Best supplements

[Lauxa]

Let me start by admitting that I'm not so good at taking supplements. I buy vitamins and then they sit in my cabinet, mostly untouched, until they expire and I throw them out. However, a trainer recently told me AGAIN that I should be taking them. I told him that I try to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and his response was that if I get 17 servings a day then I probably don't need them. Well, I probably only get 10-12 on a good day, and not every day is that good.

I think that if I felt a significant energy boost from taking them that it might give me enough incentive to get consistent with it. I'd love to hear what supplements are working for you or read any good articles on how to choose supplements. I know there are many important details like the source of the nutrient, what form it is in, how they are combined, etc. etc., and I just feel overwhelmed by all the information available. Thanks for any feedback!

[Dimond]

I did a huge amount of experimenting with supplements. Eating raw or mostly raw for awhile, you really don't need much supplements. Some don't need any. It really just depends on the person and their health, though it's hard to really figure that out other than to go according to what you feel. The standard blood tests can give a bit of an idea, but aren't 100% accurate for raw vegans.

I now only take organic whole food supplements, which is really all anyone should use. Some type of green supplement can be good. My favorite after trying out many is Ocean’s Alive Liquid Marine Phytoplankton. Many like taking a product with several ingredients in it like Vitamineral Green. Probiotics have also very important in strengthening my immune system and the right one will have rare vegan vitamins in it that are hard to get elsewhere. Garden Of Life has a raw line out now which has a lot of good products like a multi-vitamin and they also carry the probiotic I use.

Really though this is something you need to figure out for yourself because others can't know what is right for you. Testing a few things is good. Making a green smoothie and adding supplements can help ensure you take them if you do buy them.

[secrets0stolen]

Green juice, perhaps?





(yes this is an exception to my self-ban from this section)

[joelr]

I had a phase for a couple years where I slowly got into supplements and eventually had a program based on getting the optimal amounts of most vitamins. I used the "Prescription For Health" books advice on vitamin amounts and used separate capsules for A (and beta carotene), B6, B12, B complex, C with bio-flavnoids, D, E, F (essential fatty acids omega 3, 6, 9), a multi mineral, extra iron, zinc and chromium, acidophillus, soy lethicin and a few other compounds that I forgot.

I was also eating good and doing lots of weights and cardio.

In comparison with later diet/cardio cycles where I only used 1 multi-vitamin a few times a week I really didn't notice a difference. Except my pee stopped looking radioactive.

I find protein supplements to make healthy eating easier and flaxseed and primrose oil to help skin.

Energy wise nothing happened. Except that year I quit caffiene. Was tired all year. But I was training hard, was likely a bit of overtraining.

If I was to spend $$ on vitamins now,
Vitamin C with bio-flavnoids or ester C is always a good bet, B-complex is good also.

[ginkgo]

The New York Times Bestseller, Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau (© 2004) says:

Do not take vitamins....It is true that you are most assuredly deficient in vitamins and minerals. The best way to correct this deficiency is by juicing. The second best way is to take whole food supplements. These are not vitamin and mineral pills. Whole food supplements simply take organically produced vegetables and fruits and concentrate them into a convenient tablet [the powder is much cheaper] that you can take."

Here is a webpage that explains this more in detail. Read about how most supplements that people take pass out with their waste without ever being digested at all.

[Lauxa]

First ... it's nice to see your face ginkgo!

I did pretty well when putting my supplements in smoothies, it can be hard to find the powdered kind though. I have gotten Garden of Life before, I forgot about them. I do have some spirulina that I add occasionally. I use kefir in my smoothies for probiotics instead of getting it in a pill, and will also add kefir to cold soups. Fish oil in smoothies is nasty.

Thanks for the primrose oil reminder, have gotten that from a couple of people recently and would like to start on that.

Anyone tried bee pollen? Heard an ad for that recently and was curious about it.

[stanmrak]

I've never believed the premise that you can get all the nutrition you need for OPTIMAL health from your diet. Good health, maybe - not optimal.

There are many nutrients like astaxanthin, vitamin E, coenzyme q-10, alpha-lipoic acid, pycnogenol, silymarin, resveratrol and others, that have benefits that you can't get in significant quantities from your diet, only from supplements. Grape seeds have incredible benefits, but who wants to chew on them when you can get them in a capsule?

I've had some experience with this. I've been taking supplements, and lots of them, for 33 years. They work, period.

[Get Inspired Today]

Originally Posted by Lauxa

Let me start by admitting that I'm not so good at taking supplements. I buy vitamins and then they sit in my cabinet, mostly untouched, until they expire and I throw them out. However, a trainer recently told me AGAIN that I should be taking them. I told him that I try to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and his response was that if I get 17 servings a day then I probably don't need them. Well, I probably only get 10-12 on a good day, and not every day is that good.

I think that if I felt a significant energy boost from taking them that it might give me enough incentive to get consistent with it. I'd love to hear what supplements are working for you or read any good articles on how to choose supplements. I know there are many important details like the source of the nutrient, what form it is in, how they are combined, etc. etc., and I just feel overwhelmed by all the information available. Thanks for any feedback!

You know what... you don't need the vitamins.

If you'd rather eat more fruits and vegetables then I don't think any decent dietician would say take a supplement over fresh fruit and vegetables. The more we learn about these foods, the more we realize it's not just the vitamins and minerals that make the difference. It's also the color. Sounds simple, but if you just want to eat more color then go for it.

A lot of people recommend vitamins and minerals, but if you're eating a well balanced diet then a normal body simply doesn't need it.

[Explinfin]

the BEST whole food and organic vitamins and supplements I have found are Mercola brand!

I absolutely trust Dr. Mercola and his products, so much that I now officially endorse his products on my own website...

I wrote an product review of Mercola products here:

Whole Food Vitamins & Supplements :Exploring Infinity

[newmark]

I've hardly ever taken supplements in my life, so I don't know if they would make me feel wonderful or not, but not taking them I feel pretty good. Lauxa, do you feel much worse by not taking supplements?

What your trainer said seems quite strange to me. It sounds like a line he's uses because he's a trainer and needs something to say.

[Lauxa]

Originally Posted by newmark

I've hardly ever taken supplements in my life, so I don't know if they would make me feel wonderful or not, but not taking them I feel pretty good. Lauxa, do you feel much worse by not taking supplements?

No, I've never noticed a difference between taking them and not taking them. But I thought maybe I was taking the wrong ones.

[joey m]

Hi Lauxa. For most vitamin/mineral supplements you likely won't notice much of a day to day difference unless you have a massive deficiency (e.g. if you were anemic, taking sufficient iron would eventually give you far more energy).

If you are looking for a whole food multivitamin, I take VITAFORCE. It's actually food, so its really a great option. Has probiotics and lots of greens too.

[Leesah]

If you find it hard to remember taking them, one suggestion - keep them on your table/wherever you eat, and always take them just after you finish eating... that way you will begin to associate them with meal times, and even if not, they will be right there infront of you so you have a better chance of remembering/noticing them. Talking from experience, this method works a lot better than having them in the cupboard

[Acting Like Godot]

A suggested approach.

If you would take only one supplement,
take Vitamin C.

If you would take two types,
take Vitamin C and a multi-vitamin.

If you would take three types,
take Vitamin C, a multi-vitamin, and an Omega 3 or 6.

For a 4th type,
you could add gingko biloba.

If you are already a relatively healthy eater,

(eg lots of fruits and vegetables and wholemeal, and if you take meat, only white meat)

you could use your supplements less sparingly.

I pop a Vitamin C every day;

I use a multi-vitamin on days when I eat junk

I pop an Omega on days that I remember to do so.

Oooh, I also take Yakult every now and then .... a pro-biotics drink that puts live beneficial bacteria in your tummy.

[secrets0stolen]

To be honest, it doesn't seem like you need any supplements. From what I've seen of you on the forum, your diet seems like it about whole foods with lots of variety. You probably get all the nutrients you need. The reason I suggested green juice earlier is because with that it would be easy to take your fruit and veg count from 10-12 to 17, and greens are the most nutrient dense veggies around.

Plus, the vitamins and minerals in supplements are typically not as usable (and sometimes even harmful) to the body.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Get Inspired Today

If you'd rather eat more fruits and vegetables then I don't think any decent dietician would say take a supplement over fresh fruit and vegetables.

See, here's the problem. I'll use Vitamin C to illustrate.

Some experts recommend 500 mg of Vitamin C per day. Other experts recommend about 1000 mg. Let's take the average, and say that 750mg per day is about right.

Now, fruits are supposed to be high in vitamin C, right?

One average orange has about 70 mg.
One average apple has about 8 mg.
One average banana has about 11 mg.

To get 750 mg of Vitamin C per day, you'd have to eat, say, something like this, in a single day:

(a) about 11 oranges; or

(b) about 94 apples; or

(c) about 68 bananas; or

(d) if you mix it up, something like, say, 5 oranges, 10 apples AND 29 bananas.

I like my fruits, but the above does sound rather intimidating. It's much easier to pop one Vitamin C pill.

[secrets0stolen]

Whoops, double post.

[Honeywith4bees]

I take Calcium with D because I have been tested as D deficient AND I just had some skin cancer removed from my face, so getting my D from the sun isn't optimal for me.

I also take fish oil because I have personally felt a difference between taking them and not.

I have friends that swear by Mercola products as well, though I've never used them myself.

[Leesah]

Acting Like Godot -- question for you (if you know), I've been in the pharmacy before, and even THEY don't know but...

Say you take a multivitamin, and it has x, y and z vitamins. Well, can you also take x, y and z vitamins in a seperate pill, as well???

Basically, a while back I picked up a multivitamin. But I also wanted cod liver oil capsules, except the cod liver oil capsules all also contain certain vitamins (but not ALL the vitamins you get in a multivitamin). So I said "is it ok to take both?" and he wasn't actually sure but basically said no, just take one or the other. I guess he has to be careful what he recommends, incase it then turns out to be dangerous but.

So, on the multivitamins, it will say how much per your daily recommended dose is in it. And it will usually say 100%.... so if you have 100% in that pill, and then another 100% in another, is it possible to OVERDOSE on a vitamin? Sounds silly but my mum reckoned there is one vitamin that it is actually bad to take too much off.

(took me a while to get all that out, sorry).

[Leesah]

Also, what's the benefit of gingko biloba?

I take evening primrose oil because it claims to help with a healthy hormonal balance, it seems to work for me (was having mood swings) but it could also be any number of other things I changed, so who knows.

[Dimond]

Originally Posted by Acting Like Godot

See, here's the problem. I'll use Vitamin C to illustrate. Some experts recommend 500 mg of Vitamin C per day.

The majority of so-called experts are really not knowledgeable on true health. If one is eating enough of the right foods, ideally fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds & as much of that raw and organic as possible, they should be getting all or practically all they need (depending on the exact diet and individual needs). In the long run this is the easiest, most efficient way to live because of all the toxins it eliminates which in turn saves time, money, etc.

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Leesah

Acting Like Godot -- question for you (if you know), I've been in the pharmacy before, and even THEY don't know but...

Say you take a multivitamin, and it has x, y and z vitamins. Well, can you also take x, y and z vitamins in a seperate pill, as well???

Basically, a while back I picked up a multivitamin. But I also wanted cod liver oil capsules, except the cod liver oil capsules all also contain certain vitamins (but not ALL the vitamins you get in a multivitamin). So I said "is it ok to take both?" and he wasn't actually sure but basically said no, just take one or the other. I guess he has to be careful what he recommends, incase it then turns out to be dangerous but.

So, on the multivitamins, it will say how much per your daily recommended dose is in it. And it will usually say 100%.... so if you have 100% in that pill, and then another 100% in another, is it possible to OVERDOSE on a vitamin? Sounds silly but my mum reckoned there is one vitamin that it is actually bad to take too much off.

(took me a while to get all that out, sorry).

I know this wasn't addressed at me, but there's a simple answer here as far as the overdose on vitamins goes.
You can overdose on fat soluble vitamins, you can't overdose on water soluble vitamins.
Fat soluble are A, K, E, and D and are typically found in animal products or supplements (at least the kind you can overdose on). To make this clear though, you can't overdose on Vit D from the sun, the body regulates what it absorbs there. You also can't overdose on the pre-vitamins (in the case of A, K and E) in vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. From those substances, the body manufactures the amount of those that it needs (considering you get enough vegetable, etc)
Water soluble vitamins you will just urinate out if you take more than your body needs. Excess supplementation in these cases aren't terribly dangerous, but you're basically paying for expensive pee.
Have fun

[Leesah]

Thanks a lot for answering!

Let me make sure I understand, though.


I can overdose on fat soluble vitamins but not water soluble. OK, but I'm not sure which is which (I know you said but I'm getting confused)...

I want to take 2 tablets:
Pure Cod Liver Oil providing Omega-3 with Vitamins A, D and E
AND
A multivitamin tablet (which contains A, D, E and all the others that a multivitamin typically has).

Is that a fat soluble overdose (because each one says it contains 100% of what you need per day for A D and E), or water soluble 'pee out the left overs'?

Sorry, I'm new to this and finding it hard to grasp, lol.

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Leesah

Thanks a lot for answering!

Let me make sure I understand, though.


I can overdose on fat soluble vitamins but not water soluble. OK, but I'm not sure which is which (I know you said but I'm getting confused)...

I want to take 2 tablets:
Pure Cod Liver Oil providing Omega-3 with Vitamins A, D and E
AND
A multivitamin tablet (which contains A, D, E and all the others that a multivitamin typically has).

Is that a fat soluble overdose (because each one says it contains 100% of what you need per day for A D and E), or water soluble 'pee out the left overs'?

Sorry, I'm new to this and finding it hard to grasp, lol.

No problem
All the vitamins in the Cod Liver Oil are going to be fat soluble, those would be what you could possibly take too much of. I don't know the details so I can't say if the Cod Oil plus the multivitamin are going to be an overdose to the point of symptoms, but I don't think those would be a good idea to take those together, especially long term.
I'd say get plenty of sun and lots of fruit and veg as those are the best ways to get the vitamins you need. But if you want to take a supplement, take one or the other.

[Leesah]

Ah, ok, thanks for the clarification!

I will think of ways to bump up my fruit and veg intake, and just take either of those supplements (not sure which yet, I think maybe cod liver oil will be important, I don't eat fish), and maybe find another supplement that doesn't clash.

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Leesah

Ah, ok, thanks for the clarification!

I will think of ways to bump up my fruit and veg intake, and just take either of those supplements (not sure which yet, I think maybe cod liver oil will be important, I don't eat fish), and maybe find another supplement that doesn't clash.

Green smoothies are great for boosting fruit and veg consumption, if you're interested in them
Just because you don't eat fish also doesn't mean you *need* the cod supplement. From what I've seen supplements are best in a cases where a deficiency is already present and that a good diet is adequate for preventing deficiencies

[Leesah]

Do you know of any nice tasting green smoothies? (I know that's a personal thing but)

I do drink smoothies, though I tend to buy them ready made... I own a smoothie maker though... but I've been reluctant about trying veg smoothies because I just imagine they will taste horrible (I'm very picky with veg as it is)
I bought a veg smoothie the other week actually. I wanted carrot juice, but it was a mixture. I found out the main ingredient was tomato though, which I hate anyway, so I ended up throwing it away because I hated the taste (I had told myself I would drink it no matter the taste, but I just couldn't!)

I do definitey need to fit more veg in. I'm fine for fruit, but I typically have 1 (at least) to 3 portions of veg a day, and unless I have eaten soup for lunch then it's most usually just 1 portion of veg per day, which I suspect isn't enough (it's just they say 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, so I think if I eat 5 portions of fruit it won't matter if I don't get much veg??).

You can see I would benefit from a book on nutrition, lol.

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Leesah

Do you know of any nice tasting green smoothies? (I know that's a personal thing but)

I do drink smoothies, though I tend to buy them ready made... I own a smoothie maker though... but I've been reluctant about trying veg smoothies because I just imagine they will taste horrible (I'm very picky with veg as it is)
I bought a veg smoothie the other week actually. I wanted carrot juice, but it was a mixture. I found out the main ingredient was tomato though, which I hate anyway, so I ended up throwing it away because I hated the taste (I had told myself I would drink it no matter the taste, but I just couldn't!)

I do definitey need to fit more veg in. I'm fine for fruit, but I typically have 1 (at least) to 3 portions of veg a day, and unless I have eaten soup for lunch then it's most usually just 1 portion of veg per day, which I suspect isn't enough (it's just they say 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, so I think if I eat 5 portions of fruit it won't matter if I don't get much veg??).

You can see I would benefit from a book on nutrition, lol.

The best way I've found out to do green smoothies is start with a fruit base (berry and banana is a pretty good one) and then add a small amount (work up to more) of green leaves. Spinach has a very neutral taste and is probably the best for this (although other good ones are loose leaf lettuce, chard, celery, romaine and some people do well with kale). If you can get over the color (if you use a dark berry you won't even notice it though) it tastes just like plain fruit, the fruit overwhelms the greens, besides maybe a hint of earthiness--it's not hard to drink at all.
5 portions of fruit and 1 of veg, probably isn't enough to be honest. If that's all you get, you may benefit from a Vitamin C supplement like ALG was suggesting
Another way to get more veg in is to substitute it for snacks. Say you like chips and salsa, well you can do cucumbers and zuchinni (cut diagonally into chips) with homemade salsa--that 3 servings right there! Things like that Califlower with your fav seasonings and a little of some type of fat (many people use olive oil here, although I would gravitate more toward whole foods like blended avocado, even more healthful is a pint of cherry tomatoes, those are my favorites when I want something salty and bite sized to much on) can be a substitute for popcorn. Any time your going to eat unconsciously (like during a movie) veg (or fruit, but it seems like you have less of a problem there) would be best, it won't even register in your brain as *that* much veg because your not paying attention to it.
Once again raw recipes would be a good idea to look into to get more of these in since they're limited to fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds and use them very creatively

[Leesah]

Ah, I'm learning so much from you I really do appreciate it.

I'm feeling inspired to add more veg to my diet, I really like the idea of the green smoothies, and trying to snack on veg more (will look into your ideas, I've never even tried those foods before), instead of the unhealthier snacks I usually choose.

OK, I've never read a veg smoothie book, or whatever, but for some reason it never occured to me you could put green leaves in a smoothie!!!! That's a great idea for me, I keep reading that salad leaves are so good, but I find it so hard to eat salad so I more times than not never eat salad... so a smoothie with it in would be a great thing to consider. I'll definitely try the spinach one, I think it's high in iron and I do tend to get dizzy a lot (though don't have a deficiency) so that's a good choice for me.

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Leesah

Ah, I'm learning so much from you I really do appreciate it.

I'm feeling inspired to add more veg to my diet, I really like the idea of the green smoothies, and trying to snack on veg more (will look into your ideas, I've never even tried those foods before), instead of the unhealthier snacks I usually choose.

OK, I've never read a veg smoothie book, or whatever, but for some reason it never occured to me you could put green leaves in a smoothie!!!! That's a great idea for me, I keep reading that salad leaves are so good, but I find it so hard to eat salad so I more times than not never eat salad... so a smoothie with it in would be a great thing to consider. I'll definitely try the spinach one, I think it's high in iron and I do tend to get dizzy a lot (though don't have a deficiency) so that's a good choice for me.

Great! I'm glad you found this helpful! If you have any other questions, I'm here!