What Are Food Supplements All About and How Can We Educate Ourselves on this Subject

Today we are hearing a great deal about foodOK but would like to improve our general health
supplements and we are reading about them inand energy levels is at the well established,
almost every type of newspaper and magazine.proven, health websites where we can do some
Yet sometimes the information can be prettyserious reading. Two top sites are the one
confusing. Some articles are obvious ads and thatprovided by Dr. Joseph Mercola and the one
can make their claims suspect. There are alsooffered by Certified Clinical Nutritionist Ann Louise
articles that appear to be written by independentGittleman. The both sell much of what they
sources that are really disguised ads.recommend, so keep that in mind.
In generations past, fresh fruits and vegetablesA lot can be learned from the books Ms.
came from naturally rich soil. For many living inGittleman has written, as well, especially if weight
those simple times, there was no reason to goloss is an issue. Reliable authors abound on all
beyond what nature provided. However, somesubjects and a trip to the local library or
studies show that today there are manybookstore will provide many offerings to peruse.
vegetables and fruits that don't contain theAfter we've laid a little groundwork, a trip to a
wonderful array of vitamins and minerals they didhighly recommended Naturopath is often a great
decades ago.idea. Being tested is the way to eliminate the
So, what do we do? Who can we believe andguesswork and hone in on what's really needed.
what is "out there" that we can trust?There are all kinds of tests from what is called
According to a many health professionals, themuscle testing, to EKGs. Some are amazingly
worst thing we can do is to buy and take whatsimple like the test for low iodine, which is very
our friends tell us is the "latest and greatest".common. You just get a bottle of Tincture of
They admonish that nutrition is a science and weIodine and paint a patch on you abdomen, if it
are not a one-size-fits-all culture. That's makesfades overnight or sooner, you need kelp, or
sense.seaweed. Such visits can be costly but taking
At one time most medical doctors wouldn'twhat you don't need can be costlier and
recommend anything beyond a vitamin-mineraldangerous, as well. Contrary to popular belief,
combination. That's probably still true for theindiscriminate self-prescribing of over-the-counter
die-hards. However, a growing number offood supplements can be deadly.
allopathic doctors are currently diagnosing andAn open mind can be our greatest source of
treating with an eye to diet and foodinspiration. Those of us who are wiling to could
supplements. We need to contact them during ourprobably profit from deciding to look into the
research. They can be a good reference, eveninteresting subject of improved self-care through
when we aren't sick.food supplements. Why not give it a go?
Another great place to look when we are feeling