Many people believe that taking supplements is a healthy thing. Few realize the inherent dangers associated with many of them. Athletes and people trying to lose weight may be hit the hardest. The reality is that if you’re eating a healthy diet to lose weight or stay fit, you don’t need a lot of supplementation.
Vitamin D, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin E are common supplements and can all wreak havoc on your body, causing weight gain, hormonal imbalance, lack of healing, and pain, to name a few problems.
Vitamin D is the newest boy on the block. Everyone seems to take it. Even natural therapists advocate it. Still, it’s a poor imitation of Mother Nature. It’s easy to overdose on it. The effects of long-term use are still largely unknown, but symptoms of overdose include heart problems, lack of growth, fatigue, organ dysfunction and high blood pressure, among many others.
Folic acid is very different from folate. Folic acid is the synthetic supplement. Folic acid is found in healthy foods. Folic acid is an essential nutrient for good health. But some studies link folic acid to an increase in colon cancer, while others link it to an increase in lung and prostate cancer (by up to 50%).
Calcium supplements are particularly dangerous because they do the opposite of what they’re taken for — they cause weakened bones and increase the risk of fractures. Blood tests can show an increase in calcium, but bone density tells a different story.
Vitamin E is another essential nutrient in its natural form. It is an antioxidant that scavenges free radicals. However, the synthetic form has the opposite effect – it has pro-oxidant properties.
Mother Nature does not isolate nutrients. They are combined in a complex package called groceries. To eat healthy food. People still do not fully understand the complexity and interconnectedness of the nutrients in food.
Instead of taking synthetic supplements, learn to eat healthily. This provides your body with most of its nutritional needs. Use a quality plant-based superfood supplement to fill up. Eating healthy for weight loss, fitness and endurance is key to a balanced lifestyle. It promotes natural health, fitness, weight loss (if necessary), hormonal balance, natural growth and disease prevention. It is impossible to overdose on healthy supplements as the excess is simply excreted to meet your body’s needs.
Thanks to Madeleine Innocent
