Posts Tagged ‘dietary supplements’
The Way To Choose Your Omega 3 Capsules
It’s confusing isn’t it. DHA, EPA and more. How do you choose your Omega 3 supplements?
And it gets worse when you start reading all about converting ALA to DHA, then about long chain and short chain fats and so on.
I recently had one of my readers ask me about choosing his Omega 3 capsules. He had read all about long and short chain fats and the differences and had just got overwhelmed about how to go about choosing the best Omega 3 supplements.
It’s understandable how he got confused and so I’ll talk a little about it and then tell you how to go about choosing your Omega 3 fish oil supplements.
Of the three main Omega 3 fats (DHA, EPA and ALA) the most important by far is DHA. It makes up a major part of your brain.
You get ALA from plant sources like flax seeds, and your DHA comes from sources like deep sea fish. And DHA is a long chain fatty acid, whilst ALA is a short chain fatty acid. But the most important is DHA.
But DHA, the most important Omega 3 fatty acid along with EPA, is what you need from your Omega 3 supplements. And all Omega 3 fish oil capsules contain DHA.
Every brand of fish oil capsules has DHA.
So if you’re better using fish oil supplements are they all the same? If not how do you choose between the different fish oil supplements?
There are two factors in choosing the best fish oil supplements. You need to consider the quantity of DHA you get in each capsule and you need to look at the purity of the fish oil. That’s all.
You can’t decide which are the best value fish oil tablets without knowing how much DHA you get from them.
For example if you consider supplements with a third of the DHA, but at a half the price, of others you’re not getting good value.
And you also need to consider the purity of the supplements because many fish oil capsules can contain oils contaminated with small amounts of mercury, for example, because many of our deep sea fish are contaminated, and that’s where the oil comes from.
That’s the 2 things you need to consider when choosing your Omega3 capsules.
But actually doing that comparison isn’t as easy as you’d think and you may struggle. I have run the sums and one brand comes up as the best fish oil supplement on both DHA quantity and also on oil purity.
I tell you which brand on my website.
Good Nutrition for a Healthy Life
We work in order to earn and we eat in order to live. It is a healthy diet that keeps us fit for work. So there is a direct connection between health and wealth.
There is a similar connection between our diet and health. Our body, in order to perform its activities, needs daily inputs of macronutrients like carbohydrates, fiber, fats and proteins and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. A healthy diet includes all these in their optimal quantities. When the body does not receive its fair share of these nutrients, it loses its vigor.
While it is advisable to eat green vegetables and fresh food, it is not always possible to do that owing to our metro-lifestyle and work habits. We have become used to eating processed food like polished rice, pasteurized milk, frozen meat and fast food like burgers, pizzas, and soft drinks. Most of our health problems originate from such food habits.
The food processing industry has no doubt ensured that we get food which is hygienic and which can be stored for longer periods, but such food has been proven to be nutritionally inferior compared to fresh food. Techniques like drying, heating, salting, and separating alter the nutritional content of the food items.
As we grow older, our nutritional needs change. As a child, we need a stronger input of proteins for muscular growth, while during the teens; we need a larger dose of carbohydrates for that extra energy. Elderly people may require a lot of water and minerals. Therefore, it is important to tune our diets as we grow. But food habits acquired during early years die hard and if we are not able to switch to new diets, our body may suffer from nutritional imbalances.
It is important to refer to the nutritional guides and standards published by the government and implement them in our daily life.
Apart from that, it is also a good practice to consume nutritional supplements, which are designed to provide balanced nutrition to the body. These will take care of supplementing all the nutrients which are not made available to the body through the routine diet.
Many people make the mistake of just taking one vitamin or mineral supplement since they were told about its deficiency. However, this might lead to counter-effects since most nutrients work in conjunction and it is important to consume the right mix of these nutrients for the best outcome.
All good nutritional supplements are composed of the right ingredients, in the correct amounts, in the right balance and in the correct forms for all age groups. Therefore, I would advise you to choose the right dietary supplements for a healthy life.
Dietary Supplements for health
Dietary supplements are used by many. You can walk into any supermarket and get most of them. Many use them to supplement their diets and some use them as an alternative to prescription medications. With many Americans going uninsured they are becoming more popular.
Use caution if planning to take a dietary supplement for any reason. The fact that they are easy to get and prescription is needed doe not make them safe. You can find supplements in many forms, liquid, tablet, powder and pills.
The FDA does regulate what dietary supplements can have on there labels, but not much else. The FDA tells them they are not allowed to sale unsafe products, but manufactures do not have to prove they are safe like with food and drugs.
Somehow that does not convince me that they are all safe for me to take. You should never take any supplement without first talking it over with your doctor. Supplements can react with many drugs and do have side effects. Especially if you have certain medical conditions.
Many people take a multivitamin to insure they are getting enough of everything. Multi vitamins contain a wide variety of vitamins in one does. Some of them even have added herbs, botanicals and amino acids to even further boost their range of ingredients.
You must be careful. We here claims about what certain herbs can do for you but I can not stress enough how important it is to discuss them with your doctor. Dietary supplements can be toxic so never take more then the recommended dose!
You can also find a lot of information by searching the internet. There are sites loaded with information that can be helpful. Not all of the claims you here are proven. And the supplements can be manufactured differently depending on makers, making them more or less effective.
If you stick to a well balanced diet and you exercise regularly that should be enough to stay healthy. But if you still think you may need a dietary supplement check with your health care provider and see what they recommend for you.
Brazil gives the world the Acai Berry
Brazil, has seen it’s share of media exposure over the past year with the discovery of all the major health benefits their little power fruit contains, the Acai Berry.
In today’s world, the extract from the Acai Berry makes its way to us in many different forms. Health experts from all over the world recommend this Acai Berry extract to their patients for the major health benefits that it provides.
What are some of the different health benefits?
There have been so many health benefits reported by experts who have done extensive research of the berry but one of the biggest features has been that the Acai Berry has helped users to lose weight by increasing the antioxidants in the human body.
In fact, scientific research has shown that antioxidants are very important for increasing the body’s ability to fight diseases. Just one capsule a day of Acid Berry will ensure that your overall health and fitness is maintained.
Many people consume the Acai Berry in Pulp form but with the great tasting juices made from MonaVie which can be mixed in a smoothy or the capsule form by AcaiBurn, many users are starting to incorporate Acai Berries into there daily diets just for the taste of it alone.
When used with a regular workout routine, the Acai Berry has contributed to rapid weight loss just by increasing the levels of antioxidants in the human body. This same increase of antioxidants has been responsible for many, many major positive effects.