Happy Monday!
Hope everyone is feeling rejuvenated after the weekend and got to relax a bit before going hard on another work week. Without dragging this on, lets dive right into our discussion for today...
The topic of today, do you believe you are wasting money on the supplements you're purchasing every month? How would we know if we are? Now, despite popular belief that stems from the many conversations I've had and articles I've written regarding this, I am NOT against taking supplements as part of our daily routines. I take supplements every day as well. Do I believe they are a must for everyone? No, but every case is different and every human being lives a different lifestyle, has different daily habits and has a different genetic code. This must be respected and understood!
How many times have we visited our local vitamin and supplement store only to hear from the customer service rep try to upsell the latest product on the market, even when an individual didn't initially come in for a supplement related to that product? We live in a world that popularizes a particular term at least once per year, I call these-"buzzwords." To explain further, every year we get hit with the latest fad diet, health mineral or product that EVERYONE must take because Dr. *Insert TV Name Here* says we have a deficiency in this area of our health. Even without ever getting the appropriate lab testing done beforehand. Are you feeling fatigued or does your foot hurt, you must have this condition, right?!
This year, the popular item was the Keto and Vegan Diet. Last year, it was detox teas. Before that, it was probiotics, alkaline eating, gluten free meals, juicing, meal replacement shakes, body wraps, fat burners, and even the high banana diet (no, I'm not making this up!) The worst part being, every few years, there is a recycling process where we repeat past trends all over again! Don't believe me? Okay, did you know that ketogenic diets and meal replacement shakes aren't just trends from the past few years? Yes, they've been around for decades and this won't be the last time we see them around either!
What Is The Point?
Like I've said previously, I'm not against supplements or any particular products or diets AS LONG AS THEY ARE LEGITIMATELY SAFE! As long as you are spending more time being active and eating healthier than eating junk and binging on Netflix, you are great in my book! What I'm against is taking shortcuts and not taking the appropriate measures before wasting your hard earned money on these items.
Just because your cousin was deficient in vitamin D doesn't mean that you are. Just because you workout doesn't mean you need a creatine powder. Just because you're having trouble sleeping doesn't mean your body needs extra melatonin from a pill.
It is possible that your body produces and/or receives a particular vitamin, mineral, hormone naturally but you could be facing outside factors that are within your natural control to regulate; emotional and/or physical stress, sleep patterns, eating habits, etc. Without even knowing the truth about our health, we could be causing more harm than good in the long run. When people get too excited and go out and purchase random items without the proper testing, this MAY cause a deficiency for that particular item later on in life where our body stops producing it or absorbing it at its regular rate!
Our bodies are incredibly smart; if it recognizes that you are receiving a particular supplement at a high rate-for example: melatonin-the body may stop producing the necessary amounts of melatonin it normally does each evening because it doesn't have to now that it has the outside support. This is good right? Nope! What do you think will happen once you stop using that particular supplement? Yep, our body has to kick it into high gear to start producing it naturally again and allow us to keep having a high quality of sleep. But by this time, the damage may be done, to our hormones for this example where it may take months to years to get back on track since it hasn't had to produce it at this rate for quite some time. This is when you have to seek out the help of a health professional to get things in order.
Final Thoughts
Despite what others may think; Siri, Google and Dr. *Pfft* are not experts when it comes to YOUR body and what YOU'RE particularly deficient in at this moment of your life. Before purchasing said item, did you see your local Physician, Nutritionist, Dietician, etc. and get their opinion? Did you ask for blood work to be done to see if it's appropriate for you, specifically? We live in an era where we LOVE to self-diagnose ourselves and the rise of technology isn't helping matters. As useful and beneficial technology, science and social media have all become, it has unfortunately led a vast majority to believe that they know everything from a simple click of the mouse and search on their computers or iPhones.
Don't get caught in this trap. Stop being upsold, check the ego and start taking charge of your health! Visit the appropriate medical and wellness professionals BEFORE loading up your cabinets with the latest vitamins, powders, drops, etc and ask if you truly need them according to your lifestyle, medical & family history, yearly physical, blood test and/or other lab results.
As always, if you have questions or any other comments, feel free to leave them in the comments below and I'll make sure to reach out to everyone.
God Bless,
Taz