Why You Need To Supplement Your Already Healthy Diet

In order to stay healthy, you need to eat all the necessary food groups.

This means you need to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins, and whole grains.

But:

The American diet-and Americans in general — are lacking many of these necessary food groups.

And this means they are lacking in the nutrients they need to stay healthy and free from diseases.

That’s why we often recommend supplementation.

Yes, nothing can outperform a sound diet. But sadly, most Americans don’t have the right diet to meet all their nutritional needs.

The Purpose of a Healthy Diet

The purpose of a healthy diet is to further life, extend mortality, and increase your longevity.

It provides all the right nutrients to extend life and keep us free from chronic diseases. But the majority of Americans may not have the right diet-or include all the food groups-to keep themselves healthy or keep chronic diseases away.

So it should come as no surprise that there are more people diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mood disorders, and brain disorders.

Can we blame diet solely for these changes?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes. The Westernized diet has changed drastically over the years-and it’s taken a toll on your health.

Eating foods that are vacant in nutrients often erode your health. And the impact won’t be seen until your later years how a poor diet has impacted your health.

From grains being stripped of essential fibers, vitamins, and minerals…to the introduction of unhealthy omega-6 fats…

Your diet has become a conduit for inflammation and poor health. This is precisely why supplementation is recommended.

Supplementation, although not foolproof, may provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fats that your body could be missing.

And this could improve your health in so many ways.

But what if you already eat a healthy diet?

Why Supplement When You Eat Well
Even if you eat healthy, your diet may not contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy.

In fact, your current diet-even though very healthy-could only meet the minimum requirements your body needs to perform all its necessary daily functions.

Supplementation can help with that. Here are a few ways supplements may help improve your health:

• A wide range of essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to control everything from metabolism to repairing cells.
• Essential fatty acids (omega-3 fats) that reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and improve the integrity of the cell membrane.
• High-quality proteins that add to your amino acid pool to build muscle, create essential hormones, and build enzymes.
• “Friendly” bacteria that strengthen your gut microbiota to build stronger immunity, essential neurotransmitters needed for better brain health, and improvements in weight loss and body composition.
• The right-blend of natural, cleansing herbs to support a healthy liver-to allow for proper cleansing and detoxification processes.
• And so much more.

Yes, you can get most of these nutrients from adopting a healthier diet-one that is free from processed foods, nutrient-vacant junk food, sugars, added fillers, artificial sweeteners, or harmful fats.

But sometimes even the healthiest diet needs fortifying. And that may be possible by using high-quality supplements aimed at everything from providing trace vitamins and minerals your body needs, to antioxidants that could protect your health.

There are some situations, however, when supplements are warranted (and are highly encouraged) to keep someone healthy.

For example, pregnant women are often deficient in folic acid, which could lead to poor development of the neural tubes in the growing baby.

It is recommended that most pregnant women take a multi-vitamin that contains adequate folic acid and a high-quality omega-3 fatty acid supplement to further aid in the brain development of the future child.

Other cases where supplementation may be warranted are:

• Vegans or vegetarians (not enough protein in their diet)
• Older adults
• Anyone following a diet that misses entire food groups
• Women with heavy menstrual periods
• Those who don’t eat wild-caught fatty fish at all-or even sparingly each month

Of course, those who do not eat a proper diet or for those who don’t meet their daily caloric recommendations are highly encouraged to supplement their diet accordingly.

This is why supplements are often termed “dietary insurance”-so you can be sure that you’re getting all the nutrients you need to stay healthy and fit.

The Take Home Message

Although you may be eating a well-balanced diet, you may still not be getting enough of the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and fit.

But even the best diet may lack all the nutrients-or the right nutrient level-your body needs for peak cellular performance.

Once again, if your cells are firing at optimal level, then your body will also function like a well-oiled machine.

Even though you may think you’re getting everything you need from your diet, you could be lacking essential micronutrients (trace vitamins and minerals) that your body needs to stay healthy.

And if you think you can get it from your diet…think again. In order to meet all the needs and demands, you would have to eat a lot of food just to meet your daily recommended intake.

This is where taking a small pill or drinking a protein shake could help you meet the demands your body needs-in both a more cost-effective and simple way.