The topic of nutritional supplements is controversial. On one side of the debate there are those who say that all nutritional supplements are a waste of money.
On the other side of the debate are those who believe that supplements should be a major part of every person’s diet. The truth lies somewhere between these extreme positions.
A rational, evidence-based, case-by-case look at nutritional supplements reveals that most have little or no value for those who maintain a well-balanced diet. However, there are a select few supplements that provide health benefits even for those who consistently eat right. On the short list are antioxidants, fat burners, fiber, fish oil, multivitamin/multimineral supplements, and whey protein.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are natural plant nutrients that prevent free radical damage in the body. Think of free radical damage as a sort of biological rusting, which causes aging, cancer, and other health consequences. Many plants and vegetables—especially the most colorful ones—are rich sources of antioxidants. Various specific antioxidant-rich foods have been shown to reduce the risk of certain diseases. For example, in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers tracked the incidence of lung cancer among a population of more than 46,000 men over 10 years and found that those who ate the most carrots and tomatoes—rich sources of antioxidants known as carotenoids—had the lowest risk of lung cancer.
Exciting new research indicates that certain antioxidants may help in the fight against weight gain and related conditions. For example, researchers from Arkansas recently discovered that rats fed a high-fat diet supplemented with anthocyanins, a class of antioxidants that are natural pigments in various kinds of berries, gained significantly less weight than rats fed an identical diet lacking anthocyanins. Interestingly, whole berries did not have the same effect as the supplement.
There are several other antioxidant supplements that have proven health benefits. These include green tea, n-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid, and quercetin.
Fat Burners
You can’t believe the hype about most weight-loss supplements. A good example is hoodia gordoni, an herbal extract from a species of cactus that has been the subject of a lot of recent hype. However, only one poorly designed study has shown any weight loss benefit, and it involved doses many times greater than can be found in any commercially available product.
There is a small number of nutritional supplements that are proven to promote fat burning. One of the best is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is a special type of fat with various health-promoting properties. Found mainly in meats and dairy products, CLA is a powerful antioxidant that has exhibited cancer protection effects in laboratory animals. CLA supplementation has also been shown to reduce body fat—and particularly abdominal body fat—in humans. It achieves these effects by reducing food intake and increasing metabolism.
Fiber
Adequate fiber intake is essential for optimal health; conversely, inadequate fiber intake is associated with a variety of diseases and health conditions. Specifically, a high-fiber diet is known to reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and constipation. One of the reasons these diseases and conditions are so prevalent in our society is that we do not consume enough dietary fiber. The U.S. Surgeon General and many professional health organizations recommend a diet containing 20-35 grams of fiber a day. The average American consumes a scant 10-15 grams daily.
Excess body fat is the primary cause of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A high-fiber diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes by reducing body fat storage. Fiber slows digestion so we feel fuller longer and consequently eat less.
Natural foods such as fruits and vegetables are the best sources of dietary fiber, but fiber supplements can be a good backup source. If you are currently getting less than 35 grams of fiber daily and you’re finding it difficult to add more whole grains, fruits or vegetables to your diet, use a fiber supplement such as ground flaxseeds. Use it according to label directions and aim for a total of roughly 35 grams of fiber daily from food and supplement sources combined.
Fish Oil
Oil from cold-water fish such as mackerel is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are considered essential because the body cannot make them, so they must be obtained from food. Unfortunately, omega-3 fats are very scarce in the modern food supply. Because adequate omega-3 consumption is essential for optimal cardiovascular and brain health, omega-3 supplementation is highly recommended for everyone. Aim for 2 to 3 grams of fish oil daily.
Multivitamin/Multimineral
Chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies are common in our society and have serious health consequences. For example, failure to consume adequate amounts of B vitamins, a common problem these days, results in elevated levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood, which is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. The best way to prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies is to maintain a consistent, well-balanced diet. Taking a quality vitamin and mineral supplement as an adjunct to a healthy diet will make up for occasional deficiencies in this or that vitamin or mineral on those days when your eating is a little off-balance.
It’s important to choose a supplement containing nutrients in forms that are well absorbed. Most vitamin and mineral supplements contain vitamins and minerals in forms that are poorly absorbed, meaning the nutrients literally pass straight through your body without ever being metabolized. While no supplement can match the absorption rate of natural foods, “real food” supplements such as Greenergy come the closest because they contain extracts from real foods and vitamins and minerals in the forms found in real foods.
Protein
New research has proven that men and women are able to lose weight “automatically”—that is, without consciously trying to eat less—by simply switching to a high-protein diet in which 30 percent of calories come from protein. The reason is that protein is more filling than carbohydrate and fat, so when you switch to a high-protein diet you feel fuller and eat less.
The easiest and most effective way to increase your protein intake is to add Permalean protein shakes and bars to your diet. These carefully formulated products contain high amounts of quality protein and are also fat-free and low in calories. For this reason, they are a much better foundation for a high-protein diet than many regular high-protein foods such as beef, nuts, and whole-milk dairy products, which are also high in fat and calories.
What makes Permalean protein shakes and bars so special is that they contain three different kinds of high-quality protein, each with its own distinct benefits. Whey protein is rich in branched chain amino acids, which promote the conversion of fat to muscle. Milk protein contains protein fractions that activate the body’s natural appetite control mechanism. And soy protein is known to reduce the risk of heart disease.
