A new blog: an other challenge. This time I start with questions: what do you take as a supplement, or supplements, to get through the day? What are you not sure about? What is your age? How are your intestines? Do you take hormones or HRT? These questions and more I need to ask you to support you with your daily intake to be a happy and healthy person.

What does our friend Britannica says about supplements:

Supplements:

Dietary supplement, any vitamin, mineral, herbal product, or other ingestible preparation that is added to the diet to benefit health.

Dietary supplements are used worldwide and represent a broad category of ingestible products that are distinguishable from conventional foods and drugs. In the United States, dietary supplements are defined as products (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that contain at least one of the following ingredients: vitamin, mineral, herb or botanical (including extracts of herbs or botanicals), amino acid, metabolite, or any combination thereof. In short, products such as multivitamins, garlic tablets, fish oil capsules, probiotics, natural weight-loss aids, and certain types of energy drinks are examples of dietary supplements.

So that is a standard knowledge, nice to know. And again I need to ad something.

Malnourished!

Lots of people think taking supplements is a luxury, not necessary, crazy, cost too much and is very decadent. I can tell you it is definitely NOT. Our food, our veggies, our fruit, our meat contain a large dose of pesticides, antibiotics, any kind of ingredient to make it look nicer and look better. So the minute you think you eat healthy, you are not and you have to make sure you that you feed yourself properly.

If we depend on the food in the stores, the supermarkets, even the fresh vegetables, fruits and so on, we will not be nourished, but malnourished. Supplying is a must!

Magnesium

There are not only vitamins you need, also minerals, like selenium, magnesium, zinc etc. Specifically magnesium is a must for everybody over 35 years old. Magnesium is one of the most needed minerals for your body. There are more than 600 reactions that involves magnesium:

• It creates energy: it helps to convert food into energy.
• It creates protein formation: magnesium helps creating new proteins from amino acids.
• It maintains gene and repairs and creates: DNA and RNA.
• Very important: muscle movements: Is part of contraction and relaxation of muscles.
• Nervous system regulation: it helps to regulate neurotransmitters, which send messages throughout your brain and nervous system.

And  more and more. One of them I like to explain a little bit more. The heart is also a muscle, also the heart needs magnesium to contract and release. That is her way to do her job: to pump blood through our body. If there is a lack of magnesium, and more like zinc for instance, the heart will contract at a certain moment and not release anymore. This has a bad effect on the whole body with a risk of heart disease. This also could be a reason for athletes to have an attack at the end of running a marathon or a very long distance. The intake of magnesium is 300 mg to 800 mg. But when really big efforts are made, you need to take more if you feel you need it.

Please take the magnesium that your body will absorb easily: magnesium citrate and magnesium bis-glycinate. There are many studies which tell you that you can take 400 mg daily. If you have a condition and you feel cramps, you can take more. If you are a sportsman or sportswoman, you need to take more. Also people with thyroid disease need to take more. Never take too much and always check with your practioner before taking it.

The purpose of this blog is to give you the chance to ask me about your intake of supplements. Is there anything you need to know, or want to know? Is there someone in your environment you like to give an advice as a gift? We have beautiful gift cards to give a good friend or a family member with a health problem. Please Ask Rosa!