It all started in 1994 when congress deregulated the supplement industry. Once they opened the flood gates, the market was inundated with bogus pills and powders.
So before you empty out your bank account, here are some common dietary supplement myths exposed:
1. High doses of omega threes are healthy: More is not better, and fish oil is no exception. In fact, having more than three grams of fish oil per day puts you at risk for atherosclerosis. So please do not pop endless amounts of fish oil pills as most experts recommend.
2. Protein in supplemental form is superior: I hate to break it to you, but you are not going to enhance muscle gain or fat loss by taking protein powders. In fact, you are far better off with solid sources of protein from natural foods. Remember that slower digestion is best for both carbs and protein.
3. Dinosaur vitamins are healthy: The last thing you should be doing to increase health is have endless amounts of highly concentrated vitamins. Not only is this very unhealthy, but it can become toxic once a certain level of consumption is reached.
4. Vitamin D pill popping is healthy: Many people are deficient in vitamin D, no doubt here. However, you do not need to take a large chest of pills to meet your needs. Instead, get your vitamin D from whole foods. In fact, overdoing the vitamin D intake can wreak havoc on your circulatory system.
5. Protein and energy bars are healthy: It depends on what you are comparing them to. Compared to fast food, they are healthy. Compared to whole food, they are unhealthy. It’s all about your reference point. And keep in mind that whole foods interact with each other in ways that we still don’t understand.
6. Caffeine accelerates fat loss: This is not true, by any stretch of the imagination. What caffeine does is increase the breakdown of fat. But once broken down, the fat still has to be transported and then burned. And the burning process is controlled by total caloric intake.
Look, the reality is that most supplements do not work. There are no tricks or magic within diet pills that will take off all the weight. The bottom line is that you are better off sticking with whole foods.
Writer Katherine Crawford, an exercise physiologist and recent arm fat sufferer, teaches how to tone your arms. Figure out how to get sexy and toned arms by visiting her blog with advice on how to get rid of arm fat now!
categories: weight loss program,diet,fitness,weight loss,health,women,beauty,wellness,exercise,dietary supplements,nutrition,food,hormones,metabolism
