If recent times have shown us anything, it’s that one’s health, fitness, and wellness must be prioritized.
At the foundation of living a healthy lifestyle and limiting your risk of illness and infection are:
- Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats
- Maintaining high levels of physical activity
- Managing stress
- Getting adequate sleep
One underrated aspect of living a healthy life is supplementation.
Today, we discuss 4 major reasons why supplements are more important than ever.
Let’s get started!
4 Major Reasons Why Supplements Are Important
#1 Getting Enough Micronutrients
When it comes to maximizing performance, recovery, and health, we often focus on the “big” pieces of the puzzle -- consuming enough calories, eating enough protein, etc.
What often gets glanced over are the “smaller”, yet still vitally important, pieces of a healthy diet -- micronutrients.
Vitamins and minerals are called “essential” for a reason -- they’re required for hundreds upon hundreds of biological processes, many of which are involved in recovery, muscle growth, and immune function.
Some of the major micronutrient deficiencies present in hard training individuals include magnesium, vitamin D, and zinc.
Vitamin D is especially important in these times as our bodies typically synthesize it when exposed to direct sunlight, hence its moniker as the “sunshine vitamin.”
Yet, many individuals are cooped up inside, which increases the chance for vitamin D deficiency. This is all the more alarming when you understand that vitamin D plays a huge role in immune function.
Specifically, Vitamin D can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses, and deficiencies in the essential vitamin are known to result in increased susceptibility to infection.[1]
Plant-based dieters are also prone to deficiencies in vitamin B12 and carnitine, since those nutrients are predominantly found in animal foods.
While you may think you’re getting enough micronutrition from whole foods, it never helps to have a little “insurance” to make sure any potential gaps in your diet are filled.
This is where having a premium-quality multivitamin/multimineral supplement like 1UP Multi-Go Women and Multi-Go Men comes in handy.
1UP Multivitamins supply quality doses of the essential micronutrients your body needs to function optimally.
#2 Saves Time
In an ideal world, we’d all go to the grocery store, purchase our own healthy foods, and cook our own meals (or have our own personal healthy cooking chefs prepare them).
But, the reality is that going to the grocery store, buying food, driving home, prepping, cooking, cleaning, and eating takes time...a lot more time than some people have (or are willing to commit for a myriad of reasons).
Supplements can be a lifesaver when you’re pressed for time but still need to get in some quality nutrition.
Some important supplements that can help you hit your nutrition goals for the day include both protein powder and greens formulas.
As you likely know, protein is essential to building and repairing muscle tissue, but it also plays a key role in immune function and inflammation.
In fact, whey protein supplementation has been noted to reduce C-reactive protein (CRP), a key marker of inflammation in the body, as well as help reduce oxidative stress and increase levels of glutathione -- one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body.[2,3]
1UP Nutrition offers an extensive line of delicious-tasting, easy mixing protein powders, including our best-selling Whey Protein.
To further support your nutrition requirements, we also have developed a great-tasting Organic Vegan Greens and Reds Superfoods that’s rich in key micronutrients to support immune function, digestive health, and detoxification.
#3 Convenience
Eating healthy can be expensive at times, especially if you tend to favor organic, vegan, and or locally grown/raised foods.
Moreover, the grocery stores may not always have exactly what you’re looking for, which can make it more difficult to stick to your nutrition plan and/or hit your daily macros.
Supplements offer convenience and the ability to easily tailor your dosage to hit you goals for the day.
For example, fresh meat can be expensive, difficult to source, and time-consuming to prepare. It also has a relatively short shelf-life, and not all proteins lend themselves well to freezing. Protein powder has a long shelf life, takes no time at all to prepare, and can always be easily found.
It’s also incredibly affordable, not to mention delicious-tasting.
Multivitamins can also be a saving grace on those days you’re coming up a little short on your fruit and veg intake as they supply quality doses of essential vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols.
#4 Stress is High
Stress is a normal part of everyday life, and some stress (like intense exercise) can even be good for the body and help bolster immune function.
However, chronic stress is another story, and we don’t have to be the ones to tell you that individuals are stressed more than ever these days.
When we’re exposed to a stressor (regardless of the form it may take), cortisol is released. In case you weren’t aware, cortisol is a catabolic hormone that breaks down glycogen, muscle protein and fats to supply the body with energy.
If left unchecked (i.e. you feel stressed all the time), chronic stress and cortisol can lead to muscle breakdown and fat storage due to disruptions to hormone levels and energy production.
Supplements including KSM-66 Ashwagandha and L-Theanine have been shown to help reduce stress and promote feelings of calm and relaxation.[4,5]
Both of these calming, stress-relieving ingredients can be found in our Hormone Support Plus formula which was specifically designed to promote hormone balance as well as stress and mood support, both of which improve personal beauty.
If you aren't sure about supplements, you can try them without diving in headfirst. Try out our supplement samples to see what you like and what works for you.
References
- Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881-886. doi:10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755
- Zhou LM, Xu JY, Rao CP, Han S, Wan Z, Qin LQ. Effect of whey supplementation on circulating C-reactive protein: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients. 2015;7(2):1131-1143. Published 2015 Feb 9. doi:10.3390/nu7021131
- Chitapanarux T, Tienboon P, Pojchamarnwiputh S, Leelarungrayub D. Open-labeled pilot study of cysteine-rich whey protein isolate supplementation for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009;24(6):1045-1050. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.05865.x
- Chandrasekhar K, Kapoor J, Anishetty S. A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012;34(3):255-262. doi:10.4103/0253-7176.106022
- Hidese S, Ogawa S, Ota M, et al. Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2362. Published 2019 Oct 3. doi:10.3390/nu11102362
