To Supplement or Not To Supplement?

By Kayley George, RDN, LD

One of the most common questions that brides ask is “Should I be taking any supplements?”

Let me be clear: A balanced diet is the best way to get the nutrients your body needs to thrive. But some diets, conditions, stresses, and medications can leave holes in your nutrition. In these cases, a supplement may be necessary to make up for nutrients you are missing.

It’s also no surprise that the supplement industry is thriving. From your local pharmacy to online retailers, it’s easier than ever to find endless supplement options. We are bombarded with supplements to treat everything from constipation to insomnia. With so many options it can be difficult to determine which supplements are the best for you. To make matters worse, dietary supplements aren’t even regulated by the government. So, how do you decide whether you are getting a high-quality, trustworthy supplement?

Know Your Options

A major barrier in getting a high quality supplement is only looking at over-the-counter (OTC) options. The supplements you get from the store, online, or from multi-level marketing companies make great claims, but often cannot back up those claims. Medical-grade supplements, on the other hand, are held to the same standards as pharmaceutical drugs in terms of content and quality.

Quality Over Quantity

OTC supplement companies often use cheap, synthetic forms of vitamins that can inhibit absorption of the natural forms of those vitamins. Medical-grade supplements tend to contain forms of vitamins that your body is built to handle, meaning the supplements are more effective and more readily absorbed and utilized.

OTC supplements may also mislead consumers regarding the amount of nutrients your body can actually use from the product. For example, fish oil often comes in 500-1000mg capsules, but only about 20-40% of that is actually omega-3 (EPA and DHA), the ingredient you really want from fish oil. In order to meet your daily goal using supplements alone, you would have to take 5-10 OTC capsules versus usually only 2 medical-grade capsules.

Worth the Cost?

Due to the high-quality, natural ingredients, and high manufacturing standards, medical-grade supplements tend to be more expensive than their OTC counterparts. However, when you consider the effectiveness and quality of the supplements, the few extra dollars may be worth the cost. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide.

If you’re afraid that your nutrition is missing the mark, set up an introductory nutrition assessment to dive into your wedding diet!

To explore weight loss options with a registered dietitian you can book a FREE discovery call with me today!

Published on Jan 4, 2019 at 7:00 am