Functional foods and supplements not only provide basic nutrients but also have the ability to prevent disease. However, there are things to keep in mind before buying supplements to avoid spending money but making the body worse.

More and more people believe and choose to use functional foods. However, many are still wondering whether they are really good for health and choose to buy functional foods properly and effectively. If you are having the same confusion when standing in front of advertised products, please read and note the following.

Do Not Use If You Are Completely Healthy

If you must take any medication, you should have a good reason. According to medical experts, if your body is completely healthy, you do not need to take any drugs, including functional foods or supplements. Because they are still drugs, they will partly affect your body. For those who are at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and obesity due to a sedentary lifestyle, taking a supplement will be very important because it will affect your condition.

Consult Your Doctor Before Taking

Not every health problem you encounter immediately comes to functional foods. If that's right, why do you need a doctor? Therefore, don't rush to take anything into your body without consulting a specialist. A talk with your doctor will help you get the solution to your problem. Do you really need a supplement and if so, which one is right for you? This is the first workaround that you should think about.

Go Through Drug Labels

You should read the label and instructions for the usage of any drug or dietary supplement carefully before purchasing it. Because there are usually guides for users in the user manual, such as if the drug is used for heart disease, pregnant women, children, or has an effect on mental health. Furthermore, supplements must be free of phthalates, artificial colors, artificial flavors, sugars or artificial sweeteners, gluten, hormones, lactose, pesticides or herbicides, preservatives, yeast, allergenic ingredients such as soy, peanuts, and mercury, as well as drugs free of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Furthermore, the medicine is put through a series of tests to ensure that it meets all safety requirements.

Carefully Read The Ingredients & Dosage

It is possible to be the same pill to help two different health issues, but each functional food will have different ingredients. You need to check the active ingredients, the nutritional value of the product, do not rush to buy according to the advertisement. You must know the body's needs to find and buy appropriate products, avoiding spending money but making the body worse.

For the dosage to use, you should start with a low dose so that the body receives the effects gradually. The reason is that drugs originating from different places will have different dosages suitable for the health of people there.

Pay Attention To The Body Reaction

After taking the supplement for a few hours, you need to pay attention to whether the body has any unusual reactions such as itching, rash, difficulty breathing, nausea, or not. If so, the drug should be discontinued immediately. In fact, many cases of functional food poisoning have been recorded, with mild rashes, discomfort, severe anaphylaxis, and even death.

It is not in a short time that functional foods take effect. Before deciding to take a certain drug, you need to determine that you must take it for at least 4 months to get good results.  

So, find reputable places to buy this type of product. Buying the right and sufficient dose not only helps ensure safety for your health but also saves you money, avoiding wasting money on useless things. In addition to the good effects for the body, you ought to learn in advance about the risks that supplements can bring. Thanks to that, you will make the right decision in whether to use them or not.

Hopefully, the things to keep in mind when buying supplements and functional foods that we give above will be of some help to you. It's always right to take care of your health, but being a smart consumer will help you take care the right way.