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Nutritional Supplementation: Hope or Hype?
The subject of supplementation for health and performance has been a point of heated discussion among experts ever since the industry emerged.
Bruce Lee was known to be big supporter of nutritional supplements as he used them heavily himself and also recommended them to others as is noted in an interview with Ted Wong published in “Knowing is Not Enough. Ted Wong goes on the explain how Bruce Lee helped him gain muscle mass through weight training and supplementation.
The general understanding of nutrition, however, and the availability of knowledge has come a long way since Bruce Lee’s time and I think a review is in order.
Is the power of supplementation hype or hope?
From my experience, there are more health / fitness experts that lean towards the supplementation side of the equation than not. As for my own opinion, I see real whole food as king in the grand scheme of things, yet supplements can play a very important role in maintaining and even boosting health.
Let me explain.
The human body has an extraordinary potential to grow, adapt, heal, and protect, given that all the materials it needs to perform these functions are present. From the physical side of things (considering true health and optimal performance includes elements of the mind and spirit) food and exercise provide the material and mechanical basis for health. Historically, humankind has been very physical in everyday life and has had a varied natural food diet that changed accordingly with the seasons. This is obviously not so in modern times.
As wild variations of foods become extinct at an alarming rate and natural whole foods become increasingly more difficult to obtain, supplementation becomes a more viable option to make a wide array of micro nutrients easier to incorporate into the average diet.
With this is mind, there are many high quality supplements available on the market today, but there are far more of poor quality that offer no benefit and may even be potentially harmful. The nutraceutical industry is a booming business that is largely unregulated with all manner of products and health claims. Although many of these products can be powerful boon to the right person . . . buyer beware.
In future posts, I will cover the basics some common supplements, their properties, and how to choose high quality brands.
In Health,
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www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com
