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It is sometimes difficult to find your way around the wide choice of food supplements available on the market. What are the best products for a particular objective? What should you pay attention to on a food supplement label? Nutrimuscle supports you in choosing your first food supplements.
What is a dietary supplement?
A dietary supplement is a food product, which can be found in the form of powder or capsules. These foods are intended to supplement a balanced diet. They are a source of nutrients, alone or combined with other substances.
Why take food supplements?
Today's diet rarely meets the recommended daily nutritional capital. With intensive agriculture, soils are becoming impoverished and losing their nutrients. The vitamins and minerals that were once found in abundance in the soil are now in low proportions.
Animals intended for breeding are now fed soy and corn, foods that are too rich in omega 6 and that unbalance the omega balance. Western countries are the most affected: this gives rise to many health problems (cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, obesity, etc.)
Daily lifestyle (stress, pollution, old age, etc.) tends to weaken the immune system, making it more vulnerable to diseases. Therefore, supplementing helps to achieve or compensate for a lack of nutrients, necessary for health or sports goals.
For example, an athlete gaining mass has difficulty reaching the number of calories needed per day. He can use a Gainer, a supplement rich in carbohydrates, to supplement his caloric intake for his sporting goal. Thanks to supplementation, he can also progress more easily, target fats, improve his recovery or even preserve his joints.
How to choose a food supplement?
It is sometimes difficult to find your way around a wide choice of food supplements. What are the key elements to decipher on food supplements? How to check the purity of a product? Nutrimuscle lists the easily verifiable criteria to choose the healthiest and most effective supplement.
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The concentration of active ingredients
The list of ingredients must be as short as possible. Obviously, it must meet the standards of European legislation.
The concentration of each active ingredient must be mentioned. Be sure to compare the concentrations between the different food supplements. Indeed, some brands use a low dosage and therefore not very effective. Conversely, we can find a dosage that is too high and therefore harmful to health.
Always respect the dosage of the product and consume it according to the indication. An overdose of vitamins or minerals can also affect the body. For this, pay attention to product combinations that contain the same active ingredients.
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The composition
Adding other ingredients can affect the effectiveness of the products. Some additives and preservatives degrade the composition of the active ingredients and can compromise health. Most additives are safe provided they are consumed in small doses.
If a substance is added to a food supplement, it must prove real effectiveness to the product. In case the addition is not justified, there is a chance that the composition is not optimal.
Beware of food supplements at a discounted price. Some brands use raw materials at the end of their life cut with flavors to extend the expiration date. This is a common practice and easily identifiable since the prices are up to two times cheaper. Prefer food supplements that guarantee quality raw materials based on studies carried out or certificates.
Check the bioavailability of the components. Bioavailability is the ease with which the body absorbs the ingredient. Good bioavailability is always mentioned by quality suppliers.
The same applies to active forms, especially vitamins. Each vitamin has an active and inactive form that must be mentioned on the list of ingredients.
The term “standardized extract” for plant extracts guarantees the presence of active ingredients. The extraction process isolates the active ingredients from the inert materials of the plant. The solvents used for extraction must be harmless to health and the environment. Most of the time, they are composed of water and ethanol. The proportion of each solvent is important: the more water in the extraction process, the better the component.
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The origin of the ingredients
Sometimes you find products that carry the label “natural origin” for certain ingredients. This label can be reassuring, but it does not guarantee a better product. Indeed, some components may be of synthetic origin and safe for health, or even more effective. It is relevant to inquire in certain cases.
From one region of the world to another, food products are not subject to the same regulations. Check that the list of ingredients is subject to European standards (organic, purity index, GMO-free, etc.). A product that meets kosher and/or halal standards must show a quality certificate or a standardized certificate.
On the supplier side, microbiological analyses can be carried out to verify the quality of raw materials. In some cases, the methods related to their production and their impact on the environment are published on the supplier's website.
The country of origin, means of extraction and the different components of the ingredients can be verified through technical sheets.
Brands with their own factories are more interesting because they have full control over their merchandise and quality. Information such as supplier names is a positive: access to certifications is easier and more verifiable.
At Nutrimuscle, our factory allows us to supervise our production, from the storage of raw materials to the packaging of packages. Analyses are carried out by external laboratories and we only work with suppliers who certify the very high quality of their raw materials.
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Choosing your proteins wisely: aminogram, biological value and origin
Biological value is the efficiency of the body to digest the protein. This data is rarely published because it requires a long study process. When biological value is mentioned, it is interesting to pay attention to it.
The aminogram of a protein reveals its proportion of amino acids. It is specific to each type of product and meets specific sporting objectives. Together, these two data indicate whether the protein is qualitative.
The more essential amino acids in the aminogram, the higher the biological value of the protein. In other words, the protein will be of high quality and will allow athletes to achieve their goals more easily. If the protein is deficient in one or two essential amino acids, it is less absorbed and less well used by the body.
For example, native whey is preferable to cheese whey. The latter contains few amino acids, a lot of fat, and has undergone high-temperature treatments that have degraded the protein. Native whey, cold-processed, contains all the nutrients necessary for muscle development.
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Know your needs well
Depending on the objectives sought, the choice of food supplements will focus on one range to the detriment of another.
Dietary supplements serve different purposes. They can improve lifestyle, improve health or sports performance.
If you want to supplement as part of a sports practice, several types of food supplements may suit you: native whey, casein, creatine, gainers, etc. These types of supplements are aimed at athletes concerned about their physical development and recovery.
If you want to alleviate seasonal fatigue, vitamins and minerals may be right for you. It is common to take cures during the winter or to use certain food supplements occasionally, when you feel a drop in energy. This is the case with caffeine, for example.
Food supplements can prevent or compensate for deficiencies. For example, our Women's immune health is a blend of vitamins and minerals enriched with iron, to compensate for losses due to menstruation. There are also products containing only one vitamin or mineral (vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium citrate, potassium, etc.).
It is often with the practice of a sporting activity that food supplements prove to be essential, because they increase performance. Depending on your age, your sporting practice and your lifestyle, your needs in food supplements vary.
Nutrimuscle has created a free and personalized diagnosis, which meets the supplementation needs of athletes according to their lifestyle habits. This online diagnosis has been designed to be easy to use and to make the information related to food supplements as clear as possible.
