In your lifetime, have you received comments about your diet, weight or activity levels?
If you're like us, most likely you have been asked such questions from a friend, relative or even a physician.
Arguably, what sparks this concern is the busy on the go lifestyles we live.
It's not something you should just take personally though, it's a national, in fact, global concern. In 2018 alone, a British health survey found that 28% of adults were not eating the five recommended fruits or vegetables a day.
Because of this, it can be hard to get any essential nutrients, vitamins you require on a day to day basis to help your body develop and function properly.
One way of making sure that you hit these targets quickly is by incorporating supplements into your diet.
What are supplements?
Supplements are either manufactured pills, capsules, tablets, liquids or powder. Inside of them, they contain ingredients extracted from food sources to increase the amount you consume. The food or natural extracts include high vitamins, fibre, fatty acids and minerals.
Supplements are safe to consume as long as you stick to the recommended daily intake and look for supplements like ours made in an ISO and GMO listed facility.
6 Benefits of supplements
There are a lot of advantages to taking supplements; some of the main ones are:
Helps cognitive function
It can be difficult to keep your brain in top form as you once did as you grow older. You might notice it takes a bit longer to recall things or have difficulty doing tasks; whatever it is, cognitive ageing is pretty normal. While you can't completely avoid old age, you can slow down the rate your brain ages and help you process information at a much easier rate.
For example, supplements like Choline Bitrate (normally can get from broccoli, beef, eggs and nut) specifically work to enhance memory, increase focus, and protect from age-related cognitive deterioration.
It helps your body receive the right nutrients
Just like we mentioned earlier, it can be quite difficult to get all the nutrients you need in your body daily. By consuming supplements containing essential vitamins like A, B12, D, C, E and more, you're complementing your diet where you're lacking in your food to allow your body and mind to function normally and reduce the risk of major vitamin or mineral deficiency. It's important to note, though, you should never replace food with supplements; they're only formulated to supplement your diet.
They can support your immune system
Animal studies have shown that if your body isn't getting the right amount of nutrients, the outcome can be quite different. In particular, this can apply to a lack of iron, zinc, folic acid, vitamins A, B6, C, D and E in our bodies.
A lack of these can affect the immune function and make you more likely to experience colds, contract viruses, bacterial infections and diseases which could be detrimental to your immune system. Supplements containing nutrients can help your immune system by serving as an antioxidant to protect cells and encourage the growth of immune cells and antibodies. Therefore making it easier for your body to fight against infections in all seasons.
Help with sleep
On average, around 36% of Britons find it difficult to get a good night's sleep each week. Plus, if you use a lot of gadgets, drink a lot of caffeine or live a busy lifestyle, this might also apply to you. Sometimes it can be hard to still sleep even if you've changed your routine to make it more appealing for your body. Conclusion: there are supplements like melatonin that can help regulate your body and help you fall asleep more quickly and fight off debilitating diseases like dementia and Alzheimers caused by a lack of sleep.
If you're pregnant or about to be, it's most likely a doctor will have told you to take some multi or neonatal vitamins. Supplements like these are highly important for a healthy pregnancy as they can help fill in the nutritional gaps and prevent abnormal birth deficiencies. If you're pregnant, though, it's recommended you speak to a doctor first before taking any dietary supplements.
Help with athletic performance
If you're an athlete or a sporty person, supplements can help your body recover faster after a tough competition or workout. For instance, calcium and vitamin D can help your bones stay strong and healthy. At the same time, some supplements contain amino acids which can help your body repair your muscles faster.
Conclusion
Overall, these are just a meagre 6 benefits of an abundance that exist of taking supplements. The truth is, if we were to state the scientific benefits of taking supplements, a blog post wouldn't be long enough. To highlight some extra ones, they also contribute to your general health, help with fertility, maintain hormonal balances and more.
But, before you buy any supplements, you should always consult with your doctor first and ensure that you are not taking any medications that interact with them. Most importantly, only buy supplements that use natural excipients and have ethical manufacturing processes.
At Earth Nurture, we achieve this by using non-GMO ingredients and making our supplements in ISO and GMP licensed facilities in the UK. Our facilities have been awarded a Grade A by the BRC Global Standards Issue 8 in Food Safety.
Therefore if you're interested in trying supplements and ones produced safely and of high quality, check out our range.