Learn about Top Supplements
Everybody should be taking these top supplements everyday for life. Whether child or adult, you need to be taking this stuff daily. With billions of supplement options out there, I created this post to simplify things and give you a short list of supplements you need to be taking everyday with no exceptions. Now, there is a purpose for the other supplements out there, but you cannot supplement your way to good health; however, take the following top supplements daily, and you’ll notice a big difference in your health and how you feel.
Probiotics
- Improves Digestion & Bowel Movements
- Improves Uptake of Nutrients
- Improves Immune System
There are over 80 trillion bacterial cells in your gut! There are actually more bacterial cells in your gut than there are cells in your body. And, the good bacteria play an important role in your overall health. Unfortunately, we are not getting enough of the good probiotics these days. In addition, we all have most likely taken antibiotics at some point in our lives which wipes out the good bacteria in our guts. You need to replace the good bacteria with a high quality probiotic supplement.
Many people think they are getting enough probiotics in their yogurt. It’s good that you are getting some in your yogurt but the slick coating in the dairy form results in the probiotics going in one end and out the other without much absorption. You need to be taking a plant based capsule form daily in the amount of 20-30 billion of the good bacteria per day.
Fun little fact: not only are probiotics good for digestion, uptake of nutrients, and the immune system, but they are also good for your thyroid health. The inactive form of thyroid hormone, T4 gets converted into the active form by the good bacteria in your gut. Keep that in mind especially if you are female as you are more prone to having troubles with your thyroid health.
Omega-3
- Anti-Inflammatory for body
- Brain/Nervous System Thrive on Omega-3
- Great for Heart Health: Reduces Risk for Coronary Heart Disease
- Naturally Lowers Cholesterol
Omega-3 is another one of the top supplements because it important for fighting inflammation. It helps you heal and feel better! Joint pain, heart disease, and high cholesterol are three examples of inflammation effecting your body and three more reasons why you should be supplementing with Omega-3.
For example, inflammation damages the inner lining of your arteries. Your body’s protective mechanism is cholesterol and so cholesterol is elevated to help “patch” the damaged lining of your arteries. This then begins the process of “clogging your arteries” which also raises your blood pressure and leads to heart disease and congestive heart failure. Cholesterol is actually not the bad guy, it is the inflammation that is the bad guy. By getting the right ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6, you help fight inflammation in the body.
I recommend you take a high quality Omega-3 because the cheap supplements often have elevated levels of mercury which makes the supplement counterproductive as an anti-inflammatory. I also recommend an EPA to DHA ratio of 3:2.
Vitamin D
- Reduces Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
- Reduces Risk for Heart Disease
- Improves Immune System
Vitamin D deficiency is very common these days. This is because it is the “sunshine vitamin” and we are not getting enough sunshine these days. Vitamin D is actually produced in your skin as a direct response to sunlight. Most people are using too much sunscreen, spending more time indoors and working long hours inside offices and are not getting the sunlight exposure they need each day.
All it takes is around 10 minutes each day, in the middle of the day, of direct sunlight to help your body get the Vitamin D it needs. Still, it is highly recommended that you also supplement with Vitamin D along with eating foods fortified with Vitamin D such as milk and egg yolks.
How much should you take each day? Children, teens and adults should take around 600 IU per day. Over the age of 70 should take a little more. If you are uncertain if you are deficient in vitamin D, we can run a blood test to determine your exact level and recommend even higher doses over a short period of time to get your levels elevated.
Multi-Vitamin (Quality)
Finally, I recommend a good quality multi-vitamin, mostly because the nutrients in our foods are not the same levels they once were. This is a completely non-scientific analogy but it is somewhere in the ballpark of being correct: One cup of broccoli in 1960 is the same as or equivalent nutritionally as 30 cups of broccoli today. What this means is that the vitamins and nutrients we are getting from our foods are being depleted so even when we are eating healthy we aren’t getting everything we need, hence, why we need to be supplementing daily with a good quality multi-vitamin.
What Brands We Sell & Recommend: Innate Choice and Nu Medica