What Is The Big Deal About Supplements?

Whenever I talk about supplements, there seems to be some confusion out there. For most people, supplements is a general term that includes everything from multi-vitamins, holistic foods, protein drinks, steroids, HGH, and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, what is associated with the word "supplements" is all the negative press to really only a few of these items in regards to health issues.

I think you have to make a distinction between supplements and performance enhancing drugs (we will call them PED'sfor short).

PED's are in the news a lot. They are used by athletes to help them become bigger, faster, and stronger. Some of these, if taken under a doctor's supervision, can be beneficial for an individual. Most are questionable at best, not so much about what they can do, but what negative affects they will have on your body down the road. Sometimes these PED's are taken for recreational use and this is where it gets a little crazy. If a little is good, more must be better, and these rec-users take them in crazy doses.

These PED's are not what my clients would be taking if they were looking to achieve their health goals. So, when you hear the word "supplements" immediately discount the PED's because these aren't sold at any store.

So, out of the remaining items in the term "supplements," you hear a lot of strange words being used nowadays - hoodia, ginko bilobo, ephedra, phen-phen. A lot of these words are associated with fat burners. Some have caused negative repercussions and others don't do anything except burn a hole in your wallet. Eliminate these "fat burners" from our supplements term. There is no such thing as a pill or powder that burns fat. It doesn't exist.

What remains for the most part are the products I lump into the discussion of supplements and explain to my clients how they might help. First, of all, they have to be eating healthy for most of their meals. If you continue to eat like crap, then no supplement in the world is going to help. Then, if you are like most of my clients, you have a busy schedule and little time to prepare many meals. That is when my version of the word supplements come into play. I feel using a meal replacement shake or bar to help get you between meals is fine. These products are man made, but they are consistent with healthy choices and can fulfill your nutritional needs until you get to your next whole meal. I also discuss using a quality vitamin strip. There are nutritional gaps in a person's diet no matter how perfect they eat. These help fill those gaps.

So when I think of supplements, that is what I think of. No fat burners, no shots to your stomach, nothing hard core. Just something to aid in the getting of healthy calories so that your body can become a natural fat burner and get rid of fat safely. Nutrition is the key to accomplishing your health goals and the supplements I suggest can be a good complement towards achieving that goal.