. The list is long – pills, capsules, powders that need reconstituting, medicinal preparations like tonics, injections, ointments, oral sprays, oils etc…

Where do I buy supplements from?

Firstly, make sure you are buying from a reputable supplier. Most supplements are classed as food not drugs and therefore are not subject to the same regulations as drugs.

Supplements can be bought in supermarkets, chemists and pharmacies, health food shops and specialist stores. There has been a growth in Internet providers and you can even buy them from Internet auction sites. In some cases your doctor will prescribe a course of supplements.