Whilst some people really take their nutrition seriously and ensure that they eat a varied, organic and natural whole-foods diet rich in vegetables to optimise their nutritional intake, even when you are doing all the right things, there are times when you need an extra boost of nutrients! Examples may include increased physical stress, mental or emotional stress, increased exposure to environmental pollutants and other toxins, lack of sleep or poor diet, high levels of activity or getting over an illness.
Prevention is certainly better than cure, so taking nutritional supplements can be a worthwhile investment in your health.
1. Choose a high quality supplement.
You tend to get what you pay for, and nutritional supplements and vitamins are no different. Good quality costs money – quality organic food will tend to be more expensive than supermarket produce. Check that the brand is backed by scientifically proven clinical results, and that they are reputable. Generally speaking, many supermarket varieties are not high quality or high potency, so you would need to take a much higher amount to receive any benefits. Even though they may appear cheaper, they can actually cost MORE in the long run, as their ineffectiveness means you are wasting your money!
2. Check bio-availability of vitamins and minerals.
Bio-available means that it is in a form that your body recognises and can effectively absorb and utilise. Some synthetic nutrients are not as easily recognised by the body as they are in their organic form, so a high-quality and reputable brand based in sound science is important so that you ARE absorbing the nutrients you need (and not flushing them down the toilet!)
- B1 (thiamine)
- B2 (riboflavin)
- B3 (niacin)
- B5 (pantothenic acid)
- B6 (pyridoxine)
- B7 (biotin)
- B9 (folate)
- B12 (cobalamins)
The B-complex plays important roles in cell metabolism, energy production and growth. They require each other for the most benefit. B-group vitamins are water soluble, which means that they are required daily as they are easily excreted through bodily fluids.
5. Choose chelated minerals.
Chelation is the process whereby a mineral is bound to an amino acid during manufacture. This makes them more easily absorbed by the body during digestion.
We offer Usana nutritional support, including the Usana Essentials, a twin-pack of Mega Anti-oxidant and Multimineral. The USANA ‘Essentials’ were rated number 1 multi-vitamin and mineral product out of the top 100 products in Australia and New Zealand. Usana offers high quality manufacturing, and is also backed by a Scientific Advisory Council, led by top health experts
As seen on Today Tonight program, the USANA Essentials is on top in the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle MacWilliam MSc. This was the independent opinion of an expert panel of seven biochemists and nutritional experts from the U.S. and Canada . Lyle’s summary was “USANA sets the Gold Standard for nutritional excellence”.