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WHO NEEDS DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS?
Ideally, all of us would derive our complete nutrition from a balanced and
wholesome diet. But the reality is that modern lifestyles make numerous demands
of our time … time that we could spend preparing the foods that our bodies
truly need.
So, how can you determine if you need to enhance your diet with daily
nutritional supplements? There are several factors one needs to consider to
answer this question adequately. Would you characterize your lifestyle or
physical state closely with any of the following descriptions? If so, you might
need the extra nutrition that comes from daily supplementation.
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If you’re not getting multiple servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits
every day, it’s unlikely that you’ll be taking in the necessary amounts of
minerals and vitamins that your body needs for optimal health. While many of us
aspire to eat sensibly, in practice, as mentioned before, this is rarely the
case.
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If you’re on a restricted-calorie diet, you may not be fulfilling your daily
requirements. This is primarily due to not eating a wide variety of foods,
which makes it very difficult to get all of the essential nutrition your body
needs.
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If you are considering becoming pregnant, or are already pregnant, your body’s
needs are different. You’ll need more calcium, iron and folate. The extra iron
is needed for red blood cell health, in order to stave off fatigue. Folate is
generally recommended to protect against fetal spinal defects, like spina
bifida.
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If you are postmenopausal, you need additional nutritional support. This period
of life is marked by drops in estrogen production which can lead to bone loss.
It’s imperative that you receive additional calcium and vitamin D, which is
necessary for your body to process calcium to strengthen bones.
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If you drink alcohol heavily or smoke tobacco, your body’s ability to absorb
nutrients can be impaired. Taking supplements won’t reverse the effects of
these unhealthy habits, but they may help to offset some of the damage done to
your body.
It certainly seems that the majority of us could use the additional nutrition
provided by a high-quality daily supplement.
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