What is a dietary supplement? According to the National Institute on Aging, dietary supplements are substances you might use to add nutrients to your diet or to lower your risk of health problems, like osteoporosis or arthritis. Dietary supplements come in the form of pills, capsules, powders, gel tabs, extracts and liquids.
Dan Smith has been a supplement buyer at Dale’s Natural Foods for many years and is very knowledgeable about them. “Supplementing the diet can help get nutrients into the body that are missing or difficult to absorb,” he reports, adding that he supplements his own diet with fish oil because fish is not part of his diet. “I’m not going to get any significant level of those important Omega-3 fatty acids any other way.”
Dale’s Natural Foods offers a large variety of supplements and utilizes decades of customer feedback regarding their use, according to Smith. “Customer feedback carries so much weight,” he states. Smith’s job is to try to answer questions using that feedback and research. However, he is not a medical professional. “We recommend getting medical advice from doctors and keeping them informed of supplement interest and usage,” Smith advises. “It is very important to keep your doctor apprised as to what supplements you are taking.”
If you are considering supplements to address a health issue, Smith advises to first look at what you know you need. As an example, chromium is known to enhance the action of insulin. “Everyone’s needs are different,” Smith notes.
“It is very important to keep your doctor apprised as to what supplements you are taking.”
Dan Smith, Supplement Buyer, Dale’s Natural Foods
At Dale’s Natural Foods, the staff is not looking to make a “big sale.” “We have been part of the community for so long. It’s like a family,” says Smith. “I tend to talk more people OUT of a purchase.” It’s no surprise that Dale’s customers have been desperately looking to find natural substances to help them avoid COVID-19. “I am not a virologist and have no special inside knowledge as to what magic combination one could take for COVID, so I approach it the same way as everything else,” Smith informs. “I get my diet sorted out the best I can and fill in the gaps with specific nutrients that are known to boost immune response, antivirals especially. That’s my plan until solid scientific data emerges.”
One of the more popular supplements is zinc, which “helps the immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses,” according to National Institutes of Health. CBD is very popular and so is turmeric, which is good for arthritis and other types of pain and inflammation, respiratory relief, liver health, and brain and mood benefits.
“Overall, supplements can be an effective tool in helping people achieve their health goals,” Smith concludes. “At Dale’s, we have built strong, long-term relationships with many of our customers. In the end, we’re just people helping people.”
