Today, at the peak of the popularity of sports and healthy lifestyles, everyone cares about their nutrition, because it’s no secret that we are what we eat. In the pursuit of weight loss and an ideal figure, we torture ourselves with diets, spend hours at the gym and, of course, with the special responsibility for his daily diet (because 70% of the ideal health and body that does not give failure – it’s nutrition). People choose products carefully and spend hours in supermarket departments, meticulously studying the composition of products that should go into their shopping cart. However, civilization does not stand still, and numerous ways have been invented to help make healthy eating a simpler process, not time-consuming and at the same time satisfying all the necessary nutritional needs. And one such way is nutraceuticals.
Figuring out what it is.
“What is it?” – you’re probably going to ask, and we have the answer. Nutraceuticals are a special kind of dietary supplements (biologically active supplements), whose main task is to replenish vitamins, minerals and other biologically active substances that are necessary for normal human activity. If we get some of the nutrients that cannot be synthesized in our body from the food we eat, it is nutraceuticals that have to make up the rest. Nutraceuticals are a synthesis of Nutrition and Pharmaceutical. In other words, it is a way of nutrition that also has therapeutic possibilities for disease prevention and prevention.
The best-known and best-understood example of nutraceuticals is sports nutrition. After all, it is a protein powder that not only contains the ideal dose of protein for our body, but also helps replace meals. That’s why nutraceuticals are called perfect nutrition – they bring the nutrient content of the human body to the level at which a person’s daily requirement is.
What effects nutraceuticals can have on the human body:
- They replenish essential nutrients in the human body;
- They allow the individualization of nutrition;
- They increase the immune system;
- eliminate toxins;
- speed up the metabolism (and therefore promote weight loss);
- improve performance;
- Help prevent obesity, cancer, and osteoporosis.
Depending on the set of nutrients there are certain types of nutraceuticals:
- vitamin and mineral complexes (these are all the usual combinations of vitamins and minerals);
- antioxidant complexes (vitamins A, C, as well as enzymes and bioflavonoids);
- Products with polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as omega-3 and omega-6);
- preparations with phospholipid sources (e.g., Licentin);
- Drugs with dietary fiber (pectin, chitin, etc.).
Why use nutraceuticals?
First of all, such nutrition is especially effective for groups of people who need a full range of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. These include, first of all, pregnant women and nursing mothers, workers who work in hazardous industries, as well as athletes. After the Chernobyl disaster, the problem of body deficiency was particularly acute for residents of Russia and other post-Soviet countries, and nutritional supplements help to replenish the iodine and selenium in the body. Consuming such vitamin complexes, you carry out the prevention of thyroid disease.
Nutraceuticals can also be a great addition to a therapeutic diet. The fact is that because of the large restrictions on the products in many diets, a person simply does not get the necessary nutrients, and nutraceuticals help make up for their stock. For example, patients suffering from osteoporosis need to take calcium and vitamin D.
In Russia, the concept of “nutraceuticals” is not represented in the legislation, so the term “dietary supplements” replaces it.
How to explore the question further?
If you are interested in the topic of nutraceuticals, you can learn more about this type of nutrition by reading Adele Davis’ book, Nutraceuticals. Nutrition for Life, Health and Longevity,” which is a practical guide to nutraceuticals. The author shows the role of nutrients through examples from everyday life and cases from her medical practice. The book is supplemented with extensive background material.
After reading the book you will understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle and maintain the necessary amount of vitamins and micronutrients in the body. You will begin to distinguish where there are the “duds” and where there are real products.
A nutritionist can help you with this question. We recommend you not to experiment on your own, but to contact a specialist who will answer all your questions.