Diet and Supplementation
Do dietary supplements (including vitamins and minerals) really offer a significant health benefit?
Yes. Decades of scientific studies confirm that dietary supplementation can improve overall health, improve or prevent disease, and even reduce the risk of serious diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Can supplementation make up for a poor diet?
No. Although supplements can help you to achieve appropriate intake levels of the nutrients that make up a healthy diet, supplementation cannot undo the clear and dangerous risks of a poor diet.
It is important to introduce good nutrition to your family early.
Does quality differ among supplement manufacturers?
Yes, very substantially. Supplements are evaluated for strength, bioavailability (how well they are absorbed and utilized by the body) synergism with other supplements and purity. Product quality evaluations are performed by independent laboratories, so this information is readily available. Douglas Laboratories, makers of Relief Medical Group’s supplement blend, is consistently rated among the best supplement producers.
What constitutes an optimal dietary supplement?
Although in certain cases, lower-quality and lower-dosage supplements have been shown to provide some health benefits, there is no doubt that higher-quality and more complete supplement combinations are better for achieving optimal health.
What about concentrated tea and whole fruit and vegetable supplementation?
Studies suggest that whole food supplements offer numerous advantages over individual vitamins and minerals. Several hundred vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients have been identified which seem to work better when consumed in their natural state – as part of a whole food. Furthermore, scientists believe there may be over 19,000 so-called “phytonutrients” which are only found in whole fruits and vegetables that play a crucial role in the supplements’ effectiveness. The American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association endorse the view that consumption of whole fruits and vegetables reduces the incidence of some cancers and heart disease.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are concentrated doses of the “friendly” bacteria that help maintain a healthy microbiological “landscape” in your digestive tract, a.k.a. your flora. Probiotic supplementation has been shown to improve immune function, as well as digestive and other disorders. It also appears to be particularly beneficial in restoring healthy flora for patients who have taken antibiotics, which can detrimentally effect microorganism populations in the body.
Are Omega-3 Fatty Acids (from fish oil and other substances) an important part of a supplementation regimen?
Numerous articles have been published in the past decade showing that fish oils can help prevent and/or treat a number of serious ailments, including cardiovascular disease, depression, bipolar disorder and inflammation. In fact, Omega-3 Fatty Acids may be one of the most beneficial supplements you can include in your daily regimen.
What is Coenzyme Q10?
Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10 for short, has been shown in studies to be helpful as an antioxidant that increases the usefulness of Vitamins C and E. Proposed benefits include supporting the cardiovascular system, decreasing soreness following injury and decreasing fatigue during exercise.
What role does diet play in my overall health?
There are well-established connections between diet and most “western” diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. In addition to reducing your risk of disease, making good dietary choices will help you to feel happier and healthier in your daily life.
What can I do to ensure that my diet and supplementation requirements are met?
There are two things you should do:
1. To optimize your health through the foods that you eat, incorporate these three important dietary changes into your lifestyle (from The China Study, by Colin Campbell, PhD):
a. Maximize your intake of fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
b. Minimize your intake of refined carbohydrates, e.g. non-whole grain pasta, white bread, crackers and sugars; added vegetable oils, e.g. corn oil, peanut oil and olive oil; and fish containing high levels of mercury, e.g. salmon, tuna and cod.
c. Avoid as much as possible meat, dairy and eggs.
2. Take the Essential-4 Nutrition Pack
ESSENTIAL-4 Nutrition Pack
NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH RELIEF MEDICAL GROUP
NOT AVAILABLE AT THE RETAIL SITE
DIET/SUPPLEMENT INGREDIENTS