What Are Nutraceuticals? The Secret To Maximizing Your Health

Our bodies require certain nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and compounds to function properly. Unfortunately, many people suffer from poor gut health, deficiencies, or insufficient nutrition, resulting in undernourished bodies that are yearning for proper nutrients. 

 

Enter: nutraceuticals.

 

You’re probably asking, what are nutraceuticals? Did we make that term up? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one wondering what nutraceuticals are.

 

Finding ways to stay healthy by maximizing the number of quality nutrients you consume doesn’t have to be difficult. Nutraceuticals are accessible and quick options to increase your nutrient intake without adding new foods to your diet. We want you to be the healthiest version of yourself, and nutraceuticals can help make that happen.

 

Keep reading to learn more about what nutraceuticals are and what makes them different from other supplements. We don’t want you to have to ask “what are nutraceuticals?” ever again!

 

What are Nutraceuticals?

“Nutraceuticals” sounds like a fancy term, but it’s quite simple. Nutraceuticals combine the words “nutrient,” a nourishing food component, and “pharmaceutical,” which is a medical drug. This term was created by Stephen DeFelice in 1989. The term nutraceuticals is broad and is used to describe products that are created from food sources but with extra health benefits. 

 

There are four main grouping of nutraceuticals: 

 

• Dietary supplements
• Functional food
• Medicinal food
• Farmaceuticals 

 

The commonality of these groupings is that each one includes whole foods that are fortified, enriched, or enhanced to create additional nutritional value when ingested. This makes it easier to provide your body with quality nutrients without introducing a lot of new foods and recipes into your diet.

 

Nutraceuticals are used to improve health, prevent chronic diseases, postpone the aging process, and support the functions and overall health of your body. Due to their increased nutritional value, they are used by functional medicine practitioners to treat life-threatening diseases such as diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and some infections.

 

If you’re experiencing any of these illnesses and are interested in learning more about utilizing nutraceuticals as treatment, then contact us to schedule a consultation. 

 

Different Types of Nutraceuticals

Now that we’ve answered the basic question—“what are Nutraceuticals?”—let’s explore these compounds further.

 

Nutraceuticals in their basic form are whole foods with extra health benefits to improve health and support the integrity of your body’s functions. Let’s break down the common groupings of nutraceuticals.

 

• Dietary Supplements: specific vitamins and minerals that are concentrated and provided for ingestion (i.e. a capsule, gummy, powder, etc.).

 

• Functional Food: food that offers more benefit than is naturally occurring and includes enriched, fortified, or enhanced foods.

 

• Medicinal Food: food that is made for consumption as food or in a tube, labeled for the specific use of a disease, etc., and used under medical supervision (i.e. special infant formulas, oral rehydration packets, diabetes formulas, etc.).

 

• Farmaceuticals: modified crops or animals (typically using biotechnology) that are medically valuable.

You can find many nutraceuticals in our store including dietary supplements and medicinal foods. 

 

How Are Nutraceuticals Different from Supplements or Athletic Enhancers? 

Nutraceuticals are different from supplements and athletic enhancers mainly because nutraceuticals are formulated to increase the health of your body, not increase your performance with a drug or added compound—such as caffeine. 

 

Supplements are drug-like compounds that in high doses create drug-like reactions, which is different from a nutraceutical. Nutraceuticals are whole foods that are concentrated for ingestion in a capsule, but they aren’t comparable to a drug-like substance and don’t have the same reaction that supplements can have. 

 

Athletic enhancers are meant to enhance your performance and give you additional energy or strength—but superficially—rather than promoting your immune system, which will give you more energy or allow your body to work optimally. 

 

When you take a nutraceutical, you are providing your body with needed vitamins and minerals that support your overall health. Supplements and athletic enhancers are trying to increase your athletic performance or body composition rather than supporting your overall health.

 

Don’t let the fancy term nutraceuticals make you think that they are hard to find. Nutraceuticals are essential vitamins and minerals that you take orally or eat, allowing you to easily ingest a concentrated amount of vitamins compared to intaking the same vitamins and minerals through your food. Examples of nutraceuticals include herbal products such as ginger and garlic; vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements; prebiotics and probiotics; and hydrolyzed proteins. 

 

Where to Buy Nutraceuticals 

Now that you know what nutraceuticals are, make your health a priority and include nutraceuticals in your daily habits. You no longer have to worry about increasing your grocery budget or completely changing your recipes to get the necessary nutrients. Now you can take nutraceuticals and allow your body to benefit from getting the nutrients it needs to support your immune system and possibly avoid life-threatening diseases. 

 

You know what nutraceuticals are, so your next steps are to explore the nutraceuticals in our shop. Use the search bar to find exactly what you’re looking for or browse all of our nutraceutical products. 

 

If you have any questions, contact Dr. Winter, who is happy to provide guidance.