What To Know Before Taking Dietary Supplements and Vitamins
The dietary supplement industry is a $43 billion industry that continues to grow. Thousands of supplement and vitamin brands encourage people to take their products to live healthier lives, but are supplements necessary to improve overall health?
Before you jump onto the supplement bandwagon, it’s important to understand what supplements are, how they work, and if they’re something you need to improve your health and well-being.
What Are Dietary Supplements and Vitamins?
Dietary supplements provide nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, that you can take if you’re not getting adequate nutrients through food alone. As the name suggests, they are supplements, not replacements, meaning you don’t want to use them as your sole source of nutrients.
Dietary supplements are a broad category that includes vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids, and probiotics. Depending on the supplement, it can come in various forms, such as pills, capsules, powders, or oils.
Do I Need Dietary Supplements?
The only way to know if you need to take a supplement is to get a vitamin deficiency test from your doctor. These blood tests show if you have any general deficiencies. Your doctor can then suggest whether you should consider a supplement or make changes to your diet.
You can also discuss your diet and supplementation needs with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). RDNs are licensed medical professionals who specialize in diet and nutrition. They can often provide more insight into how your diet affects your health and what you can do to ensure you get the proper nutrients.
Tips For Choosing Dietary Supplements
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates supplement products and their ingredients, but that doesn’t mean all supplements are safe. Consider the following when choosing supplements:
- Brand: Look for credible and well-known brands with a good reputation for producing quality products.
- Ingredients: Make sure the supplement has the ingredients it claims to have. For example, if you’re taking an iron supplement, the list of ingredients should include an iron source. Note that some vitamins and minerals have a scientific name on the ingredient list, not the commercial name. For example, iron may be listed as ferrous sulfate.
- Third-party testing: You want to look for products that are third-party tested, meaning they’ve sent their products to an independent lab to test for quality, safety, and potency.
- Customer reviews: Browse online to see what other customers say about the product. Are people seeing desired results, or do they have adverse side effects?
Medication Monitoring & Healthy Meals with Visiting Angels
Dietary supplements aren’t always necessary; sometimes, having a reliable person to help you craft nutritious meals is all you need to get the proper nutrients. At Visiting Angels, our professional caregivers are happy to help clients find recipes, grocery shop, meal prep, and cook delicious foods. They can also ensure vitamins, supplements, and medications are taken on schedule and on the appropriate days, as well as monitor food and water intake.
Contact our Cullman office to learn more about our at-home care services and to schedule a complimentary consultation.