When a lot of people think of dietary supplements, the first thing that comes to mind is losing weight. While they can be used to shed extra pounds, millions of people use them the wrong way. They’ll forego meals, taking supplements to get the nutrients their body needs.  In doing so, they may lose weight more quickly, but at the cost of their health.

Supplements can play an important role in your diet. It’s a matter of using them properly. Because your body doesn’t produce most of the vitamins and minerals that it needs,it has to get them from another source. They can come from either food or supplements.  While supplements can be a good source of the micronutrients you need, they shouldn’t be used as a substitute for food.

Now, there are plenty of reasons to take dietary supplements. For example, if you’re pregnant, they can be a great source of the extra iron your body requires. If you’ve recently had surgery that involved your digestive tract, your body may have trouble properly digesting the foods you’re eating. In that case, taking supplements may be appropriate.

Food is still the best source for vitamins and minerals. However, a lot of people find it difficult to eat enough of the right foods that carry the nutrients they need. The key is to understand that while supplements can have a place in your diet, they can’t replace food.

If yourr vitamin doesn’t dissolve, you can bet you will not be able to absorb it. To test your current vitamins, create a solution of equal parts of vinegar and water and leave the pill in the solution over night. If it doesn’t dissolve, demand your money back. Since supplements are not regulated you cannot be sure that the package even contains what the label says. There was a program started back in 2001 where manufacturers could submit their products to the United States Pharmacopeia for testing. If you find a USP certification mark on the product you buy, this means that the product meets certain requirements for accuracy in labeling, purity and good manufacturing practices.

One thing that everyone should understand is that cause does not always equal effect.  That being said, I wonder why I have had no problems with constipation since I started taking 1 b complex capsule each day.

I was having terrrible hand and foot cramps so I went to the health food store.  I started taking calcium magnesium and the cramps went away within 3 days.  Only problem is when I forget to take it the cramps return.