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Supplements
Although I tend to shy away from arming my clients with an entire arsenal of capsules, tablets, powders, and oils, I definitely am not reserved when it comes to recommending supplements that may improve your state of health and increase your vitality. Many supplements can be useful during and after weight loss.
Multivitamins
A general multivitamin/mineral is indispensable, since most of us fail to acquire all the nutrients we need through foods. I eat an extremely clean, organic, healthful, and low-glycemic-plentiful diet, yet I still make sure to take a high-potency multiple vitamin every day. A multivitamin supplement is inexpensive nutrition insurance. While it will not provide the phytonutrients or fiber of whole foods like fruits and vegetables, a good vitamin supplement does provide 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for the established vitamins and some minerals. While on any weight-loss diet, it is a prudent thing to do and I highly recommend it. However, be wary of and avoid supplements that include megadoses of particular vitamins or minerals, since some of the fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body (like vitamins A, D, and K) and large amounts of them built up in your body can cause harmful effects over time.
Always check the expiration date when buying supplements. Also look for a USP marking on the label, which indicates that the United States Pharmacopeia has declared that the vitamin actually contains the ingredients in the amounts stated on the label and that the tablets will dissolve effectively. Finally, always be sure to take your vitamin supplement with a meal for best absorption.
Calcium
Besides carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body. That makes it the most important mineral for your health, and because it is continuously being metabolized and eventually excreted from your body, it must be continually replaced, from the foods you consume.
Beyond calcium’s major role of maintaining bone structure and preventing bone loss, it has now been shown to be a major factor in weight loss. Calcium suppresses hormones that promote fat storage and weight gain and actually stimulates the breakdown of fat. To achieve maximum weight loss, your calcium consumption should be at least 1,200 milligrams per day. And it’s important to note that studies have shown that calcium derived from milk produced greater weight loss than that derived from calcium supplements such as calcium carbonate, so while taking a calcium supplement is an option, you should try to consume most of your calcium from calcium-rich whole foods. The nutrisystem plan includes many of these foods.
Omega-3
As we previously discussed, omega-3 fish oils are important in preventing heart disease. Most of the omega fish oils can be found in dark fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel, but if you are not eating two servings of fish per week, you should be taking a fish oil supplement.
Green Tea
Green tea has become a very popular drink in North America because there is good evidence that it has antioxidant properties that help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Several recent studies have indicated that green tea can help promote weight loss by burning extra calories. This is because of the major active component in green tea - a chemical called EGCG. However, to garner the maximum benefit of green tea and EGCG, you must consume at least 6 to 8 cups of green tea daily, which may be difficult to do, and which even a green tea EGCG capsule won’t provide. That’s why NutriSystem is introducing a whole new line of green tea foods and snacks including gums, mints, and bars - all containing the important active green tea component that you can enjoy several times a day to reap the maximum benefits.