Nutritional vitamins and herbal supplements still cost an amount of money so you want the most out of it. The rule of thumb is this: Dietary supplements must complement and not overpower, cancel, or take away from the nutrients that your body absorbs from your natural diet.
Below are some tips extracted from different studies that should help you maximize the performance of the nutritional vitamins and herbal supplements that you take:
1. Excessive supplements can harm you.
The RDA or the Recommended Daily Allowance is still the best basis to tell you are taking enough or too much of a certain vitamin or mineral. Remember that a little too much of everything is still bad and that includes dietary supplements. So unless your doctor tells you that you need excess amounts or dosage for a condition, don’t take more than what is stated as the RDA.
2. Natural does not mean safe.
Remember that some plants that are poisonous so not all that is ‘natural’ is safe. Never buy supplements just because the manufacturer says that they are ‘natural.’
3. Supplement does not mean substitute.
Supplements are meant to fill the gap in the nutrition provided by our natural diets. It is a huge mistake to look at supplements as substitutes for the natural sources of vitamins and nutrients.
4. Ask for professional help.
Nutritional vitamins and herbal supplements work on different people on different levels. So before taking in any form of medicine or dietary supplement, it is best to consult your doctor.
5. Be sure your supplement is safe.
Buy only supplements from manufacturers that are pharmaceutical GMP compliant because these manufacturers have passed the most stringent manufacturing standards, so you can be sure that their products are safe and effective.
Fred Burfell is an expert nutritionist and is a regular contributing columnist to a wide variety of publications. To learn more about nutritional vitamins, visit nutritional vitamins or nutritional supplement vitamin advice.
