Category: Supplementation

Choosing the Right Supplement for Weight Loss & Muscle Building for Women

With a myriad of supplements flooding the market, finding the right one that can help in your weight loss goals is a tough task to do. It can be overwhelming to choose which one works best for you. But by following these top ten tips listed down below, you’ll be able to shop for the right supplement that suits your needs.

  1. Define Your Goal
  • Before starting everything up, you must know what your goal really is. Knowing your goal can keep you focused on what type of supplement you need to buy.
  1. Do the Basics First
  • No matter how big or small your goals is, it’s important to stick with the basics first. Stick with a good multivitamin combined with essential minerals matched with a good protein powder. Once you know the basics, you can go into something more advanced later on.
  1. Do Online Shopping
  • Not all good things can be found on your local grocery store. Sometimes, most of them can be found in online shops. Most online companies offer high quality products at affordable prices that people tend to overlook.
  1. Choose the Right Product
  • Once you stumbled upon an online store, take your time to search their site for more reputable brands that you might love. Keep a lookout for brands that offers minimal ingredients in their products and see if it’s filled with coatings. These coatings can have coloring agents.
  1. Vegetables Caps or Powder?
  • There are two types of supplements that you can choose from: Vegetable Caps and Powder. If you want to gain the benefits of the two, you can open vegetable capsules and mix them with your powder protein shake. Your body will have an easier time absorbing the nutrients of the two.
  1. Take it Slow
  • Always take it slow when trying a new product. A daily dose of ½ per day is enough. Observe how your body reacts for several days and increase the dosage as time goes by.
  1. Protein Powder Alternatives
  • Bloating is a likely occurrence when drinking whey protein powder. If you bloat easily while drinking such, eat an egg instead, or any other rice based protein powder. Read the labels carefully before selecting a protein powder too.
  1. Choose Glass Over Plastic
  • Shakers cups are great because its handy and easier to carry. But one thing that you must avoid is never store your shake overnight in shaker cups. Plastic contains estrogen and estrogen contains fat. Instead, opt for a glass container to store your shakes.
  1. Barter Your Protein Powder
  • To save cash on buying another set of protein powders, you can trade powders with your friends instead. Bring a scoop of protein powder and put it on a sandwich baggie to exchange to your friends later. It’s like a “try before buy” kind of thing so that you’ll know what other protein powders tastes like before purchasing.
  1. Put Nutrition On Top of Your Priority List
  • No matter your goals is, and no matter how many supplements you’ve taken, getting the right nutrients is still the most important part of your diet.

How to Select the Right Food Supplement for Your Body

Selecting the right supplement is easy as long as you have the knowledge to do so. But if you don’t, then this article is for you. Listed below are the Do’s and Don’ts for selecting the right supplement. So what are they? Let’s have a look!

Do’s

  • Do some research – If researching on your own isn’t enough, consult your pharmacist or health care provider and ask as much as you can about the products you’re considering. Make sure to ask what side effects it might give to your body too so you won’t have trouble later on.
  • Check the label – Before grabbing that vitamin off the grocery shelf, make sure to look at its nutrition facts section and see what kinds of vitamin and minerals it contains. Depending on your diet, you may want to opt for one that contains a lot of vitamin C, E, and calcium.
  • Buy wisely – Make sure to buy from a reputable manufacturer to avoid being scammed. You can ask for a recommendation from your pharmacist if you’re unsure what to get.
  • Have patience – Don’t expect instant results if you just drank one pill. It might even take weeks or longer before the pill will show its effects.
  • Pregnant? Here’s some tips – If you’re an expectant woman, have a trip to your nutrition specialist to get some recommendations before drinking supplements.
  • Check the expiration date – Some people tend to ignore reading labels when they buy some items, and food supplements are no exception. Make sure to read the label and check for its expiration date before purchasing.
  • Contact – If you have further questions about the supplement you just brought, contact the manufacturer and ask them about the product’s details.

Don’ts

  • Be careful when taking one – Don’t take supplements that contains sugar, starch, corn, wheat, iron, dairy, salt, and any artificial flavorings. These are unnecessary ingredients that manufacturers tend to add to their supplements to make it more flavorful which can cause allergic reactions for some.
  • Don’t mind the price – There are a lot of supplements in the market that comes in a variety of prices. Some are cheap, and some are expensive. Be wise to choose one that’s priced just right. A lot of supplements are so expensive because of the marketing it undergoes and not for the actual product itself.
  • Be mindful of yourself – Stop taking supplements that shows signs of bad reaction to your body such as rashes or prolonged stomach aches.
  • Listen to your health care provider – Don’t just randomly take supplements without consultation and supervision from your health specialist. You’ll probably ran into trouble if you do.
  • Don’t overtake – Never ever take dosage that’s higher than the recommended dosage in the label unless if your health specialist told you to do so.

The Right Supplements to Improve Ketosis and Boost Endurance

What in the world is a Ketogenic diet? A Keto diet is a diet where you have to consume as less carbohydrates as you can while taking moderate amounts of protein and fat. This enables your body to survive on fatty acids or ketone bodies for energy or body fuel. It’s a great way to improve insulin sensitivity as well as improving muscle development.

Ketone Bodies. What are They?

  • Ketone bodies also called as ketones, are built upon three molecules which are water soluble which then breaks down into acetone. They came from the liver from fatty acids during longer periods of exercises and certain diet programs such as low carb, high fat diet plans.

Ketosis Explained

  • Carbs is the primary fuel source of the body which is then converted into energy. When you restrict carbohydrate intake, your body will find different sources to burn fuel. Fat is the nearest option your body can give it a go. This is where ketones come into play. They are part of the fat burning process or fuel breakdown and this process is called ketosis.
  • Ketones fuel the diaphragm and the heart and ketosis is the state where athletes should be having in. The body is used to glucose burning and switching to fat burning may be difficult for some. Attempting to do it for the first few days may seem uncomfortable, but there are a lot of supplements in the market that will aid you along the way.

What are These Supplements We’re Talking About?

  • Supplements is a great choice to help achieve the state of ketosis. Having a proper diet combined with the right supplements, you’ll be able to achieve ketosis in no time. So what are the essential supplements should we take in order to force your body into a state of ketosis? Let’s take a look at them down below:
  • MCT Oil – Known as Medium Chain Triglycerides, MCT can quickly enter the bloodstream which is then used as an energy source for the brain and muscles. This is very important especially people who are active such as athletes. Taking the right amount of MCT oil every day will help you achieve the state of ketosis faster than following diet regimens. Taking this kind of oil once you achieved the state of ketosis can also keep your energy levels stable. You can get this kind of fat in sources like coconut oil, olive oil, and palm kernel oil. In fact, coconut contains 60% MCT compared to other sources so you should definitely take this one.
  • Exogenous Ketone Supplement – This kind of supplement comes in different varieties including liquid, tablet, and powder. It’s up to you which one should you take though. Taking exogenous ketones helps your body to quickly shift into ketosis and helps you stay in that state. It can put your body in the state of ketosis in an instant and can also help you get back quickly when you accidentally consumed some carbs. For best results, incorporate this supplement into your keto diet.
  • Acetyl L-Carnitine – Taking this supplement helps the muscles to use the energy from fat metabolism effectively. Having low levels of carnitine will result into a reduction of your body’s ability to use fat as fuel which will then lead into high levels of blood sugar. Stay in ketosis by taking this supplement regularly.
  • Alpha Lipoic Acid – This supplement is an anti-oxidant which is both fat and water soluble. It is essential if you want to maintain stable insulin sensitivity levels, normal blood sugar levels, and healthy blood vessels.
  • Cinnamon – Taking cinnamon capsules every day improves your insulin receptors and slows down the production of enzymes which is responsible for blocking insulin receptors. It also helps decrease inflammation as well.
  • Curcumin – This one is another anti-oxidant filled with essential anti-inflammatory properties. It helps reduce liver enzymes from releasing sugar into the bloodstream which is bad for the body. Aside from that, it also helps regulate blood sugar levels, reduces sugar craving, and improve overall insulin receptivity.
  • Gymnema Sylvestre and Chromium – This supplement is essential if you want to reduce your sugar cravings. It also keeps your blood sugar levels into a normal state.

So there you have it! To help your body from getting side effects from the “switch”. An electrolyte supplement should be taken to aid you along the way. Essential electrolytes such as potassium and sodium are ideal to be supplemented while following your ketogenic plan. So what are you waiting for? Start your keto diet journey today!