Health Supplements: Getting A Head Start On Health

Good health begins early in life. Good nutrition during childhood and adolescence is essential for healthy growth and development of strong bones, healthy teeth, good skin, proper development of various organs and building up the immune system. It also enhances productivity and increases our ability to learn.

Therefore, one of the most important gifts you can give your children is inculcating good dietary habits. This is important as statistics show that children who consume enough calories, but are eating foods which are high in fat, sugar and sodium, are at greater risk for becoming overweight and developing chronic diseases as adults.

It is never too late to start eating healthy! Good nutrition, at whatever stage in life, is essential to good health and quality living. Current science suggests that while genetics predisposes a person’s health, controllable factors such as diet and environment have just as much to do with your health. Nutrition against disease is believed to better your chances for pro-active health for many years to come.

Why You Should Start Eating Healthy Now
Nutrition works at the cellular level, the most basic levels at which disease begins. Research suggests that a lack of good nutrition may be one of the factors leading to heart disease, stroke and cancer—the three major diseases killing Americans today. Research also indicates that poor nutrition may lead to other serious health problems such as osteoporosis, obesity, anemia, prostate and gall bladder diseases, gum and tooth disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and even accelerated aging.

On heart health, Jim Roberts, M.D., a cardiologist and coauthor of Reverse Heart Disease Now has this to say, "The vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you get from supplements can absolutely help keep the heart going strong," He also warns us that we don't have to wait until our heart calls for help. "If you start early and stay ahead of the damage, you'll be much better off."

Mark Houston, M.D., director of the Hypertension Institute in Nashville and author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension advises, "Supplements can not only prevent heart disease, but even reverse damage that's already been done."

An early awareness on how nutrition affects our health and the role of health supplementation can never be emphasized enough.

The good news is that there is growing health conscious among Americans and more people are turning to healthy eating habits and exploring options like health supplements for bridging the nutritional gaps in their diet. Harry Balzer, vice president and chairman of NPD Groups reports in Eating Patterns in America:

• 64 percent of adults said they wanted to get more whole grains in their diets,
• 58 percent wanting to add more dietary fiber,
• 58 percent wanting more calcium,
• 55 percent wanting more Vitamin C
• 71 percent of adults also said they wanted to cut down on fat in their diets
• 62 percent wanting to cut down on calories
• 62 percent wanting less cholesterol
• 59 percent wanting less sugar

Examine Your Diet
The essential nutrients that your body needs everyday include: carbohydrates, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. Here’s a simple way of testing for yourself whether your current diet is meeting your body’s nutritional needs and what you can do about it.

1. Examine your diet for a month. Jot down everything you eat on a normal day and the quantity. Calculate the daily average of all the essential nutrients and calories.
   For calculating the nutritive values of foods that you can visit either of these websites:
   http://www-new.mcs.anl.gov/otc/Guide/CaseStudies/diet/complete_table.html.
   http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
2. After calculating your average daily intake of the essential food groups, turn to the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) chart to compare your actual intake with the recommended intake for your age group. (www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/21/372/0.pdf)
3. Comparing your intake with the RDA values, you can evaluate how you need to change your diet so that you what you eat reflects closer to the RDA values for your age group. Plan your diet accordingly. You may also wish to seek professional help. Visit a dietician or your family physician who can work with you to plan a diet and exercise regimen that is right for you.
4. Study the latest research on nutrients and how they can benefit your health.

There are other factors to consider as well. If you have a history of heart disease in the family, you will definitely want to increase your intake of omega 3 fatty acids either by including foods in your diet that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids or by supplementation.

It is always advisable to get your nutrition from natural foods in your diet, but if you are not getting your nutritional needs met from diet alone, taking a supplement to compensate is better than not getting your nutritional needs or getting them inconsistently.

If you are deficient in proteins you may want to consider health supplements like green foods which contain spirulina or chlorella. These are known to have more protein content than meat and in a form that your body can more easily digest.

Probiotics and prebiotics in your diet can add fiber and good bacteria necessary to aid digestion and absorption of nutrients.

If you are interested in losing weight, health supplements like Green Tea help nutritionally support fat oxidation in the body.

Many health supplements are made from natural food substances, so they make the perfect choice for health supplementation. Health supplements provide an easy and effective solution to bridge the nutritional gaps in our diet. Always consult your doctor before incorporating health supplements into your diet.