Are Supplements Necessary For Reaching Your Goals?

2007-08-01 Word Count: 460 Category: Sidha

So the question remains. Is your trip to the vitamin store necessary?

This is a question I get all the time and the simplest is answer I can give is yes. The reason for this is because many people eat a poor diet.

Studies show that the average diet in the US consists of too much fat, too much sugar, not enough fiber and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables.

We are eating plenty of calories, but they are often 'empty' calories, meaning that they have very low levels of the essential
vitamins and minerals we need to stay healthy.

Since the majority of meals in the US are currently eaten in restaurants or 'on the run' it makes good sense to take a vitamin supplement to fill in the gaps in our diet.

While it is important to remember the value of a nutritional supplement in maintaining health, we should never think that taking a supplement replaces a good diet.

In other words, the first and by far most important step is to improve the quality of our diet, and then take a supplement as a nutritional insurance policy to make sure we get all we need.

Now the question then becomes, what supplements should I be taking?

The problem with this is that most supplements are worthless.

Another problem is the confusion of going to a supplement store and having an overwhelming amount of choices. And even worse is the advice given by the non-qualified staff at these stores!

Basics are what most people need combined with exercise and a sound diet.

On top of that there aren't many supplement companies that I would never recommend because they just bombard the customer
with every supplement under the sun. And again, going to your local vitamin store to get advice from a High School Grad at
best is another joke.

So how do you know what supplements to take?

My best advice is to keep things simple.

Start with a good whole food source mulit-vitamin/mineral supplement.

Make use of good quality protein powder you can use to make great tasting and nutritious smoothies.

Definetely take a high quality Fish Oil supplement. Study after study shows that this is a wonder supplement. And since most people don't eat fish on a regular basis this makes it simple to get your Essential Fatty Acids.

After that I might go with a healthy snack bar. Be careful though as many are loaded with too much sugar and chemicals.

Stick with the brands that are low in calories and use high quality healthy ingredients.

That is basically it. If you eat right, exercise consistently and make the right choices with supplements excellent results are sure to follow.

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Virgil Aponte brings over 12 years of experience as a Personal Trainer, High School PE Teacher and Strength & Conditioning Coach. He has trained hundreds of people including elite professional athletes of the Women’s National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. He earned his Master's Degree in Physical Education from Brooklyn College and is an American College of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness Instructor. Visit his web site at www.VirgilAponte.com to sign up for his free health & fintess journal.