Advice

Minerals, like vitamins, are substances that occur in small amounts in our food and drink. Minerals are needed, among other things, for regulating enzymes and hormones. Minerals are essential for the growth, repair, and proper functioning of our body. Our body cannot produce minerals on its own, which is why a healthy diet is crucial. For people who are losing weight or taking long-term medications, supplementing with minerals through food supplements may be beneficial.

Vitamins and minerals are essential for your health. You may not always notice the immediate effects of taking vitamins and minerals, but your body cannot function without them. To get the right dosage of vitamins and minerals that help keep your body healthy and fit, it can be important to take a multivitamin supplement every day. A significant portion of the population does not get enough vitamins and minerals from their diet. There are two main reasons for this:

• The averag person does not consume the recommended amount of vegetables, fruit, and fish.
• Our (Western) diet often contains insufficient vitamins and minerals.

Elan’s dietary supplements are designed to enrich a healthy diet. A food supplement is a concentrated source of certain vitamins or minerals. The nutrients in Elan’s supplements are in an adjusted form, different from how they occur in nature. This allows your body to absorb them better and faster.

In principle, under normal circumstances, you do not need food supplements to stay healthy. A normal, healthy diet with plenty of whole grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy, healthy fats, and a lot of variety is sufficient to get the right amounts of all nutrients. However, for some people, it is advisable to use a food supplement as a complement to a daily healthy diet. A food supplement is not a replacement for a varied and balanced diet. Extra vitamins and minerals in the form of a food supplement, as an addition to daily healthy eating, is recommended for the following categories of people: the elderly, pregnant women, and those who have a modified digestive system due to surgery (also known as Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) or bariatric surgery).

Elan’s food supplements are completely safe. Elan advises you to use Elan products only on the recommendation of your healthcare provider. You can then take Elan products without any risks to your health. The amounts are usually not high enough to result in a harmful dose. If you do take in too much, in most cases, your body will simply excrete it in urine.

There is some evidence that excessive amounts of vitamins A, B5, B6, B13, C, and D can lead to certain issues, but this is rare. In fact, we are more likely to have a deficiency of these vitamins than an excess. The Elan Compass, Believe, and Supreme products contain vitamins B5, B6, C, and D in carefully considered dosages, so you don’t need to worry about overdosing if you follow Elan’s dosage recommendations. Use Elan Compass, Believe, and Supreme products only on the advice of your healthcare provider.

Prior to a medical procedure, your healthcare provider may advise you to lose a significant amount of weight quickly to increase the success rate of your surgery. This means you will need to temporarily and drastically change your eating habits during this period. The so-called hospital diet is a type of diet that contains significantly fewer calories than a normal diet. The goal of a hospital diet is to lose as much body fat as possible in the shortest possible time. By following a hospital diet, you can lose several kilograms of body weight per week.

If you want to lose weight in a short period, it is important to drastically reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Carbohydrates is a term that refers to all types of starches and sugars. You find carbohydrates in foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, legumes, sugary drinks (syrups, soft drinks, and fruit juices), fruit (including dried fruit), and sweets. When following a hospital diet, it is important to consume very few products that are rich in sugar or starch.

Since the body receives little carbohydrate intake, the carbohydrate reserves stored in the liver, also known as glycogen stores, are used up. As a result, the glycogen stores in the liver shrink, causing the liver to shrink. During this process, the body more quickly switches to burning fats, which depletes fat reserves. This also leads to a reduction in fat reserves around the organs.

In addition to reducing carbohydrates in your diet, it is important to pay attention to fats in your diet. Therefore, avoid as much fat and fat-rich foods as possible. However, it is important to use oil and cooking fat when preparing meals, as these products contain fat-soluble vitamins that are essential for the body.

To supplement the hospital diet, you can use protein powder. For this, you can also turn to Elan, which offers the Elan Whey Protein Shake in vanilla flavour. It is recommended to take your protein powder in a shake, and you can use a shaker bottle, which is also available online at Elan. To ensure you get enough protein, you can choose from one of the following options:

• 1 shake for breakfast (instead of quark): 200 ml of skimmed or semi-skimmed (soy) milk or buttermilk and 30 grams of Elan Whey Protein Shake powder, optionally supplemented with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed.

• 1 shake as a snack (instead of a glass of dairy): 200 ml of (soy) milk or buttermilk and 15 grams of Elan Whey Protein Shake powder or 200 ml of water and 30 grams of Elan Whey Protein Shake powder.

For optimal results, mix the liquid with the powder in a shaker bottle or blender.

Do not use more than 1 shake per day as described in the options above.

Most of Elan’s products have a shelf life of several years. The exact expiration date is printed on the packaging of the Elan products, so we kindly refer you to the original Elan packaging.

Elan’s vitamins and minerals are packaged in high-quality packaging materials. You can store the capsules and/or chewable tablets in the original Elan packaging. Additionally, you should store Elan’s food supplements below 25°C in a dry and dark place. Elan’s food supplements should also be kept out of sight and reach of young children.

We recommend taking supplements before or during your evening meal. A meal usually contains a bit of fat, which helps in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins D and E). You can also find the best time to take the supplement on the original Elan packaging. Additionally, this information can be found on the product page under the ‘Description’ tab.

Below are some practical tips to make taking capsules easier:

• Take the capsule, tablet, or chewable tablet before or during the evening meal. This way, the capsule, tablet, or chewable tablet is less likely to upset your stomach.
• Do not take the capsule, tablet, or Ferro Vital tablet with dairy.
• When swallowing the capsule, tablet, or Ferro Vital tablet, it’s best to move your chin towards your chest rather than tilting your head back.
• Take the capsule, tablet, or Ferro Vital tablet with a sip of water or other sugar-free beverages.
• Moisten the capsule in your mouth so the outer layer doesn’t stick, allowing the capsule to slide down more easily.
• You can also take the capsule with a spoonful of sugar-free fruit puree or other sugar-free liquid foods.
• If you have difficulty swallowing the capsule, you can also open the capsule and take only the contents (in powder form) with the previously mentioned foods.
• Do not drink or eat large amounts immediately before, during, or after taking the capsule, tablet, or chewable tablet. This helps prevent a feeling of nausea.
• If you continue to have trouble taking the Compass, Believe, or Supreme capsules or tablets, the Compass, Believe, or Supreme chewable tablets may be a good alternative.