Nutritional Supplements

Am I getting enough micronutrients from my diet? All the talk recently is on macronutrients (fat or carbs or protein), but I cannot forget the importance of micronutrients. We are the most overfed and undernourished people in history because of our highly processed and nutrient-poor food. It is certainly possible to get enough of the necessary micronutrients from my diet, but sometimes supplements can be important to ensure my body is getting what it needs.

Supplements to consider include:

Daily Multivitamin

• Taking the right daily multivitamin may be essential to make sure I am getting enough of the micronutrients I need.

• Lisa and I take 1 or 2 capsules daily from Pure Encapsulations UltraNutrient.

• Luke takes 2 capsules daily from Pure Encapsulations Junior Nutrients.

Vitamin D - daily intake of 1000 to 4000 IU (RDA is only 600-800 IU)

• Sunlight is a great source of Vitamin D, but may be difficult to get enough depending on the climate we live in, the season, our job, etc.

• Food that is fortified with Vitamin D can also be a great source of Vitamin D, but low Vitamin D may be the most common deficiency in the United States today.

• Lisa and I take 2000 IU from Solimo Vitamin D3. We also get 300 IU in our multivitamin listed above.

• Luke was deficient in Vitamin D on his recent blood panel. He takes 1000 IU from Zahler Junior D3. This is in addition to the 600 IU he gets from his Fish Oil supplement listed below and the 400 IU he gets from his multivitamin listed above.

Calcium - daily intake of 1200 mg

• It is a common myth that we need to drink dairy milk because milk contains calcium and we need it for strong bones. Calcium is necessary for strong bones and teeth, but is not usually deficient in our diets. It is the Vitamin D and Vitamin K deficiencies that may be more likely to cause osteoporosis.

• 1 cup of 2% milk contains 295 mg of Calcium. Almond milk is fortified with 450mg per cup.

• Lisa and I get 100 mg in our daily multivitamin and Luke gets 42mg in his daily multivitamin.

Omega 3 fatty acids

• Unless I am eating fish on a very regular basis, I am probably deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids.

• The standard American diet produces a lot of Omega 6 fatty acids, but the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio is critical for optimal health. So I need to increase my Omega 3 intake and I probably need to decrease my Omega 6 intake.

• Omega 3 contains both EPA and DHA. Both have vital roles to play in anti-inflammatory health, cardiovascular health, neurological health, and both help our bodies deal with oxidative stress.

• Lisa and I take 2000mg daily from Viva Naturals. This has 1400 EPA and 480 DHA, which is the closest to the recommended ratio I have been able to find.

• Luke takes 1350mg from Barlean’s Mango Peach Smoothie. This has 660mg EPA and 420mg DHA. This also includes 600 IU of Vitamin D.

Probiotics

• Like everything else, I can probably maintain my gut health with the appropriate diet, but probiotics as a supplement may be beneficial or even necessary at times. For instance, Luke is taking probiotics right now to help heal his gut from the damage that occurred due to his Celiac Disease.

• Luke takes Pure Encapsulations Probiotic 50B with a dose of 50 billion CFU.

• Luke is also taking SBI protect and OptiCleanse GHI as dietary supplements to also help heal his gut from prior damage. He will take both of these for about a month.

Magnesium - daily intake of 400mg

• Magnesium supplements may improve a number of health markers, such as blood pressure and blood sugar control. It may also reduce my risk of health conditions such as heart disease, migraine, and depression.

• Luke is taking a dedicated Magnesium supplement called Natural Calm, which has a dose of 325mg. He also gets 42mg from his multivitamin.

• Lisa and I get 100mg from our multivitamin.

I also take daily Curcumin and Coenzyme Q10, which are both powerful antioxidants and enhance mitochondrial health. I take the liquid form of both from Costco and I get both in my multivitamin. The liquid form is supposed to be the best for bioapsorption. Curcumin also increases glutathione, which is the bodies most powerful antioxidant.

Other important supplements Lisa and I get from our multivitamin include Zinc, Vitamin B, and Vitamin E. There are a ton of other things in our multivitamin, but these are some of the most critical ones.

Other supplements to consider include PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone) and N-acetyl cysteine as antioxidants and to increase glutathione.

Using Medium Chain Triglycerides in our diet may also be a great way to help optimize our gut microbiome.