Be wary of supplements

Q: 15. Posted by paul.dalimonte@rogers.com on Wed, Jun 03, 2009

I started the Body for Life diet and exercise plan. This is the middle of week 3, and I lost 7 lbs so far. I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day, strength train 3 days, and cardio 3 days. 1 Myoplex Shake to supplement one of my meals, and I have a quick, nutritious meal that tastes great. It's like rewarding myself with a chocolate shake each day for a job well done. I still have over 30 lbs to lose, but I am totally happy on this routine. It worked great for me years ago, and I recently pulled the book out of my closet and got inspired to change my ways.

A:

Hi Paul,

That's great that you have lost weight and are following a workout routine!

I know quite a lot about the Body for Life program, because my husband followed it religiously for several years and was actually the one of the champions in '99. He was able to completely transform his body through diet and exercise, which of course was an amazing feat, except that after years of using supplements he ended up quite sick and even began experiencing adrenal fatigue.

Just wanted to give you some healthful advice that may make you think twice about using some of the supplements that are advertised as 'healthy'.

Unfortunately most of the health and fitness industry supports and promotes the use of supplements. Much of this is due to the sponsorship that they provide.

Eating fresh organic real foods is always a much better alternative than supplements. Using supplements to supplement your meals throughout the day may help you loose weight at first, but in the long run may cause digestive issues and more serious side effects. Many weigh proteins, which claim to be healthy, are denatured and practically 'non-foods'. They have been so processed and manipulated that it's simply more stress on the body to try to find it's nutritional content.

What's more is that most supplements are sweetened with aspartame. Aspartame is a poison to the body.

Aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of which are very serious including seizures and death. There are 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame, some which include: Dizziness, headaches/migraines, seizures, nausea, muscle spasms, fatigue, weight gain, rashes, depression, irritability, heart palpitations, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, loss of taste, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain, etc. There are also several illnesses that have been shown to be triggered by or worsened by ingesting aspartame.

If you want to read more about it, follow this link for a great article written by Dr. Mercola on the topic.

Yes supplements are great when you are in a hurry and don't have time to eat a sit-down meal. If choosing to use supplements, your best options are nut bars and bars made with rice or hemp protein, or Living Fuel which is made with raw organic wholefoods.

Stay healthy,

Daniela Nahas