Facts about nutritional supplements

New Delhi: If you want to do well in life, be an achiever, scale heights of excellence, the first requirement is to keep fit.

To do that, many of us choose to work out at the gym. But when you work out to keep in shape, your body burns up calories. You require supplements to make up for the energy loss. This is essential to avoid exhaustion and burnout.

Fitness enthusiasts who care about their health must take supplements. A good supplement ensures that you get adequate and measurable essential nutrients. But people often don't understand the science behind nutritional supplements and there are several myths circulating about them. These myths have been in circulation for so long that they are often mistaken as the truth.

Akshita Goyal, Nutritionist at Proquest Nutrition, debunks some of the myths:

Myth 1: Supplements are good only for men

Many women who work out at gym consciously avoid supplements because of the mistaken belief that supplements will give them a masculine physique and take away their femininity. This is not true. Actually, men are able to build muscle mass because of the male sex hormone, testosterone. So unless women take synthetic testosterone (steroid), they will not develop masculine muscle tone. The fear about losing their alluring feminine form and looking "manly'" is completely unfounded and needs to be dispelled.

Myth 2: If you eat a balanced diet, you don't need supplements

It's true that nearly all nutrients found in supplements are available in food sources or are generated by the body itself. However, not many people know what the body needs and where to get it from; even if they do, it's nearly impossible to eat the right foods in just the right proportions to be able access all the vital nutrients that your body needs to meet its caloric and nutritive requirement, especially when you are working out extensively.

Moreover, the nutrients present in our daily diet are often compromised while growing, processing and cooking. Research finds our plates lacking in a number of essential nutrients, including proteins, carbs, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and Vitamins A, C, and D. A good supplement ensures that you get adequate and measurable essential nutrients to make up for the lack of nutrients on account of faulty farming practices and over-cooking of the food we eat.There are only a few manufacturers who blend all the revitalising ingredients in just right quantities and combinations to come up with products that help your body recover whatever it has lost through exercise.

Myth 3: A high-protein diet puts stress on your kidneys

This is another common myth. Remember, our kidneys are incredibly efficient at filtering unwanted substances from our bodies. Hence, a high-protein diet can't strain your kidneys. The kidneys are built to handle this problem. It can flush out all unwanted stuff through urination. It is therefore advised that you increase your water consumption when taking proteins in higher quantities. This helps to eliminate the by-products of protein breakdown through urine. Have no fears, consuming the recommended amount of protein is not going to stress your kidneys.