How to Choose the Right Dietary Supplements

If you have been living under a rock for the last thirty years or so, you should be aware of the new developments in what is now in a regular and suggested FDA-approved diet. For those instances where you are not necessarily getting in what you need to be getting in, there are dietary supplements.

These supplements are not for everyone or for every instance in your life, and you should be aware of these exceptions. For instance, if you are getting in everything you need to be getting in, than you shouldn’t have to take supplements, and actually, an excess amount of these things can actually be harmful to your health.

These dietary supplements are there to supply us with the nutrients that we might not be getting in our regular food intake on a daily basis. Each dietary supplement is made differently with different ingredients, chemicals or differently made. On this note, there are so many dietary supplements and all of them contain so many different types of vitamins and nutrients, it makes it hard for us to choose which one is best for us in particular.

Like with everything in life, every one of us is different and need different things in our body for it to function properly and at its best. It is a hard decision to pick from the millions of supplements out there to choose which one is perfect for you. Though it might take trial and error and a few extra bucks spent, there IS one out there right for you!

Here are our tips and guidelines for you to follow to pick out the best dietary supplement for you and to avoid spending that extra time and money

1. Talk to your doctor

Your doctor knows you, your health and your goals the best only after you. As a professional that can tailor their vast and doctorate knowledge to you and your journey, it is a resource that can be and should be used more frequently. Never be afraid or feel embarrassed to ask “too many” questions at your doctor appointment. It’s your health, and there isn’t much more important in this life when it comes to your health. Plus, you (or your insurance) are paying for their consultation anyways, so you might as well use the service that is already being paid for.

2. Take it one at a time

Once you realize how much or how many different vitamins you are lacking in your body, it’s normal to feel rushed to get your body up to par! Though it sounds tempting to get all you need from these supplements all at once if you realize you’re lacking in some areas, don’t go too fast! Take each product slowly and then gradually add in the others if you need to. Using this way of doing things, you can see how your body reacts to each supplement and take note on the side effects from each one if you happen to have them. It will be easier to see which one you are reacting to or how each one makes you feel.

3. Do your research

Don’t just read the label on the back of the bottle. These are there to inform but are also there to get the bottles sold. Though it seems a little cruel, they might say that it contains a certain vitamin or nutrient, but the actual makeup of the particular aspect in the supplement is so low that it wouldn’t make any difference to your health. This also goes for the opposite way, there might be too much of a particular element, and that can also be harmful to your health, depending upon your condition. Look up each supplement on the internet as well or speak to your doctor or pharmacist to compare them to other supplements out there. See if they are approved by the right associations for the best and healthiest options. Some supplements may boast that they are approved but they are actually not to the highest degree, this might also be a hoax just to get sales up.

4. Stick to your dosage

This tip seems pretty obvious, but not following the particular amount suggested on the bottle or by your doctor can actually be pretty harmful to your health! Trying to speed up a health process by taking more than the recommended amount is only going to be counterproductive. There is a reason that each of the pills contains the milligrams that it does! This advice also goes with anything you are taking, whether it be prescription drugs or anything else.

5. Be aware of any prior conditions

If you have heart conditions, health-related issues, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, there are so many different guidelines that you should follow and things you should look out for before taking any kind of supplement. Again, here we suggest you specifically suggest that you speak to your doctor on a personal level before taking ANYTHING. This is your healthy and possibly the health of your baby we are talking about here, there shouldn’t be anything more important than that.

6. Don’t mix supplements and drugs

There are certain instances where you need to have your body completely clear of any kinds of foreign supplements or out of body entities that can get in the way or be harmful during an operation or something serious like it. Talk to your doctor, or dentist, because it can be as nonchalant as dental or oral surgery that you would need to stop taking supplements before.

We hope you use some (if not all) of these guidelines before you start taking or choose a supplement that will work best for you. As always, we suggest to speak with your doctor before taking anything, but also just discussing in general the best way to go about your health and your journey to a healthier lifestyle.