To Supplement or not to Supplement? Quality is the Question.

You are what you eat 

Gradually, we're becoming more aware that our minds and bodies are directly affected by what we consume. We know that eating a full bowl of pasta at lunch means that we'll soon be taking a nap on our keyboards. We know that carrots will improve our eyesight; no, it's not just a myth our mothers told us to get us to eat our vegetables. We're also painfully aware that if our darling children consume an excess of sugar, our little angels may indeed turn into demons.

However, this doesn't only apply to the food we consume, it applies to the supplements we take too. Quality is key.

Though some may say we should get all of our nutrients from our diet, this is not so easy in Hong Kong. Soil with low nutritional value and imported, nutrient-poor food present challenges, leaving many deficient. But, our brains and bodies still need a base level of vitamins and minerals in order to function effectively. Graeme Bradshaw, nutritionist and founding director of IMI says, "A well nourished brain is more likely to lead to good moods, behaviour and learning."

Your first instinct may be to turn to a natural source of omega 3 to nourish your brain, like fish, but with environmental toxins like mercury making their way into our natural resources, a supplement might seem like a better option, right?

Not always.

Cheap fish oil doesn't contain enough of the medicinal elements of fish, DHA and EPA, and it will go rancid faster. Instead of reaping the benefits of improved mood, better concentration and easing inflammatory conditions, the rancid fish oil supplement will actually cause inflammation, defeating its purpose entirely. [1]

The same goes for vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies.  You could take a plethora of supplements, but if they're cheap, or poorly made, you could end up feeling worse than you did before taking them. Consider magnesium, an essential mineral for relaxation, but if you end up taking the wrong kind, you could end up on the toilet, rather than putting your feet up. Diarrhoea is no-one's idea of a tranquil time.

This is why it's vital to consider the quality and purity of a supplement's ingredients, the research evidence, effectiveness of packaging, shipping and storage conditions, as well as your specific needs.

Still sound complicated? Time consuming? Luckily for you, over 30 years of clinical experience, the practitioners of IMI have curated a list of the best supplements from around the world and collated them here, on this website.

Graeme says, "Our clinic selects the purest and most potent supplements based on decades of first-hand clinical results. Our products have passed independent tests for purity and potency."

Ensure you buy supplements from a reputed brand you can trust. Don't waste your time and money on cheap, ineffective alternatives.  

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________