Healthy Weight Loss Supplements

There are some healthy weight loss supplements that we suggest you incorporate into your diet when trying to lose weight.

Our backgrounds are in public health, health promotion and research and there has been a great deal of debate in the health and nutrition fields around whether supplementation with vitamins and minerals is necessary.

For every ‘expert’ that says you should supplement there is another that disagrees.

For the record we do take supplements and recommend to all our clients that depending on their history and personal circumstances that they use supplements when on a weight loss programme and for the maintenance of their general good health.

We’ll tell you the healthy weight loss supplements we use and recommend to our clients.

The evidence of effectiveness and the dosage of different vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements required to confer the benefits claimed. We’ll also look at the safe daily intake.

Furthermore, we review the evidence for a number of slimming pills and products. So you can make your own mind up as to whether they work and whether they really are healthy weight loss supplements.

Before we do, however, let’s be clear that supplements are not a substitute for a healthy balanced diet, rich in fresh fruit and vegetables. Healthy weight loss supplements can enhance your weight loss programme and help you to overcome problems with energy and appetite.

However, there’s no magic pill that will cause any significant weight loss, no best weight loss supplement that will strip away the fat.

Eating less and doing some regular exercise is the only way that you will lose weight and keep it off in the long term.

OK, that said, let’s take a look at the evidence behind many so-called healthy weight loss supplements.

Vitamins and Minerals

For years, the accepted wisdom is that you can meet all your nutritional requirements from a balanced diet drawn from the major food groups – meat, dairy, cereals and grains and fruit and vegetables.Vitamins and minerals are our healthy weight loss supplements of choice.

Which of course you can – in theory. But how many of you actually do this in practice? In our experience, most people – busy people – struggle to get all the nutrients they need from food alone.

We know exactly what we should be eating every day but can we honestly say we do so on a daily basis? Can you? I doubt it.

There’s evidence that suggests that whilst many people think they are eating the ideal balanced diet necessary for good health, that in practice as few as 1 in 10 actually are.

Research has confirmed inadequate intakes of vitamins such as vitamins A, C and E and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc in the average US and UK diet.

Its not that you can’t get what your body requires from eating foods containing these nutrients, its that we don’t eat enough of these foods on a daily basis.

Whilst many of us eat more than enough calories, as far as micronutrients are concerned some people are still malnourished.

Getting an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals when you’re on a calorie restricted diet is also extremely difficult.

We would go as far as to say that it’s virtually impossible from an intake of 1,200-1,500 calories a day. A healthy weight loss supplement would probably be a good idea.

There’s also growing evidence linking calcium and weight loss so if you don’t get enough calcium in your diet, a supplement containing 1,000-1,500mg may help.

So, to supplement or not to supplement…take a look at our page on vitamins and minerals for more detailed information and a look at the evidence so you can make your own mind up.

Herbal Supplements…

Whilst the evidence of the health benefits conferred by vitamins and minerals is strong, that isn’t the case with many herbal supplements, particularly when it comes to herbs for weight loss.

There are many sensational claims made for a number of ‘miracle’ herbal extracts that are simply not backed up by credible research…claims relating to weight loss and general or specific health and disease fighting benefits.

This website is not intended to give you chapter and verse on every herbal ingredient and supplement available, but we do give you the low down on some of the most popular and high profile herbal supplements available.

Slimming Pills and Products…

But, let’s face it, it takes years to put the weight on and it will take some time and effort to lose it.There’s a huge industry in producing and marketing slimming products to people looking for an easy way to lose weight. Many are marketed as natural, healthy weight loss supplements.

You can’t blame people for wanting a fast, effort-free alternative to diet and exercise.

There are only three prescription drugs licensed for the treatment of obesity in the UK. These are called orlistat, sibutramine and rimonobant.

Orlistat works by reducing the amount of fat your body absorbs from the food you eat.

Sibutramine works by increasing your feeling of fullness. It stimulates the production of the hormone serotonin, which is made naturally by the body.

Rimonobant works by blocking the overstimulation of the receptors in the body that contribute to excessive food intake and fat storage.

All three are clinically proven to work and are prescribed only when other interventions such as diet and exercise have been tried, and only in the incidence of serious health problems caused by obesity.

There is little if any clinical evidence to support the effectiveness of over the counter slimming pills and potions. What little evidence there is is invariably from small one-off trials that have not been replicated.

Most products give you little information about the ingredients in the product and how it’s supposed to work. They also tend to be expensive.

Claims are often made about significant weight loss in a short period of time, which just isn’t possible. If it were, don’t you think that the big pharmaceutical companies would be producing and marketing the products?

Furthermore, any product that did cause significant changes in your metabolism or normal workings of your body would be classed as a drug and would need to be licensed. They would also only be available on prescription.

Most if not all slimming pills and products come with a statement that they should be used in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet and exercise. This is required in the US and Europe by law. Its the diet and exercise that will help you to lose weight, not the pills.

Some claim that if you use the product you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Impossible and quite why such claims can be made is beyond our comprehension as there is absoutely no credible evidence to substantiate them.

More worryingly, some slimming pills can be harmful to your health and interfere with any medication you may be on. Hardly healthy weight loss supplements.

For example, if they contain ingredients that stimulate the production of thyroxine, it could interfere with any medication you are taking for an under-active thyroid.

The bottom line is that eating less and doing some exercise are the only safe and effective ways to lose weight and keep it off.

Healthy weight loss supplements are a worthwhile addition to your diet but in our view, don’t waste your money on ‘miracle’ slimming pills and other weight loss scams.

If you’re looking for high quality, affordable nutritional supplements to buy online then you may want to take a look at .

Click on any of the links below to get more information on the popular slimming pills and other groups of products available.

Healthy weight loss supplements? Not so sure but there’s some merit in a few of them. Others, we wouldn’t touch with a barge pole.