subject: Why Nutrition Testing Can Be So Beneficial [print this page] For a lot of people at some point in their lives, there have been times when they have for no real explainable reason felt like they are not operating at one hundred percent. They eat properly. They exercise regularly. But yet, for some reason they still just feel like they are lacking from something they just can not quite explain. Sound identifiable? If so, it may just well be the time to get some expert help and undergo some nutrition testing.
Everyone knows that we must have vitamins and minerals for our bodies to work properly. What many may not realize is that just because you use a dietary supplement that you can purchase off any shelf at the local drug store, it does not necessarily mean it is doing what you think it should be. The body needs a careful balance of nutrients in order to function correctly and too much of any particular nutrient could potentially be having the opposite effect. As the old expression states, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
If taken in excess, certain vitamins and minerals, calcium for example, have the very real potential of have a harmful effect on the body and can seriously impair the bodies ability to take in other essential nutrients. This then creates a deficiency which if not corrected can become quite serious. The result is then a impending cycle of negative effects with the body being the ultimate loser.
But what kind of nutrition testing is the best? There is no easy answer to that question but there a few factors that you should keep in mind. Most convention nutritional testing is done through the use of blood samples. The downfall of just using a blood sample is that the test can only detect the amounts of any vitamins or minerals that are present in your blood at the time the sample was taken. It is not able to detect the actual stores of any particular nutrients your body may have.
Urine testing can be considerably insightful to determine the nutrient levels in the body. In simple terms, urine is really only the waste fluids that your body has extracted from numerous bodily processes. By testing this waste fluid it is feasible to be able to assess what levels of nutrients exist within the body and the rate at which there are being used.
Nutrition testing is able to be done through the use of saliva. It has been found that saliva is a good indicator for the sate of a persons lymphatic system, unlike blood and urine. As the lymphatic system is one of the primary running systems of the body, its muscles, the organs and the removal and storage of fats and fatty acids it can be a good way to assess nutrient levels.
By using a combination of the three tests, it is very possible for a trained professional to get a better understanding of how the body uses its vitamins and minerals and what nutrients it may require more or less of. From that understanding, a personalized nutrient intake program can be implemented which clearly sets out what vitamins and minerals to take or not take and at what levels.