Supplements: What are they and why are they important?

Supplements play a key part of our naturopathic practices at EASTND and while 46% of Canadians use at least one nutritional supplement, there is still a lot of confusion and questions around how we can effectively integrate supplements into your life.

In a perfect world, your diet would provide you with all the nutrients you need to live a healthy and well-balanced life.  However literature would suggest that Canadian’s are falling short of key nutrients like calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, D, and C. This deficit in our dietary intake speaks to the importance of supplements. After all…

Supplements are designed to enhance and complete our nutritional needs.

The word “supplement” can be a catchall term for the following:

• vitamins 

• minerals

• micronutrients or macronutrients

• herbs and other botanicals

With supplementing covering such a variety of cofactors needed for the body to function optimally, it is no wonder there remains confusion among the general public when it comes to determining what is important or appropriate to use for supplementation.

In general, people who benefit from using supplements include (but are not limited to) the following…

• Pregnant women - ie. prenatal vitamins with methylated folic acid and absorbable iron

• Adults over the age of 50 – ie. quality multivitamin with absorbable B12

• Adults over the age of 65 – ie. vitamin D

• Vegans or vegetarians - ie. iron, amino acids, protein, B12, and vitamin D

• Lactose intolerant or milk allergy children and adults - ie. calcium and vitamin D

• Ketogenic Dieters – ie. electrolytes, calcium, and magnesium

• Women with heavy menstrual periods - ie. iron

• Adults with chronic diarrhea, food allergies or food intolerance - ie. iron, B12, magnesium, zinc, etc

Key reasons to incorporate supplementation into your daily life:

1. Bridge the nutritional gap in your daily diet. Good intentions aside, many Canadian’s struggle to eat a well balanced diet and this is where supplements can be extremely beneficial.

2. Support our bodies in absorbing important nutrients to keep you healthy. As we age our bodies capability to break down and absorb nutrients is more difficult. Supplementation can ensure that we prevent or correct for deficiencies. Another important consideration is gut-health; with so many of us experiencing poor digestive health, offering essential vitamins and nutrients in easy absorbable supplements can make all of the difference in the way we feel.

3. Support our bodies through regular to intense exercise. The more we exercise the more energy and nutrients our body burns. Supplements are an effective way to replenish our bodies, speed recovery, and increase resilience in our physical body. 

4. Proactive & preventative healthcare. Many chronic diseases are directly linked to nutritional deficiencies. Ensuring your body is getting the proper nutrients can help prevent health issues in the future. This is a very important consideration in naturopathic medicine.

Common Supplements and Their Benefits 

Vitamin D plays a key role in the management of osteoporosis and brittle bones. People with low vitamin D can also experience anxiety, low energy, and depression. Vitamin D plays an important role in skin cell growth and repair. It boosts the skin's immune system and helps destroy free radicals that can cause premature aging. 

Calcium is a mineral to build strong bones and teeth. It also needed for your heart and other muscles to function properly. Children and postmenopausal women are at a particularly higher risk for calcium deficiencies leading to poor growth and development, and brittle bones respectively.

Vitamin A is important for vision, a strong immune system and fertility. It is also vital in the proper functioning of the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs. Vitamin A based creams are often used to treat acne.

Magnesium can be helpful in helping those with high blood pressure, regulating periods, reducing stress, and improving digestion. Ensuring you consume the right level of magnesium assists in the management of chronic inflammation which can prevent early aging, obesity and chronic disease. 

Vitamin C is a key player in the immune system. It drastically increases antioxidants in our blood, acting as a potent detoxifier and inflammation fighter.

Why Choose Professional Grade Supplements?

Every year Canadian’s spend millions on supplements in hopes of improving their health. The reality is they are getting their information and recommendations from TV ads, internet ads, and friends. 

These behaviours can lead Canadians to purchase supplements that are not effective, contain low quality ingredients, and/or contain unnecessary or even harmful additives. When this happens, people often feel they have wasted their money and express frustration from the lack of results.

Purchasing professional grade supplements allows us to avoid these problems. Professional grade supplements can only be purchased and retailed by a licensed healthcare professional. One of the most important thing we consider before prescribing a supplement is “does this do more harm than good?”. We carefully research each supplement we recommend and only carry trusted, researched, and third party tested, quality supplements.

The staff at EastND take time to listen and understand each client’s health concerns and unique body chemistry. We develop customized treatment plans to restore health and promote sustainable wellness today, tomorrow, and everyday moving forward.

- Your ND’s @EASTND