Why should I take the Ideal Protein vitamin supplements? Can’t I just use ones I’ve been taking?
Whenever you drastically cut calories and food intake, there’s a chance you won’t get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs on a daily basis. Quite frankly, the chances are great that if you were eating a lot of junk food or empty calories before your diet, you may be deficient in several vitamins and nutrients even before you start the Ideal Protein Diet protocol.
Ideal Protein supplements are formulated to ensure dieters receive the minimum daily amounts of essential nutrients based on Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) guidelines.
What Ideal Protein Supplements Are Required?
There are four Ideal Protein supplements that are required while you are on the Ideal Protein diet protocol. They are the Multi-Vitamin, Cal-Mag Supplement, Omega-3 Plus Supplement, and Potassium Supplement. Just as we ensure you are getting the ideal daily amount of protein in your diet, these supplements also ensure you are getting the minimum nutrient amounts required by your body every single day. None of the nutrients in the Ideal Protein vitamin supplements would cause a hyper dose or be considered a high dose although sometimes, due to age or a specific medical condition, you may need additional supplementation. If additional supplementation is needed, please consult with your medical professional.
The Ideal Protein Vitamin Supplement: The Multi-Vitamin
A lot of Americans take a multi-vitamin every day even if they’re not on the Ideal Protein Diet. Let’s face it; it’s not easy to eat a well-balanced, low-calorie diet and get the nutrients we need solely from food.
Taking a multivitamin gets you the sufficient amounts of the vitamins and minerals you need that your diet may not be providing. The Multi-Vitamin, the Ideal Protein vitamin supplement, is especially formulated for dieters on the Ideal Protein Diet to fill in the nutrient gaps that result from a cut in calories and also the removal of grains and fruits. It is used to improve many of your body’s functions and support your weight loss.
Ideal Protein Supplement: Cal-Mag
The Cal-Mag supplement contains calcium citrate. Most calcium supplements on the market contain calcium carbonate, which has a higher amount of elemental calcium by weight than calcium citrate, approximately 40% versus 21%. However, calcium citrate is generally thought to be higher quality because it is more absorbable, or bio-available, to the body. Two eight-ounce glasses of milk provides the body with approximately the equivalent amount of calcium you will be taking in the Cal-Mag Ideal Protein Supplement. Whole milk contains 291 milligrams for calcium per 8-ounce serving and skim provides 302 milligrams. Since you will be eating no dairy products while on the Ideal Protein Weight Loss protocol, it is important to support the body by taking the Cal-Mag supplement.
Additional calcium is found in the Potassium supplement (200 milligrams of calcium carbonate) and the Multi-Vitamin (84 milligrams of calcium citrate.) These amounts in addition to the calcium consumed through four cups of vegetables and 8 ounces of protein per day ensure that Ideal Protein dieters get the minimum daily amount of calcium they need to every day.
The Ideal Protein Omega-3 Plus Supplement
If there’s one type of fat you don’t want to cut back on it’s omega-3 fatty acids. There are two omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which are found in fish that are critical to proper body functions. These fatty acids help lower blood pressure, reduce triglyceride levels, slow the development of plaque in the arteries, and boost the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs. The Ideal Protein Omega-3 Plus supplement has been formulated from krill oil with these two types of omega-3 fatty acids. We recommend taking two softgels, totally 1,530 milligrams, per day with a meal. The softgels are perfectly formulated with the proper 2:1 ratio of EPA to DHA fatty acids dieters need on a daily basis.
Potassium: An Ideal Protein Supplement for Proper Bodily Functions
It’s estimated that the average healthy adult loses approximately 2,000 milligrams of potassium per day just through bodily functions of elimination like urination, perspiration, and defecation, and RDAs recommend replacing that potassium through the use of our Ideal Protein supplement. On the Ideal Protein Weight Loss protocol you will consume some elemental potassium (332 milligrams) by eating two of the Ideal Protein foods. You’ll get another 20 milligrams of potassium citrate in the Multi-Vitamin, and the Potassium supplement supplies an additional 312 milligrams of potassium bicarbonate.
Potassium is a body “must-have.” It’s extremely important for nerve transmission, cardiac function, and maintaining proper fluid and mineral balance. Athletes will often take potassium supplements or eat potassium-rich foods such as bananas (467 milligrams) to offset losses due to increased perspiration. As with the Multi-Vitamin and the Cal-Mag supplements, the Potassium Ideal Protein Supplement is meant supplement the minimum daily requirement needed to fill the gaps left by the foods you are not eating while on the Ideal Protein Weight Loss protocol.
If you’ve noticed that the number of milligrams above do not equal the 2,000 lost per day, it’s because many of the foods you can eat while in Phase I of the Ideal Protein diet are rich in potassium. For example, one-half cup of cooked mushrooms contains 277 milligrams of potassium. One cup of zucchini contains 346 milligrams, and a five ounce piece of chicken breast contains 319 milligrams of potassium. When you add it all up, your four cups of veggies and 8 ounces of protein, plus your potassium supplement, you can see that our Ideal Protein supplement for potassium is specifically formulated to make the math come out right.
Can I use other supplements that are less expensive?
There are vitamins out there that look similar to the Ideal Protein brand of supplements, but looks can be deceiving. Vitamins sold by stores are made to have a long shelf life. This means that they have fillers to keep them from aging. This is not good – these fillers can significantly affect the absorption rate of the vitamins, and CAN SLOW DOWN WEIGHT LOSS.
In the long run less expensive vitamins will COST you money. One extra week on the diet will wipe out all of the money saved on less expensive vitamins, so take your Ideal Protein vitamins religiously.
Additional Ideal Protein Supplements
DIGESTIVE ENZYMES: Dosage: 3 capsules daily; 1 at breakfast, 1 at lunch, and 1 at dinner 3 capsules provide: 225 mg Papaya Leaf, 180 mg Ginger Rhizome, 150 mg Fenugreek Seed, 162 mg Protease, 75 mg Amylase, 60 mg Invertase, 33.3 mg Glucoamylase, 27.9 mg Protease, 24.9 mg Alpha-galactosidase, 22.5 mg Lipase, 22.2 mg Diastase, 11.4 mg Cellulase, 3 mg Lactase Capsules per container: 60 (20-day supply)
Enzymes help the body’s digestive system function more efficiently by facilitating the breakdown of large macromolecules into smaller, more readily absorbable particles. Dieters with digestive issues such as constipation, bloating, cramps, and/or gas may find that their symptoms improve after using the enzymes. Enzymes should be taken with the first bite of food at the beginning of the meal.
ANTI-OXY: Dosage: 1 capsule daily at dinner Provides: 100 mg Green Tea Leaf Extract, 75 mg Alpha Lipoic Acid, 50 mg Turmeric Root Extract, 50 mg Bilberry Fruit Extract, 25 mg Bilberry Fruit Extract, 15 mg Grape Seed Extract, 2.5 mg Lycopene Capsules per container: 60 (60-day supply)
Antioxidants help the body counteract oxidative stress due to harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals are highly unstable, chemically active atoms or molecular fragments that have a charge due to an excess or deficient number of electrons. Free radicals containing oxygen are the most biologically significant free radicals. Antioxidants are nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes that are believed to play a role in preventing the development of such chronic diseases as cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and Rheumatoid arthritis.
FLORA HEALTH PROBIOTIC: Dosage: 1 capsule daily at any time, with or without food Provides: 1.5 billion cells of bifidobacterium bifidum, bifidobacterium longum and lactobacillus acidophilus Capsules per container: 30 (30-day supply)
A healthy “gut flora” is necessary for good digestion, absorption of nutrients, and promoting normal bowel habits. For dieters who have poor digestion (gas, bloating, etc.), Flora Health probiotic is recommended in combination with Natura Digestive Enzymes.