Nutritional Supplements Are NOT Substitutes for Proper Nutrition Articles | Nutrition

By: David W Robinson

Nutritional supplements are just that, they are to supplement proper nutrition. Supplements are not to be used as a substitute for proper nutrition. They work in conjunction with the food we eat. They act as an assistant to the food we eat. They also need food as an "assistor" to do what they do in the body. It is a mutual relationship.

Also keep in mind that the effect(s) of supplements only last as long as the supplement is taken. Stop taking the supplement and the effect(s) it has will stop, too. This is true for any nutritional supplement.

Please notice that the term "proper nutrition" is used. That's because as the level of nutrition declines, so too does the effect(s) and utilization of the supplement by the body decline. Let me explain.

The body is an intelligent system. Food is fuel for the body. It "knows" what is fuel (good food, proper nutrition) and what is non-fuel (bad food/junk nutrition).

Good nutrition gets utilized by the body properly. Bad nutrition results in consequences for the body (clogged arteries, fat accumulates, diabetes, etc.) or gets eliminated by the body...and sometimes rather quickly. Also notice that digestion, breakdown and waste elimination of the food you eat all happens automatically.

Just how much of the food we eat and the supplements we take that can actually be utilized by the body is termed "bio-utilization". This bio-utilization is directly linked to "bio-availability" or how much real fuel is actually in the food we eat. The body also "knows" how much of every type of fuel it needs and is going to utilize. Take in more than the body needs and it can result in consequences (again, a above) or it eliminates the surplus. This is to say that too much of a good thing is not really too good, or, more is not better. That goes for both food and supplements.

The bottom line is that supplements help to assist this bio-utilization of proper nutrition (fuel) for the body. But supplements also need good food to work properly themselves. If bio-availability of real fuel is low, the effects of the supplements will be low. The lock can't be opened without the proper key and a key is of no use without the proper lock.

If you simply follow the Daily Value guidelines for properly taking nutritional supplements, and do it with proper nutrition as outlined by the New Food Pyramid (Harvard School of Public Health), you have yourself one part of the winning formula for beginning to go from fat -2- trim!