What it is and what it is for?
As our diet is not always able to support the nutrients that our body idealizes, it is in some cases advised to ingest supplements.
Supplements have the function of complementing food and not replacing as some people think. These chemicals are produced to add something to our body in order to reach goals that do not interfere with our health and even improve it.
These products are made up of several ingredients, but with great evidence in vitamins and minerals, for this reason they are renowned as multivitamins. Supplements contain some substances that are especially indicated for those who practice some type of physical activity.
This type of product must be consumed with the indication of a professional such as a nutritionist or a doctor who will know your health status, advising you in the best possible way.
What are the most used ingredients and their function?
All supplements have multiple ingredients, but there are ingredients that stand out, such as:
Omega-3, an ingredient that protects the heart and helps with neurological and psychiatric illnesses.
Vitamin D, which is intended to aid in the absorption of calcium.
Collagen, which helps improve the skin, normally used in anti-aging supplements.
B-complex vitamins, vitamins that improve the body's use of nutrients, help the body produce energy more efficiently.
Vitamin C, a key ingredient that helps protect you from colds. It is recommended for athletes who engage in extreme intensity activities.
Which types exist and what are their differences?
Hypercaloric Supplement: Its purpose is to help the metabolism in order to help the person to gain weight, as a rule, it is taken by people with difficulty in gaining weight only with food.
Protein Supplement: Used by many athletes this supplement is focused on helping to gain more muscle mass and increase stamina, which is why it is so consumed by people who play sports.
Thermogenic Supplement: These supplements help you lose weight. We all have a different metabolism and there are people who, despite dieting and eating healthily, cannot lose weight, so they are recommended to take this type of supplement.
Antioxidant Supplement: An anti-aging supplement. These supplements contain magnesium which helps to reduce tiredness and fatigue.
Hormonal Supplement: Containing important nutrients to enhance and improve health and well-being, this supplement helps to regulate the hormonal system. Helps women achieve a healthy hormonal balance, stabilized hormone levels, help alleviate major symptoms of hormonal imbalance such as hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings.
What is the most used packaging format and what are the most frequent sizes?
Among various types of packaging and sizes, the powdered article is the most common among supplements, but there are also bar and liquid products. It does not interfere in any way with the way we ingest the product, but it is always necessary to read the labels as you can have advice on how it is easier to ingest the product and the quantities that have to be consumed. Even if they are from the same line, they may contain different amounts and types of supplements in each product, so you should always pay attention.
What to take into account when choosing nutrition products and supplements?
When choosing nutrition products and supplements, we must take into account several factors. First, we must highlight our main objective when taking these supplements, then we must inform a specialist which is the most suitable supplement to achieve our objective and which will not harm our body. It should be noted that pregnant or nursing women and children should not take supplements as supplementation can pose risks.
What are the recommendations for use and tips?
You are advised not to rely on your intuition or the advice of family/friends, as what resulted in them may not work for you, as it is not the most suitable and, in addition, it may pose risks to your health. Making an appointment with your doctor is the best advice. If the doctor recommends taking supplements, do so safely.
What are the pros and cons of using nutrition products and supplements?
When taking supplements, we have to take into account the fact that there are several pros and cons in their ingestion: it helps people's health, for example, there are people who cannot gain weight or lose weight because of their metabolism, it ends up harming their health , and supplements help speed up the metabolism, improving the person's health and removing the risk of future diseases related to these problems.
However, our body may not be prepared to receive nutrients that are not needed, for this reason it is always advisable to seek a doctor or nutritionist. This wrong ingestion of chemicals can cause addiction to it causing unwanted effects on the body.
