Nutritional supplements are an unquestionably useful way to get necessary
nutrients while minimizing calories during a weight loss program when you
are cutting back on the amount of food you eat. However, the many "fat
burning" supplements on the market cannot be expected to produce significant
weight loss results.
When cutting back on food intakes during a diet, you must address the
problem of hunger. Fiber supplements are certainly a zero calorie method of
providing satiety when you have a sharply restricted diet. Fiber also lowers
the glycemic index of a carbohydrate laden meal, which keeps insulin levels
lower, which helps keep serum glucose from being converted to body fat.
Soluble fiber provides another benefit (besides colon health) when consumed
concommitantly with a meal that contains saturated animal fats: it can
reduce serum cholesterol levels.
For most purposes, you generally need more fiber than what can be obtained
from pricey Metamucil pills.You can greatly improve the cost effectiveness
of your fiber intake by dumping those Metamucil pills. Consider buying large
quantity purchases of *bulk* Metamucil (psyllium seed husks) instead, taking
advantage of its lower price and long shelf life. To cut your costs further,
you can also purchase whole psyllium seeds at the larger health/whole food
markets.Grind the seeds in a cheap electric coffee bean grinder and then
store them in a tightly capped glass jar in the fridge. Sprinkle the
grindings onto just about anything you eat or drink.
But if you arere considering whole psyllium seeds, then you'd be better off
with whole flax seeds instead, as they are not only cheaper, but provide
both soluble and insoluble fibers, lignans, plus essential omega-3 ALA fat.
If you are concerned as to whether or not your supplements are doing you any
good, at least follow the general guidelines for taking them so that you can
get the maximum possible benefit from them.
http://www.healthspan.co.uk/articles/article.aspx?Id=128&ct=true
Many combinations of foods/beverages and supplements can interfere with each
other. So unless you're careful about the timing of your supplements
intakes, then you could be wasting your time and money with them. Numerous
examples:
http://zymatik.byethost22.com/Nutrition/DailyDiet&Supplementation.txt
The supermarket varieties of supplements generally are cheaply formulated
when it comes to minerals. Except for perhaps the exception of selenium,
only those minerals that are chelated with amino acids will provide
appreciable intestinal absorption. Those premium quality supplements are
generally available only at at web stores and health food stores.
Any amounts of vitamin E in the form of dL-alpha tocopherol (beware of the
letter 'L' that appears after the letter 'd'😉 will do you little good.
Actually the only E that is likely to be effective is a mixture of several
tocopherols (none of which are L-type) plus tocotrienols, and the only way
you can get that is via a separate supplement; sometimes described as 'E
complex'. If you are currently depending on your daily multi-vit-min pill
for your E... sorry about the bad news.
You certainly do not need the excipient ingredients that are included with
some supplements, especially those that are formulated into cheaply made
supplement tablets. Some of these ingredients: magnesium stearate, stearic
acid, ascorbyl palmitate, and polyethylene glycol. If you are taking
nutrients for your health, then it is counterproductive to be swallowing
unwanted junk with them. The more pills you take, the more excipient
ingredients you are ingesting. Keeping that in mind, the powdered and liquid
supplements tend to contain the least amounts of excipient ingredients.
Seattle Sutton meals-- don't know anything about them, but if they are
heavily processed, then beware of them. Compare them with my processed food
warnings at
http://zymatik.byethost22.com/Nutrition/ProcessedFoods&Beverages.txt
Suggestions:
1) Dump the Super Vanadyl Fuel.
2) You can cheaply replace both the Atkins Essential Oils and the Metamucil
pills with whole flax seeds that you should grind yourself. If you need more
fiber without calories, then take Metamucil bulk (not pills) psylium husks
for your INsoluble fiber needs, plus guar gum powder for a low cost source
of soluble fiber.
3) Enzyme supplements are marketed primarily for elderly people with
digestive difficulties.You don't need those if you are generally healthy and
get adequate amounts of some raw foods in your diet.
