Food supplements are generally taken if you want to increase the nutrition intake in your diet. The word supplements itself refers to “a thing added to something else in order to complete or enhance it.” However, one cannot just simply start taking supplements without running any research on them. There are many misconceptions around food supplements and while it is difficult to find a source for fact based information around them, it is extremely important to understand why you should start incorporating these supplements in your diet.
It is said that apple was the most nutritious fruit 20 years back, but it doesn’t provide the same health benefits now. Having said that, food has lost its nutritional value due to the increased use of pesticides, insecticides and other chemicals. This only makes your food look attractive and nutritious but doesn’t provide any health benefits. Here, supplements come in the picture to complement your diet by providing the nutrition that you might not get from regular food. Now talking about myths, it has become difficult to separate facts from fiction as we have plenty of information to read, without knowing which one to follow. Hence, we’ve gathered the top 8 myths that people have around food supplements, for you to understand them better.
Contents
- 1 1. Supplement is medicine
- 2 2. Everyone can get all the nutrients they need from supplements alone
- 3 3. Dietary supplements show the same benefits for everyone
- 4 4. Supplements have steroids mixed in them
- 5 5. Only Whey Protein helps in building muscles
- 6 6. I have to take supplements for once and then I will have a good physique for the rest of my life
- 7 7. Popular brand supplements cannot be fake
- 8 8. Evaluation of supplements can be done through the front labels
1. Supplement is medicine
Medicine is a drug or rather, preparation for the treatment or prevention of disease. Hence, supplements can never act as a substitute to allopathic as they don’t have any disease fighting components. Supplements are made to enhance your health by incorporating them in your diet, to fill in the nutrition gap that food does not provide. Supplement is prevention, medicine is a cure.
2. Everyone can get all the nutrients they need from supplements alone
Food and exercise play a major role for you to get fit and healthy. Taking only food supplements won’t help you to get the desired body and hence, following a diet plan and regularly exercising should be the top priority. The growth of your body depends on these two things in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Hence, exercise is very important with a healthy appetite.
3. Dietary supplements show the same benefits for everyone
Benefits from supplements can depend on various factors like quality, quantity, when and how it was taken, etc. Other than this, it also depends on the ability of a person’s body to absorb the nutrition and hence, the results differ from person to person. The food supplements that are recommended are according to the body type and appetite in order to get the best and most effective results.
4. Supplements have steroids mixed in them
Steroids are used as a medicine (only if suggested by doctors) in order to prevent muscle deficiency in extreme case of accident or any other. Whereas, supplements were created to complement the nutritional efficiencies in your food and body. Until and unless you buy your supplements from a reputed source and follow the recommended dosage, IT IS SAFE!
5. Only Whey Protein helps in building muscles
There are different proteins available for various body types. Whey protein is known to be great for the human body, but there are other proteins which are more beneficial than whey. For example Plant Protein. Plant Protein is extremely beneficial and easy to digest for the human body. It is best for the people who are lactose intolerant as it is a natural source of protein without any allergy based content. Hence, one should research and try to find a suitable protein as there are many proteins available for each body.
6. I have to take supplements for once and then I will have a good physique for the rest of my life
Continuous intake of nutrition is necessary to fulfil your body’s nutritional requirement. Only taking it once won’t help your body in anyway. A human body requires the supply of nutrition everyday in order to maintain the achieved body. However, working out simultaneously is extremely important for your body to respond to the intake of nutrition.
7. Popular brand supplements cannot be fake
India is a home of multiple nutrition brands. Hence, there is a good chance for supplements to be duplicate or fake. A popular nutrition brand will always have great quality products but there is a greater chance of duplicate products to be sold of that brand. Hence, one should always buy the nutrition products from a reliable source who sell only original products.
8. Evaluation of supplements can be done through the front labels
The quantity of the ingredients on the front labels in supplements is generally not mentioned. One should always refer to the ingredients list in order to know the quantity of what is used and how much is used. The ingredients mentioned in the supplement are always written in ascending order with reference to the quantity. For example: The front label of a product might say ‘Whey Protein Isolate or Concentrate’, but the quantity of the same would be mentioned in the ingredients list. This will give a clear idea of how much protein is really used with other ingredients. Hence, it is very important to go through the ingredients list to know the quality and quantity of the product.
[“Source-gqindia”]
