Modern people generally eat outside, in addition to the risk of high-oil, high-salt and high-sugar diets, well-balanced nutrients is not easy to reach. Meanwhile, due to work stress, chronic fatigue, pain and listlessness are all common symptoms; people use to depend on dietary supplements to meet the needs of the body. If you always feel tired, cannot sleep well, frequent catch a cold or have slow recovery when gets sick, these may be some warnings your body tries to send. It is recommended first to consult doctors to understand your health condition in order to facilitate the right medication.

Many people assume that only Western medicine can cause side effects. Dietary supplements are mild and should not be harmful to the body. This notion is not entirely correct. Taiwanese like to take dietary supplements. According to statistics, Taiwanese spend NTD 100 billion on dietary supplements every year. Often, we see people take a variety of dietary supplements daily. The problem is most dietary supplement made of two or more ingredients, many basic ingredients are easy to be repeated. The result of excessive intake of nutrients put a burden on our body. Most dietary supplements are concentrated, extracted and processed in a higher concentration than natural foods; therefore, the excessive intake in not beneficial at all. Especially for people have specific diseases with fixed medications. If you want to take supplementations, it is better to ask medical professionals to choose according to your physical condition and needs.

The following two principles are what you should know when before taking any dietary supplement :

1. Right Time + Right Amount –

Dietary supplements come in different doses. Many people think the higher the dose, the better. This isn’t true, it should depend on each personal needs and eating habits. Choosing the right and necessary dietary supplements and dosages to meet your body's needs is key to staying healthy, so a comprehensive assessment of personal eating habits and lifestyles should be done through professional counseling by a dietitian or pharmacist beforehand is necessary. In addition, what time of the day to take the supplement is varied, some are good with foods and some are better after meals. Please follow the instructions for the best absorption. Many supplementations that emphasize on meeting the foreign medical standard use very high-dose. The effect of the high-dose supplement seems effective for a short period of time; however, the long term effects on human’s body cannot be evaluated. Nutritional products are given to supplement nutrients your body might still lack under the normal diet. You should not endorse high-dose dietary supplements blindly without the right knowledge. Taking supplements under the evaluation of medical personnel is the correct habit everyone should have.

2. Read Labels Clearly –

Dietary supplements on the market are all labeled, so be aware of the information printed on the packaging. At the time of purchase, please read carefully about the contents of the product, supplement facts and ingredients. You could also use “Recommended Dietary Allowance, RDA” and “Tolerable Upper Intake Level, UL” as the references. Otherwise, to get an assessment of personal health conditions through practitioners and professionals, and then follow the supplementary recommendations that suitable to you to avoid overdose.

Nutritional experts and doctors emphasize that dietary supplements are another form of food. Understand the advantages of dietary supplements, so you can take them smart and safe.