68 / 96
www.theconnectionsnj.com
Health and Wellness
PAGE 68
The Latest Fashion Trends Contact Lenses Independent Doctor of Optometry on Premise Full Service Lab on Site Hours: Tues, Wed & Fri 9-6pm • Thurs 9-8pm • Sat 9-5pm Gerald A.York OPTICIAN Gerald A.York OPTICIAN $50 Off on any frame with single vision lenses (Maui Jim and Oakley Brands excluded) $75 Off on any frame with progressive lenses (Maui Jim and Oakley Brands excluded) Gerald A.York OPTICIAN 21 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 908-766-0939 • www.yorkopticians.com Question: Why can’t I get all my nutrition through food? Answer: In today’s fast paced society, it is very hard to gain all your nutrient needs through food alone. It would take lots of planning to account for the wide array of vitamins and minerals the body requires to function at that opti- mum capacity. Remember, the more highly processed a food is, the more likely it is to have a low nutritional value or be nutrient- poor (i.e breads and any packaged food or drink). Question: Why can’t I get all the nutrients through fresh food that I eat? • Poor soil quality – A study of veg- etable nutrient density over the last 50 years done by the University of Texas attributed poorer soil quality to a decrease in vitamin and mineral composition in vegetables. • Genetically Modified foods - alter- ation of plant genes to make them resistant to pesticides are a cause for concern and some health deteriora- tions have been studied. The plants grow larger faster but show a toll taken on nutrient density. • Time in a day - It takes lots of plan- ning to get every color of the rain- bow in your food assortment. Question: Do vitamins I take replace the food I eat? Answer: No, while it is important to remember the value of a nutritional supplement(s) in maintaining health, we should never think that taking a supplement replaces good nutrition choices. Your first, and most important, step is to improve the quality of your food. Then you can turn to a supplement as a nutritional “insurance policy” to make sure you get what you need given your lifestyle needs, anti-aging requirements, body composition, sleep patterns and so on. Question: Are all vitamins the same? Answer: No, currently the vitamin industry is largely unregulated and non-standardized. With the dizzying array of products on the market and the loose regulation on products, knowing what to look for and doing your research is imperative. There are 3 ways supplements end up on the market at low cost prices: 1. They are counterfeit and probably dangerous, sometimes with toxic fillers like lead. 2. They are useless expired product that have been repackaged as new. 3. They are stolen products and some- times stored in uncontrolled tem- perature environments. Here are 5 Keys to buying healthy supplements that have the best bang for your physical and financial health: 1. If it is cheap avoid it! Don’t risk your health by taking unhealthy supplements. 2. One size does not fit all! Work with your health practitioner, just as your nutrition is personalized so is your supplementation, work smarter not harder. 3. Make sure they are GMP certified (good manufacturing practices). 4. Third Party Purity Certified and if you asked an essay can be provided – so you know what it says on the label is in the product, remember the recent New York GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreen fiasco. 5. Buy your supplements from a health practitioner who carries products with a long history of use that have some basis in science or have had clinical trials. Stephanie Solaris, is an Integrative Health and Nutrition Practitioner, fea- tured writer and speaker and the Director of Solaris Whole Health located in Bernardsville, NJ. She lost 100 lbs 14 years ago, has kept it off and helped hundreds of others do the same. For questions and to learn more go to www.solariswholeheatlh.com or call 908.221.1112. Q&A ON VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS By: Stephanie Solaris