Are You Overdosing on Good Health Tips?

Are you overdosing on “good health?” Many people taking nutritional supplements are overdosing every day and never even realize their well-intented behavior could be counter-productive and even shortening their lives. As fitness-seekers swallow vitamins, herbs, micronutrients, and a variety of supplements, rarely are they aware of their body’s actual nutritional needs and the levels of ingested supplement that could be considered exorbitant or even toxic to their bodies. A prime example is many exercisers take a daily multi-vitamin, attempt to eat a balanced diet based on 3-6 meals and/or meal replacement drinks or bars in the course of a day. But after reviewing their daily nutrient intake, they may find they have consumed more than 8x the daily recommended amount of a vitamin/nutrient. Upon adding the nutritional values from the morning vitamin, the “real” food meals, and vitamin-laced protein shakes and bars they will find replication of many daily recommended nutrients and possibly reaching levels of toxicity. Ever heard of "too much of a good thing will kill you?"

In addition, the form of the nutrients consumed should be questioned. Many of the sought-after supplements make health-beneficial claims found in clinical research, so it’s important to ingest the same forms, combinations and proportions that have been utilized in these studies in an effort to replicate the same results as the research subjects. In other words, if the bark of a tree is used in a study, one may not reach the same results with the leaf or root of the same tree in lieu of the bark.

Mixing medications can create a toxic cocktail and most doctors are aware of medication conflicts before prescribing drugs but supplements do not have the same legal integrity therefore it's imperative to speak with your doctor and/or pharmacist about the various herbs and supplements ingested and the possible hazards of mixing them with your prescribed medication. One supplement may be a "wonder cure" for one ailment and another drug a “miracle” for a health concern but many may not understand when the two are mixed together there could be adverse health reactions. An example of this is many people take Echinacea daily to boost their immune system but it also decreases the body's ability to break down caffeine. Using it with drugs or supplements that contain caffeine can cause prolonged jitteriness, increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as possibly decrease the effectiveness of a prescribed drug.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day when taking vitamins or supplements to aid your body’s absorption and prevent concentrated dosages.

Lastly, be sure to record your intake of supplements in your training journal. Maintaining a record of your supplement intake will provide you or your doctor a point of reference should you experience a health complication that may be related to your nutrition.