My Favorite Supplements

Did you know that because of the poor quality of our soil today, we are not efficiently absorbing and utilizing nutrients from whole foods?

I believe this stems from the fact that we have moved to a mass agriculture model, where pesticides and herbicides are common practice, and unnatural soil amendments are used to increase crop yields.

While we can get most of our nutrition from whole fruits and vegetables, many of us are still not reaching our daily recommendations for vitamin and mineral intake. In addition, people suffering from autoimmune diseases or those with poor digestion are even more at risk for nutrient deficiencies.

Let me be clear: I do not believe supplements should replace whole foods and a healthy diet, but I do believe in the idea of supplementing a healthy diet for optimal nutrition.

Before I get into my favorite supplements that I take and how I take them, I want to warn you that taking too many supplements at one time can slow down your digestion, bind you up, and potentially prevent absorption of other nutrients.

It is always smart to introduce one to two supplements at a time and give them a month to see how they affect you. It is also important to cycle off supplements for a few weeks at a time. As always, I urge you to do your own research and consult your doctor before starting any supplement regime. Supplements that are more likely to cause toxicity and you should definitely consult your doctor before taking include vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, and iron.

Let’s get into it!

Magnesium: The main reason I take this supplement is because I was on Prilosec (a proton pump inhibitor) for 10 years due to being diagnosed with GERD. I have now learned to control my GERD naturally and no longer use this medication, and it was the best thing I have ever done. This medication royally messed up my absorption of key nutrients, including magnesium. Magnesium is necessary for regulating muscle function throughout the body. It helps your heart maintain a healthy rhythm, which in turn affects your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

In general, taking magnesium is great for stress, anxiety, sleep, and muscle soreness. Signs of deficiency include: fatigue, insomnia (helped my insomnia SO much!), muscle tremors, stress, PMS, muscle cramps, and poor memory.

I take magnesium on an empty stomach in the morning before I workout to prevent muscle cramping as well as at night before bed. If you’re going to take magnesium, know that there are different forms that

I take magnesium bisglycinate because that form is best absorbed by the body and helps with muscle soreness, stress, and sleep.

Another common way to use magnesium is to use it as a laxative to help with constipation. Let me tell you- it will clear you out! The form of magnesium that is best used for this is magnesium citrate. Just make sure if you take it, you don’t have any plans that day. You and the bathroom have a date.

Cod Liver Oil: I LOVE cod liver oil, especially in the winter months because it is high in Vitamin D and Omega-3’s. We normally synthesis vitamin D by exposing our body to sunlight, which is not easy to do in the wintertime. As someone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder, this supplement really helps with my mood during the winter months. Vitamin D is fat soluble, meaning it is stored in the fat in our body, so we can go a few months before our stores are depleted.

In the middle of winter, when we have been out of the sun for a few months, we will start experiencing symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is not only vital for improving mood, but it also helps strengthen your immune system. I love getting my vitamin D from Cod Liver Oil because it is in its most bioavailable form, vitamin D3.

In addition to vitamin D, the omega-3’s in cod liver oil are great for reducing overall inflammation throughout the body and joint pain. Studies show they may also help reduce blood pressure.

Collagen: I love collagen because it’s made a huge improvement in my skin, hair, nails, AND gut health. There are different forms of collagen, including:

Type I is the most abundant form found in humans. It helps form our skin, bones, tendons, corneas, blood vessel walls and other connective tissues.

Type II is derived from cartilage and supports healthy joints. Bone broths will have a good source of type II.

Type III is a major component of our skin and organs. This type of collagen is great for gut health as it contributes to the integrity of the gut lining. While type I is considered the most abundant, type III is the second most abundant type of collagen found in the human body.

Type V assists in connective tissue development and helps form the cells of a pregnant woman’s placenta.

My favorite collagen supplement is Vital Proteins collagen peptides. I love it for a multitude of reasons. For starters, it is abundant in type I and type III collagen, which like said before, has made a huge impact on my skin, hair, nails, and gut health. In addition, it is made from hydrolyzed collagen, which is something I always look for in a collagen supplement. Hydrolyzed collagen has already been broken down into more easily absorbed amino acids, so it has better bioavailability. This collagen also contains vitamin C, which is necessary for the synthesis of collagen in the body. And last but not least, this collagen contains hyaluronic acid which contributes to healthier skin, reduced joint pain, and it can help soothe GERD symptoms by soothing the lining of the esophagus.

This is seriously one of my favorite supplements, I have noticed a huge difference. If you’re going to get a collagen supplement, I suggest getting one that is derived from grass-fed sources or marine collagen.

B Vitamin Complex: I love taking a B vitamin complex because it gives me a good dose of all B vitamins in one fell swoop- there are 8 B vitamins total. I also like taking all of them at once because it reduces the occurrence of having too much of one B vitamin and not enough of another. B vitamins are great for energy, digestion, and PMS!

My acid reflux medication that I talked about earlier blocked my absorption of some B vitamins, so I began taking a complex. I highly recommend getting your B vitamin levels checked. I ended up having to take sublingual B12 (under the tongue) in addition to the complexbecause I was unable to absorb B12 in my stomach.

If you are looking for a good B complex supplement, look for the term methylcobalamin on the bottle. This is the most bioavailable form.

Gastrex by Standard Process: Like I said in the beginning of this blog post, I suffer from GERD, and I was on medication for 10 years that resulted in being unable to absorb vital nutrients. I was able to get off of my medication through a change in diet- I eat mainly whole, minimally processed, and refined sugar free foods. While my diet change has eliminated most of my GERD symptoms, I still get symptoms from time to time and Gastrex by Standard Process has been a game changer for me

It is made from all natural ingredients, and I take it once in a blue moon when I get acid reflux. It works AS WELL as the medication I used to be prescribed without the added side effects. This supplement both supports the body’s normal tissue repair process and GI cleansing through elimination.

As always, consult your doctor before beginning this supplement. I needed to mention it because it has made a huge difference in my GERD and I sympathise with anyone who has to be on medication to control it.

Conclusion

There you have it! My favorite supplements explained in one blog post. I hope you found this blog post helpful. Feel free to leave a comment or question in the comment section below, I would love to connect.

DISCLAIMER: I linked my favorite supplement brands in the above article. If you click on the supplement, you will be redirected to amazon where you can purchase the exact supplement I use. The linked supplements support my website. Thanks in advance for your support if you decide to purchase through the link.