FOOD SUPPLEMENTS v/s MEDICINES

Hello everyone, today we will know what the cycle of food is and when and what we should prefer to consume for our health. Today, anyone and everyone is taking medicines and supplements for some reason or another. But have you stopped to think about what the difference is between medicines and supplements? It’s true that we’ve been using pharmaceutical drugs or medicines for most of our lives. But we all see the change now, and the natural and organic lifestyle is growing. That means many people are going back to their roots and relying on homemade natural supplements or herbal medicine. But before we talk about supplements, let’s find out what the key difference is between medicines and supplements. As we all know, natural foods are best for eating because they do not have any side effects, and they are full of nutrition that makes us healthy and disease-free, but nowadays, rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are also undercutting the nutritiousness of our foods.

All plants have photosynthetic pathways through which they bring in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, break it apart, and use the carbon to grow, explains Ebi. But when crops, including wheat, rice, barley, and potatoes, are exposed to higher levels of carbon dioxide, they generate more carbon-based compounds, which leads to a higher carbohydrate content. In addition, when concentrations of carbon dioxide are higher, these crops draw in less water, “which means they bring in fewer micronutrients from the soil,” says Ebi.

Exposure to light, air and naturally occurring enzymes can also reduce the nutrients in the fruit. Boiling fruits may result in the loss of many vital vitamins. As much as one-half to one-third of vitamins A and C, thiamine and riboflavin are lost in cooking.

That is why it is not necessary that we get 100% nutrients from natural food, but as we know, they are best for all, so we should also not avoid them. We can add some extras to fulfil the nutrients in our body in the form of other supplements that are called food supplements.

MEDICINES V/S SUPPLEMENTS

What a medicinal drug does is it force the body to do something that it normally wouldn’t do. The body reacts in certain ways to the particular medication, which helps to achieve the desired effect. For example, if you are taking blood pressure medicine, the body will lower your blood pressure because of the medicine you took to balance the body and handle the medicine. However, if your body cannot balance the medicine, the drug will give you side effects, which is why most people take multiple medicines for one ailment. Each drug is given in an attempt to balance another drug so as not to create the various side effects of the other drugs. So while the insides of your body turn into a playground for acrobatic gymnasts when you take medicines, nutritional supplements give the actual tools to help fix the issue in the body, like a handyman. Let’s take the blood pressure example again. If you have high blood pressure and take natural supplements for it,what the supplements will do is address the cause of the blood pressure, fix the problem and allow the pressure to come back to normal.

DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS.

Dietary supplements are intended to add to or supplement the diet and are different from conventional food. Generally, to the extent a product is intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent diseases, it is a drug, even if it is labelled as a dietary supplement. Supplements are ingested and come in many forms, including tablets, capsules, soft gels, gel caps, powders, bars, gummies, and liquids

Dietary supplements (also called food supplements or nutritional supplements) are products designed to give you nutrients that might be missing from your diet. They are usually taken as tablets, capsules or powders, or as a liquid.

Dietary supplements can help you improve or maintain your overall health, and supplements can also help you meet your daily requirements of essential nutrients

People take these supplements to make sure they get enough essential nutrients and to maintain or improve their health

Common supplements include:

Vitamins (such as multivitamins or individual vitamins like vitamin D and biotin).

Minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, and iron).

Botanicals or herbs (such as echinacea and ginger).

Botanical compounds (such as caffeine and curcumin).

Amino acids (such as tryptophan and glutamine).

Live microbials (commonly referred to as “probiotics”).

BENEFITS OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS.

Dietary supplements can help you improve or maintain your overall health

. Supplements can also help you meet your daily requirements of essential nutrients.

providing nutrients you can't get from your diet and increasing your levels of nutrients if you have deficiencies.

complementing mainstream medical treatment plans. and supporting overall and specific wellness goals.

Why are food supplements important?

Nutritional supplements enhance your regular diet to ensure a healthy supply of nutrients. They contain vitamins and minerals that help you feel better, look better, and even sleep better. Nutritional imbalances can cause symptoms you didn't even realise were because of a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

is evey people need to take supplements?

no such rules. Although most supplements undergo strict clinical trials and are proven safe for consumption, many of us can get all our nutrients through a well-balanced, healthy diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. However, today’s wholesome foods are also stripped of certain nutrients, and in cases of deficiency that cannot be solved through food alone, taking the specific vitamins and minerals in which you’re deficient can help fill the gaps. Supplementation should be tailored and personalised to your blood work and medical history. For example, many cholesterol medications lower the levels of an incredibly important antioxidant known as CoQ10 in our bodies. So taking supplements with that is important. Always remember that before taking any supplements, you must visit to your nutritionist.

Any Side effects of supplements?

Taking more than you need costs more and might also raise your risk of side effects. For example, too much vitamin A can cause headaches and liver damage, reduce bone strength, and cause birth defects. Excess iron causes nausea and vomiting and may damage the liver and other organs.

Thank you.