As their name indicates, food supplements are pills to supplement a conventional diet. In general, food supplements are taken preventively to avoid a possible lack of nutrients (vitamins, omega 3, minerals ...).
Nowadays, even a varied and healthy diet does not always provide all the nutrients our body needs. The intake of food supplements is even more essential for people following a particular diet: gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan or in case of allergy.
The different components in dietary supplements
In recent years, the market for dietary supplements has expanded significantly to better meet the needs of consumers. Thus, supplements can provide several different nutrients in variable quantities.
Vitamins are the best known and most widely used supplements. Vitamins A, B (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 12), C, D or vitamin E ... each of them can be taken in the form of food supplements.
Proteins are mainly used by athletes because they help the development of muscle mass. However, proteins also play a role in strengthening hair or nails.
Antioxidants are the supplements to takeif you want to strengthen your body against internal or external attacks. Antioxidants can, among other things, support the immune system, facilitate transit, eliminate toxins or prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease.
Fats are also known under the name of fatty acids and are for example omega 3, 6 or 9. Fatty acids are essential for the proper functioning of the body but it does not know how to synthesize them all by itself. Thus, only a balanced diet can bring omega 3 to the body and sometimes this is not enough and a supplement is necessary.
Minerals are highly prized because their properties are very diverse. Calcium, selenium, iron, magnesium, chromium, copper, zinc or fluorine each have specific advantages. One will embellish the skin, the other will come to relieve the joints or strengthen the bones, etc....
Plants are in fashion lately and their natural active ingredients can treat a large number of health problems.
Phytotherapy in food supplements
Quick explanation of phytotherapy
Phytotherapy, also known as herbal medicine, is a practice that is part of the so-called unconventional medicines. Medicinal plants are very numerous and you can find them everywhere, even in your garden. Medicinal plants are known for their therapeutic virtues that treat a wide range of pathologies. Contrary to conventional medicine, phytotherapy does not use chemistry to heal but rather the natural active ingredients found in nature.
A phytotherapeutic treatment is not carried out using a whole plant. In fact, it is only the parts of the plant with the desired benefits that will be used in the treatment. The leaves, roots, flowers, bark, seeds, stem, bulb or buds are therefore separated from the rest of the plant to become the basis of a natural treatment acting on a specific problem.
Joint pains: devil's claw, blackcurrant, rosemary, Roman chamomile, birch, St. John's wort, horsetail.
Anxiety, stress: passionflower, black horehound, linden, verbena, valerian, hawthorn.
Breathing problems: thyme, green tea, myrtle
Traffic problems: red vine
Influenza infections: ginger, cinnamon, clove
Digestive disorders: yarrow, basil, ginger
Headaches: Indian spikenard, meadowsweet, white willow, lavender
Food supplements versus chemical medicines
In our society where the reflex when you have a headache is to go to the drug store and buy an aspirin, dietary supplements sometimes have difficulty putting their benefits forward. However, the effectiveness of the plants used in phytotherapy has been tested and scientifically proven.
Where conventional medicines serve as a "band-aid" and just treat the symptoms of diseases, plants will act in depth to find the origin of the problem and treat it without the risk of unwanted effects. Most medicines, moreover, provoke side effects, while natural supplements have very few.