Should you take nutritional supplement or should you not take nutritional supplements? Some recent studies have discounted the value of these supplements. While others show them as life saving. So what’s a person to do?
Keep this in mind when pondering nutritional supplement studies.
All nutritional supplements aren’t created equal. Many supplements are made out of synthetic garbage. While others are made out of natural whole foods. Can you guess which ones are better?
Synthetic vitamins can’t be used by the body in the same way as whole foods. So when a study makes grand claims about vitamins, examine whether synthetic or whole food vitamins were used. And if you are supplementing with nutritional supplements, be aware of this same thing.
But our ancestors didn’t take vitamins and they were just fine.
Our vitamin and mineral needs are different than our ancestors. In the old days, driving the “latest model vehicle” meant a horse and buggy. “Picking up some food” meant going out in the garden. And nobody wrapped food in chemical filled plastic because it hadn’t been invented. Our ancestors had less stuff to detox from their bodies. So they needed less nutrients.
Not to mention modern stress levels. They’ll gobble up vitamins faster than pac-man. And what about sleep deprivation? Sleep is the primary opportunity for the body to detox. And let’s look at the Standard American Diet. That isn’t classically very nutrient rich.
So should you take nutritional supplements?
I would recommend considering a few specific supplements. These nutrients are extremely valuable for most people. We need more of these nutrients than ever before because of our modern lifestyles,
Vitamin D-3
Vitamin d is the sunshine vitamin and it isn’t found in most food (other than fatty fish, liver, and egg yolks) Your body makes it from contact with the sun. And most of us either don’t get enough direct sun exposure or are missing other nutrients that are integral to producing vitamin d.
You’re probably not able to consistently make enough if you live somewhere that has winter, or you wear sunscreen when outdoors. Hell, I live in sunny L.A. and get a quite a bit of sun exposure. And my vitamin d levels were horribly low before I started supplementing. So get tested if you don’t know your levels. Most doctors don’t test it routinely. And if you need to supplement, 1000 to 2000 iu daily is usually a good place to start.
Emerging research shows vitamin d levels to be especially important for:
- Osteoporosis prevention
- Cancer prevention
- Cancer survival
- Heart health
So you want to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin d-3.
Probiotics
Probiotics are made from bacteria. But not the kind of icky bacteria you find on a public restroom floor. They’re made out of good, butt-kicking bacteria that fight all the other germs in your body. And when you don’t have enough good bacteria, the bad bacteria will start staging a coup in your digestive system, which affects your entire body health.
Modern lifestyles high in sugar, stress, and medications like the pill and antibiotics deplete your body of this good bacteria. Which makes supplementation necessary for most.
And here’s some added incentive for popping probiotic pills. Emerging research shows that a bacterial imbalance can make it impossible to lose weight. So not only do probiotics give you the potential to feel better. They can also help you shed some pounds when combined with proper diet and exercise!
Fish Oil
Fish oil is full of health promoting omega-3 fats. And the startling truth is that most of us are horrible deficient in these good fats. This phenomena has everything to do with a prevalent diet imbalance.
Modern diets are overflowing with vegetables oils which are extremely high in Omega-6 fatty acids. And vegetable oils are in almost everything we buy from potato chips to pasta sauce to protein bars. Most restaurants cook with them. And many people still use them in their homes.
Don’t get me wrong, Omega-6 fatty acids are healthy fats. But we need a certain ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids or the body becomes inflamed. And we are getting more of these Omega-6 fatty acids than ever before in history. So most of us need to reduce our Omega-6s and increase our Omega-3s.
Omega-3s help you:
- Fight inflammation
- Keep your hearts healthy
- Protect against cancer
- Lose weight
If you can’t take fish oil, you can try flaxseed oil instead. But fish oil is preferable because it provides a more usable form of Omega-3s. And wild or purified fish oil is always the best option.
But what about a Daily Multivitamin?
There is much debate about whether or not a daily multi is necessary. I personally prefer to supplement with specific nutrients I know I’m lacking. But I know more about my body and my nutritional status than most.
I would say take one if desired, Just remember, they can’t compensate for a bad diet. Multi-vitamins offer extra support. Just make sure to look for quality.And please stay away from gummy vitamins. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who are taking those. They are candy.
Do you take nutritional supplements?
Have you had your vitamin d-3 levels tested? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
(Please note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase one of these products, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend brands and products I’m familiar with and truly respect.)
I definitely need to be taking a Vitamin D supplement. I’m not a big fan of being in the sun for prolonged periods of time, simply because I burn easily and the heat is exhausting.
I have not had my vitamin d levels tested, but I feel like at time that they might be pretty low at times. When I don’t get enough sun, I start to feel pretty bad and I start getting depressed.
I take a Multi vitamin and Vitamin D but I’ve been thinking of adding in a probiotic to balance things out a bit.
Times have changed indeed and along with it are our nutritional needs. I think these vitamins are really going to benefit our health.
Great post. I had vitamin D tested when I was pregnant. I am always low on supplements when I am only pregnant, otherwise I am fit and healthy!!
We take fish oil everyday in our house and my eight year old daughter recently started adding it to her daily vitamin too! Vitamins are a great way to make sure you’re getting everything you really need.
I used to take multi vitamins with iron as I was slightly anaemic at one point. I probably need to take all of those supplements you mentioned. We definitely don’t get enough sun here in the UK!
I studied nutrition as a college student and this was so refreshing to read! I love staying on top of my intake and reminding myself why certain things are good for me.
This is a very important topic. I live in sunny hot india and my vit D3 levels were low and I needed supplementing during my pregnancy. Omega oils they are really packed loads with goodness.
This is a very important topic. I live in sunny hot india and my vit D3 levels were low and I needed supplementing during my pregnancy. Omega oils they are really packed loads with goodness.
I for sure need to add these to my diet. i know I do, so I am taking this as a reminder to get on my vitamins and get serious about my health!
I should really look into Omega 3 supplement! I totally agree with you about daily multivitamin and my doctor actually told me not to do it and put me on Vitamin D! Here in Boston she said almost everyone has a deficiency.
Best,
Rebecca
I actually already take all three of those as well as several others (doctor’s orders). However, I do not take a multivitamin although I probably should because I eat like crap lol.
This is great information! I already take probiotics and some other supplements, but perhaps I should consider omega 3’s and vitamin d. I live in Wyoming – we have long winters and so I can probably use all the help I can get! 🙂
I’m a big fan of probiotics but I’m thinking a little extra Vitamin D might be a good idea, too.
Taking the Vitamin D3, but was not aware of the benefits of the fish oil and probiotics. Will need to do some further research on the probiotics.
I’ve heard of probiotics and fish oil, but I’ve never come across Vitamin D-3! Need to try this ASAP!
xoxo,
Berniedette | PetiteAndToned.com
I definitely take D3 and have for years even though I try to get some sunshine before I slather on the sunscreen. The Omega–we eat a lot of fish (most of the time wild), so I feel pretty good about that. But not the probiotics. I do eat organic Greek yogurt…wondering if that does the same thing!
I think your list is good and most likely necessary for most of the people who live a hectic life. With regards to multi vitamins, it’s fine to take a pill of these ones but if people start taking e.g. Vitamin A supplements etc consult your doctor first. Some vitamins can actually be detrimental to your health if taken in too much.
Good advice about taking specific vitamins – I take D3 and fish oil and eat yogurt so I’m covered. Actually I was advised by a doctor to take those specific supplements.
The multi-vitamin needs to be taken with care if at all. When I was still working I was stressed to the max and decided a women’s multi-vitamin for stress would be a good idea. Unfortunately one of the ingredients was calcium and this stopped my life-saving drugs from working so it worked totally opposite to what it was intended to do.
Yogurt is relatively low in probiotics. So if your doctor thinks you might benefit from some extra good bacteria, and you don’t want to supplement, you should probably try to add some more fermented foods to your diet. This would be like kimchi, tempeh, kefir or kombucha. There are lots of tasty fermented options!
I take B12 because I do not get enough of it in my diet, just a capsule a day. I recently started taking probiotics and I love it. I can really see the difference. I used to always be so bloated (for years and years) and it has really helped me. That is a supplement I will definitely continue taking long-term.
Glad probiotics helped!
I was wondering what your take on those reports about vitamins would be Erica. Your point about synthetic vitamins vs whole foods makes sense. I don’t take a daily vitamin, but I’m thinking that maybe vitamin D would be a good idea because I spend very little time in the sun. Thanks for the advice!
Marquita, get your levels checked next time you go for a physical. I think they say that about 75% of us these days are on the low side of things.