What Supplements Should You be Taking?
Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Supplements for You
By Kirsten Petersen, DC
Do we really need supplements? Aren’t we able to receive all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients our bodies need from food alone? The answer is…not quite.
While it is always best to optimize nutrition by getting a majority of your nutrients through food (organic vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, seeds, and other whole foods), we may still need a little support from supplements.
Even with a seemingly diverse diet, today’s chronically depleted soils, industrial farming, less than ideal storage and transportation conditions, toxic growing environments (cue pesticides and chemical fertilizers), and processed foods can make it incredibly challenging for us to get all of the essential nutrients we need from food alone.
This is not to say that supplementation should ever be a substitute for food – the idea of a “supplement” is to do just that – supplement a pre-existing foundation of a healthy well-balanced diet, paired with movement and healthy stress management.
Choosing the right supplement can be pretty overwhelming, as there are so many factors involved in finding the right match for you.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a New Supplement
Before starting any new supplement, consider your:
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Family history and genetics
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Goals
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Age
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Diet and activity level
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Budget
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Quality choice
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Motivation level
Let’s dive a little deeper into each.
Family History and Genetics
When you google: “how much of this supplement should I take?”, the answers are usually geared to the masses. They fail to consider individual needs and unique family and genetic influences that play a role in determining dosage. Your dosage may be more or less than the typical recommendation.
Your Goals
Is your goal to simply correct a nutrient deficiency? Or are you seeking to optimize recovery from exercise and strength performance? On a healing journey with a chronic illness? Trying to improve chronic pain? Everyone has a different story, and supplements are meant to support you through certiain chapters of that story. As chapters end and new ones begin, our supplement regimen should shift as well.
Your Age
Age is crucially important to consider when deciding which supplements to take. Our needs for many nutrients increase as we age. Deficiencies such as vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and magnesium are common in aging populations. And while these vitamins and minerals should be optimized at every stage of life, they are especially important as we get older.
Diet and Physical Activity Level
Another important consideration to make when choosing supplements is your current lifestyle and dietary patterns. Do you follow a plant-based diet? You may benefit from supplementing with vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium, zinc, and iodine. Don’t like seafood? Supplementing with essential fatty acids may be helpful. Do you engage in high intensity physical activity? You may need to support your body with some additional b vitamins, magnesium, iron, or electrolytes. You get the point.
Budget/Quality
Not all supplements are created equal! The supplements you are getting over the counter from places like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc. may not be cutting it. This is because the FDA does not regulate supplements in the United States. Testing and quality control are limited during supplement oversight, which means that you don’t always know what you are getting in the bottle.
Some companies may add fillers, additives, colors, fillers, and allergens to supplements. Different forms of nutrients in supplement form may be cheap and poorly absorbed by the body. The dosage on the label may not match the dose of the pill. You name it – the list goes on. You are much better off getting your supplements from a high-quality, well-researched company with a recommendation from a practitioner to back it. While going this route can be a little more expensive than your standard supplements at the grocery store, at least you know that what you’re taking is serving you.
Motivation Level
We all know how hard it can be to stick to a supplement regimen. One day, we are fully committed to a daily regimen, and the next day, we open the cabinets and think “uh oh…it’s been three weeks since I’ve taken this!” Remember to meet yourself where you are. If you have trouble committing to a daily supplement, try to first work on increasing your intake of nutrient rich foods. Do you have trouble remembering to take your supplements? Place them next to your morning coffee, on your bedside table, or somewhere you will see them. Do you have trouble swallowing pills? You may want to consider liquid supplements or herbal teas.
Top Supplements for Everyday Health
Now that we have covered how to understand which supplements may be best for you, let’s talk about the 5 best supplements I would recommend for supporting overall health:
1. Essential Fatty Acids/Omega 3’s
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) provide the body with unmatched support for heart, brain, and immune health. They play a role in several key physiological functions, including regulating blood pressure, liver function, immune and inflammatory responses and helping to balance thyroid and adrenal activity. EFA deficiencies are very common in the US and can cause disruption in mood and weaken the immune system.
Dosage: 2,000 – 4,000 mg EPA+DHA per day is typically recommended for healthy adults. However, you may need more or less depending on your current health needs.
2. Vitamin D3/K2
Vitamin D is crucial for so many aspects of our health and is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies we see across the world. Vitamin D plays an important role in the functioning of the immune system, which is our body’s first line of defense against infection and disease. It also helps to maintain nervous system function, supports bone health, regulates calcium and phosphorus absorption (this is why supplemental vitamin D is best supported with vitamin K), and regulates immune function.
Dosage: With vitamin D, you want to make sure you are testing your levels at least every 6 months to know what the proper dosage is for you. Typically 2,000 – 5,000 IUs of vitamin D are recommended daily in the case of a deficiency or insufficiency, but it varies per person!
3. Magnesium
Magnesium, magnesium, magnesium! I can not stress this one enough. Magnesium plays a role in over 300 biochemical reactions in our bodies. It helps us to activate enzymes, relax smooth muscle (our gastrointestinal tract!) and skeletal muscle, and aids in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It can improve bone health, help to regulate the nervous system, aid in poor digestion, improve anxiety, alleviate headaches and migraines, and relieve constipation.
The magnesium quality of our soil has been drastically reduced over the years, which makes it even more important to incorporate proper supplementation. The majority of people could benefit from adding more magnesium into their diet.
Dosage: For adult and teenage males, typically 270 to 400 mg per day is recommended, while 280 to 300 mg is recommended for adult and teenage females.
4. B Vitamin Complex
B vitamins are small but mighty nutrients the body needs for almost every metabolic process in the body. They are crucial for the health of your brain, heart, nervous system, and liver. And even more importantly, they help you to turn the food you eat into energy. B vitamins also play a huge role in presentations of anxiety, depression, and mood dysregulation. B vitamins are primarily found in lean meats, dairy, fish, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, but many people are still not getting enough.
Dosage: A vitamin B complex is typically taken in capsule or liquid form once per day. Make sure you are working with a practitioner to determine the proper dosage for you.
5. Probiotics
While the best way to foster a healthy gut is to consume a diverse diet full of nutrient-rich plant and animal-based foods, probiotics can offer some additional support. Probiotics promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria in the microbiome and may offer immune and digestive benefits. The health of our gut determines a great deal of our overall health, so you may want to try incorporating a probiotic into your daily routine.
Dosage: The level of tolerance for probiotics differs from person to person. There are different types of beneficial pre- and probiotics that can be incorporated into a daily routine to help support a healthy gut microbiome. Look for at least a billion, preferably more CFU, and formulas containing the genus Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium or Saccharomyces boulardii, some of the most researched probiotics. But you may have to dive deeper, as each genus of bacteria encompasses numerous strains that produce different results.
A Final Note on Supplements
Supplements can be a great way to provide the body with the additional support it needs to optimize health and vitality. However, it should be emphasized that seeking out the guidance of a licensed practitioner when starting any new supplement routine is the safest bet!
Interested in learning more about which supplements are right for you? Schedule a session with a professional.