Are You Getting All Of The nutrtional supplements you need?

Are you certain that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs? while you're dieting?
Chances are that if you're following any restrictive diet plan, you may be missing some
important vitamins or minerals. Any diet that heavily emphasizes one food group while
completely restricting others is, by nature, lacking in some essential nutrients.
Isn't that part of the idea, though? The popular conception of dieting is that when we feed
our bodies less calories than it needs, it will begin to take nutrition from the fat that it has
stored. While that's true, there's a basic fallacy in thinking that your body can derive all
the fuel it needs that way. Part of the problem with that assumption is that there are many
nutrients that your body can't store. It simply uses what it needs and excretes the rest.
Those nutrients must be consumed daily in one way or another, and if your diet doesn't
allow for that, your body will show the effects.
If you're on a diet that severely restricts your intake of any particular food or food group,
you may benefit from adding a nutritional supplement to your daily regimen. In fact, many
doctors recommend that dieters take, at the very least, a complete, high-quality
multivitamin to make up for any deficiencies caused by the restrictions. Other
supplementation might be recommended depending on the diet you're following.
Below are some specific suggestions based on particular diets. The suggestions should
not be taken as medical advice, nor is there any dosage recommendation. Instead, take it
as a suggestion to discuss your diet with a nutritionist or dietician and ask for their advice
on appropriateness or dosage.
On ANY Diet:
A full-spectrum multivitamin should be part of your daily routine no matter what you're
eating or not eating. It will help even out the ups and downs of your diet, and supply
some valuable nutrients that are difficult to get.
Sunshine. It may not come in pill form, but sunshine is one of the more important
'nutritional supplements'. It assists the body in making vitamin D, which is not derived
from any food source. While doctors say that as little as 20 minutes of full sun a day can
supply your daily requirement of vitamin D, they also caution that it's dependent on
climate. If you live north of Philadelphia, you should take a vitamin D supplement to be
sure that you get enough.
On a Low-Carb/High Protein Diet:
Antioxidant vitamins that are found in vegetables are a must. Scientists are learning more
and more how important it is that our diets contain a full spectrum of vitamins, proteins,
minerals and acids. If your diet cuts out most grains and vegetables, you should be
replacing the nutrients you miss out on with supplementary vitamin A, C, B (all the B's), E
and K. You should also supplement your intake of folic acid, and if you're not getting a
significant amount of your protein from fish products, you'll need omega 3 fatty acids
found in fish oil, shellfish and flaxseed oil.
Keep in mind that the best diet is one that gives you a balance of nutrients, and that
supplements should be exactly that - a supplement to your daily intake of nutrition.