How many supplements are you currently taking? Do you know why you’re taking each of them? It’s surprising how many people take supplements and aren’t even sure why or what they are for. I’m often asked “When should I supplement? Are they a waste of money?”
I spent years looking into this when I was developing one of the product lines for evolved Natural Solutions. And supplements can be a waste of money, if you’re not sure why you’re taking them.
Some Supplements Really Can Make a Difference Research in the British Journal of Psychiatry shows that providing fish oil and a multivitamin to prison inmates reduces aggressive and violent behavior by 35% and decreases antisocial behavior by 26%.
In another study, giving children fish oil and a multivitamin improved both their behavior and intelligence scores.
Start with a great Multivitamin/Mineral It’s always better to get your nutrition from whole real food first. But that’s not always possible.
A recent paper by scientists from the Council for Responsible Nutrition in Washington concluded that:
“In large proportions of the population, micronutrient sufficiency is currently not being achieved through food solutions for several essential vitamins and minerals. Use of age- and gender-specific multivitamin supplements may serve as a practical means to increase the micronutrient status in subpopulations of Americans while not increasing intakes above the upper intake level.”
Also consider… • The progressive depletion of the nutritional quality of our soil, which is supposed to feed our food. For example, one study in the Journal of Nutrition and Health found copper levels have dropped by 90% in dairy, 55% in meat, and 76% in vegetables! • Chronic stress in our lives is higher than ever before • Nutrition is stripped from a majority of the processed food we eat • The food we purchase from the grocery story is often time 2 weeks old. The longer that a fruit/veggie has been harvested, the more nutrition it loses. A study at Penn State University found that spinach lost 47% of its folate after just 8 days. • Out-of-season vegetables may have more than half the nutrients found in in-season vegetables • Research reveals that most diets are now so micronutrient deficient that they require on average 27,575 calories to supply all the essential nutrients that you need!
At minimum, I would recommend a good whole food multivitamin/mineral for everyone just to cover all your micronutrient bases.
Besides a daily multivitamin, when else should you consider supplementing?
1. Look at other core nutritional gaps you might have, especially in the realm of macronutrients (healthy fats, high quality protein, whole food carbs and fiber). Dialing in on these will help you optimize body composition (muscle vs fat) and overall well-being.
• If you’re not eating high omega-3 healthy fats from oily fleshed, cold water fish such as wild Alaskan salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring and black cod, take a fish oil supplement. I take fish oil on days I don’t eat fish. • On days you didn’t get enough greens in like kale and spinach, consider using an organic greens powder. • If you’re not getting sufficient sun, take a vitamin D and K supplement. On days I don’t plan on getting much sun, I supplement in the morning. BTW, 70% of the population has inadequate vitamin D levels. • If you’re not getting adequate levels of high-quality protein for muscle building and maintenance, add a high-quality protein powder. • If you don’t use a lot of herbs and spices or drink green tea, consider a phytonutrient supplement. • If you don't eat fermented food like sauerkraut, kimchi, or yogurt, consider taking probiotics.
We offer a free Core Health Assessment to determine nutritional gaps in your diet. Take it here.
2. Next, consider health concerns and health optimization.
Supplements carry much less risk than prescriptions so you may want to talk to your doctor about more natural alternatives before resorting to a prescription. There are many supplements that can address health-specific issues.
Before you take any supplement, know what your intended goal is and really determine your best option.
3. Use supplements to gain a competitive edge and increase progression in performance goals (mental and physical).
For example, if you’re looking to build muscle and improve post-work-out recover, consider a protein powder. If you want to boost stamina so you won’t fade in the middle of a high-intensity workout, consider D-Ribose.
We have an entire line of sports specific supplements that are guaranteed free of banned substances. Check out our Klean Athlete line here.
Before Taking a Supplement Remember, it’s just as important to invest in a high-quality supplement as it is for high-quality food. At minimum, make sure your manufacturing company is cGMP certified but NSF certification is the pinnacle of quality. Here’s more info on our quality standards: http://www.evolvedns.com/quality
What supplements do you currently take? What's your biggest confusion around supplements?