5 Reasons To Take Supplements
I’ve been asked multiple times about my Lifestyle and Diet choices, and while I concentrate on fashion and style choices on this site, I believe that the better we feel, the better we look.
My lifestyle has evolved over the years, and part of that includes supplements (although I did take Flinstones vitamins as a young kid). This brings me to the idea of sharing my 5 reasons to take supplements.
Quote of the day: “Modern science has been a voyage into the unknown, with a lesson in humility waiting at every stop. Many passengers would rather have stayed home.” Carl Sagan
I love the term supplements because it’s something additional that can help us. Not unlike needing help from a tutor in math class.
Because in reality, who eats exactly what our bodies need day in and day out?
The world of supplements can be overwhelming just like any subject when you are first researching it. To me, the biggest message for anyone when it comes to the 5 reasons to take supplements, is to think of it like your beauty and fashion choices. We are all VERY unique.
Heck, even with pharmaceutical medicines, there are varied reactions.
So if you are going to dip your toe into any health related topics, the best tip is to evaluate your feelings and symptoms regularly. (And you thought I was going to say research it. That is good advice, but many times what works for others may be different for you).
If you follow me on my other social channels, then you will often see photos of our breakfast which includes supplements, our coffee, and even a drink that includes other minerals.
I’ll share my 5 reasons to take supplements as I have learned through my former career as a cosmetic dentist, and now with our journey with a nutrient-dense way of eating.
At the end of this, I will also list the majority of supplements we take and the reasons. Feel free to shop my Amazon storefront for many of these supplements at your fingertips.
If you are interested in other health and nutrition related articles, you can find them below.
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5 Reasons to Take Supplements
As a biology major and lover of all things science related, I have always marveled at the human body. If you’ve ever seen the BodyWorlds Exhibition, then it might resonate with you too.
The body functions and can heal given the right set of tools. And I would consider food and supplements natural tools to help us live a better life.
We expect our doctors to be the stewards of our bodies, but they are just human and only know what they know. The fact is it ends up falling on our shoulders to be our own advocates.
Yet some people don’t enjoy learning about health and nutrition. In that case, it can be much easier to consider these 5 reasons to take supplements and incorporate them into your life.
1-Prevention
As the quote goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Being able to help my body get the nutrients and minerals that it needs makes me feel better.
And we all know that the better we feel, the happier we are.
I would say that the only bad thing about prevention, is you don’t always know it’s working. Would you feel good without the supplements?
2-Get more nutrients
If you are anything like me, when you read the books and articles about our health and nutrition, you can feel like there is just not enough time to eat everything you are supposed to eat.
While the gurus will say that it doesn’t take more time and energy to eat healthily, I think most of us would disagree.
So one way to get those nutrients would be to supplement with what you aren’t eating.
Related post: Healthy convenience foods on a budget
3-Mature bodies don’t absorb as well
It’s no secret that our bodies change as we get older. There are many studies that show how many nutrients aren’t absorbed as well with these changes.
If you don’t believe me, then here is an article from WebMD.
4-Our foods may not be as healthy as we think
Years ago, I remember hearing how our soils are depleted and thus our foods didn’t have the nutrients they once did. I scoffed at the idea and couldn’t believe someone thought that.
Yet now, with more knowledge about how food is grown, and how modern farmers struggle, it makes a lot of sense.
National Geographic talked about this subject.
5-To fix an issue
When the body isn’t working correctly, there are medications to help with issues. One of the 5 reasons to take supplements would be to help the body instead of resorting to medications, if possible.
There is nothing wrong with medications when you need them. However, as someone who is focusing on health, it’s hard when you don’t know what ingredients are “really” in them.
In fact, it’s common knowledge that generic medicines don’t have the same ingredients in them. In fact, copied straight from the FDA site: “Generic medicines and brand-name medicines share the same active ingredient, but other characteristics, such as colors and flavorings, that do not affect the performance, safety, or effectiveness of the generic medicine, may be different.”
While they say the fillers don’t affect the effectiveness, it’s not unheard of that people react to them differently. And adding colors and flavorings is a big no-no for my healthy lifestyle.
Insider tip: Supplements are no different than foods. You have to read the ingredients and look for extra “crap” that could be hidden in them.
Dosage
One of the hardest aspects of supplements is knowing how much of each one to take. Sure, the bottle gives you a recommendation, but our bodies are very unique.
When I was seeing an acupuncturist, I learned about muscle testing. And more times than naught, my husband and I will use the finger method of this to figure out how much supplementation to take.
If you are anything like me, then this idea of muscle testing sounds very woohoo. In all reality though, once you think about how EVERYTHING has energy (which is why it’s good to talk to plants), then it makes more sense.
Here is an article about muscle testing if you’re interested. And this is the finger method we use.
Insider tip: Beware of any “gummies” or chewable supplements because there is usually some type of sugar added.
My Daily Supplements
I take 10-15 daily supplements. That being said, I occasionally take a day off from taking any.
Insider tip: Keep a “diary” of how your body is feeling and your moods along with any new supplements taken. This can be done on an empty calendar (either paper or electronic) by jotting down notes on the days.
By doing this, you can monitor and analyze how something is working for you.
Here’s a breakdown of what I take both in pill form and liquid form. Below that I will share the brands and reasoning. I came to this list of supplements with my functional medicine provider as well as my own research.
- Probiotics
- Sea Buckthorn Oil
- CoQ10
- Eye Supplement
- Joint Supplement
- Turmeric
- Ionic Mineral
- Chlorophyll
- Vit. D
- Magnesium
- Cranberry
- Vit. K
- Antioxidant
- Collagen
- Mushrooms
Probiotics
If you are following any health gurus or reading up-to-date articles, then you realize that our gut is the foundation for our health.
There is no shortage of probiotics to be found on store shelves, but it is hard to know which ones are right.
Insider tip: A gut test can give you a ton of information. It’s not one of those things that is routinely done by Western medicine doctors which I consider a shame. However, a functional medicine provider would prescribe and analyze it for you.
My telehealth functional medicine provider offers a complimentary 15-minute consultation over the phone if you are interested in talking to her about it. Click the “Book Now” button to choose which appointment you would prefer.
We recently started working with Clear Wellness Probiotics because they are a balanced blend of Targeted Therapeutic Remedies, Boosted by Probiotics. Each of Clear’s products is specially formulated to support a specific health need.
Right now I’m taking the Clear Inflammation Response, but the brand has supplements for lip & skin health, brain health, gut, and Sleep.
They can be found on their site (use code JF15) or on Amazon.
Insider tip: The company was started when the founder was after a product to fight cold sores. Studies and research discovered that cold sores could be prevented by ideal gut health.
Sea Buckthorn Oil
I started taking this in response to #5. My nasal issues had increasingly gotten worse since I retired, and none of my holistic or Western-medicine doctors had figured it out.
Once I heard how the nasal cavity dries out like the rest of our menopausal body, my constant nasal dripping and sinus pressure made sense.
Taking this supplement which helps counteract that menopausal dryness and has been a HUGE game-changer for me.
They can be found: iHerb, Swanson, and Amazon.
CoQ10
CoQ10 is known mostly for heart health and cellular energy. It was suggested I take it for #1.
We get the NOW brand which can be found at iHerb, Amazon, and Swanson.
Eye Supplement
My eyes have never been my strong suit, as I’ve worn glasses since 4th grade. So adding in the supplemental nutrients for eye health was a no brainer.
Lutein is the most common supplement in this category, but I take a blend that includes more agents including fish oils.
We have taken many different brands, and Swanson and iHerb can be great suppliers for them all.
At this time, I’m taking this one.
Joint Supplement
Our joint health is something all older people comment about when they talk about aches and pains. Granted, cutting out sugar which causes inflammation is a great step, yet it’s part of our practice to take supplements also.
You probably know Glucosamine and Chondroitin as agents to help with joints, but the supplement that I take has a blend of ingredients.
Right now I’m taking Patient One CT Joint Care found on Amazon, but there are many brands found on iHerb.
Turmeric
Turmeric is one of those spices that is touted to be fabulous for our health. While we do cook with it on occasion, my husband complains that it’s too messy.
That’s one reason we take it as a supplement.
We take it in pill form, but we have also used a powder version in our juice.
Ionic Mineral
These are the extra minerals that may not be easy to get in foods and other supplements. I especially use this because I gave up taking calcium supplements when I struggled with kidney stones.
We have taken this liquid form of ionic minerals for over 15 years through Nature’s Sunshine.
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is meant to be a detoxifier. It’s one of those supplements that we add to our morning juice because it’s a liquid, and I’m not even sure what it does.
We have been taking this brand for over 15 years through Nature’s Sunshine.
Vit. D
Vitamin D is not just a vitamin, it’s a very important hormone that received a lot of press in our recent pandemic. Most of us realize we can go outside and get “real” vitamin D, but if you live above the 37-degree latitude line, you won’t get enough in the winter months even if you’re outside naked.
However, it’s also good to realize that with all of the push with sunscreen, even if you are outside during the summer months, you may not be getting as much Vit. D as you think.
We switch brands regularly, but you can find many options on iHerb, Amazon, and Swanson in liquid and pill form. Right now, we take this brand.
Magnesium
Magnesium has been thought to reduce headaches and cramps. Those are the two reasons that both Rob and I take it.
Magnesium is one of those supplements that we try many different brands. Right now we take this one.
Cranberry
Taking cranberry falls under #5 since I used to struggle with bladder infections. In all reality, I believe bladder issues are caused by our gut imbalance, so I could probably stop taking this.
But I would rather continue it just to be safe.
Many brands have great products, and right now I am using this one.
Vit. K
This was a vitamin that showed up low on my blood test. It’s a family of soluble vitamins that helps support bone and soft tissue elasticity.
I also try to eat a couple of Brazil nuts every week to help keep this vitamin at the level it needs to be.
Insider tip: You can request to see your levels of minerals when you get a blood test to know more about your health.
Doctor’s Best brand has been our go-to for the last year and can be found on iHerb and Amazon.
Antioxidant
18 years ago, I had a red spot in my eye that wouldn’t clear up even after seeing the eye doctor and specialist. The doctors ended up putting me on steroid eye drops, but it never cleared up. It wasn’t until our iridologist suggested an antioxidant liquid, did it go away.
We have changed over to a pill form of antioxidant found on iHerb and Amazon.
Collagen
Collagen has gotten a lot of press lately, and many women love it for their hair and nails. Both Rob and I like it in our coffee to add a bit of protein to our diet.
I have worked with a couple of collagen companies in the past and we have used over a dozen different brands.
The biggest difference is whether you want the collagen from bovine sources or marine sources. There are many types of collagen for our body, so I always think it’s good to switch it up.
Our favorite brands lately are Collagen for Her and Great Lakes.
Mushrooms
I’ve been reading a ton of research about how mushrooms have an amazing amount of nutritional value. Yet, for our family, it’s not a food that we reach for and cook very often.
Because of that, I decided to try out mushroom coffee. We use it differently than advertised by adding a small amount to our coffee grinds when we brew our morning joe.
You can find Ryze Mushroom coffee here and use JODIEF15 for a discount.
In Conclusion for 5 Reasons to Take Supplements
I’ve had many discussions with friends regarding supplements and talked about my 5 reasons to take supplements. Yet, just like anything in life, what works for one person doesn’t automatically work for another unique person.
You can say the same thing about clothing. Each person’s body is very individual and mass produced clothing can’t be expected to fit all of the time.
One of my mottos with clothing is to be the Boss of Your Clothes. And it’s no different with our health. Be the Boss of our Health. Our health is our best investment and no one is going to care about it like you do.
Interesting tidbit: Some people reason that supplements can’t be all that good because they aren’t regulated by the FDA. After learning more and more about how these entities can be swayed by Money and power, I would say that I consider that a good thing.
The best people to talk about supplements with would be a wide variety of people including friends. I always think it’s important to get a mixture of experiences and thoughts.
And remember to analyze how you feel as you go.
In all reality, your 5 reasons to take supplements could differ from my reasons.
Insider tip: Before ordering supplements, always check the ingredients (especially the other ingredients) because companies modify these regularly.
For instance, one brand’s tablets may be “cleaner” than the same brand’s soft-gels.
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