Is it weird that I love supplements so much??
I took me about 2 minutes to gather up a bunch of my fav supplements. Which didn't surprise me too much as I'm a connoisseur of supplements! If I learn about something new, I like to try it. There is rarely a supplement I recommend to clients that I do not have personal experience in taking.
What I find interesting about this collection of ten favorites, is that only 3 are in pill form. So many people complain about not liking to take a lot of pills. You don't have to take pills! Most everything comes in a topical form or a liquid form.
Also many people tell me that they want to eat to get their vitamins. That's all well and good, but as Mira and Jayson Calton point out, of the handful of most popular diets, including paleo, none delivered 100% of our daily micronutrient needs. However, with some of the above supplements, you can drink your nutrition in a tasty beverage.
The following products are in no particular order. They are all fabulous. They cannot all be found over-the-counter. Some are available only through providers.
If a product is meant to be sold only through providers, DO NOT attempt to buy it on the internet. You do not know what you are really getting in these cases. I will detail more about how to get each below.
1. Aloe Vera Juice, whole leaf by Lily of the Desert
The one picture above is not whole leaf, but I later learned whole leaf is best (although inner filet is closely comparable.) The whole leaf contains more variety of beneficial compounds.
Aloe is an amazing tummy soother, gut lining healer, stem-cell stimulating miracle food, and a great wing-man to get your other herbs and supplements. It's so powerful!
You can buy it at your local natural foods store. Keep it in the fridge and drink it within a few weeks for best taste. You can take an ounce or two twice daily. As mentioned above, pair it with your supplements for better absorption. Sometimes I like to put in shot in a glass of water. You could also add it to a smoothie or green drink. It has a bit of a sour taste.
2. Natural Calm by Natural Vitality
This is a new magnesium I tried, and I don't 100% love the taste and effervescence, but it is a popular one, and it's a good example of a great way to get magnesium. You mix it into water, and it is well absorbed. Magnesium is very good for women's hormones. It helps us make progesterone and avoid cramps and PMS.
You can buy this at your natural grocery store. Take up to 600 mg/ day in divided doses. Start will a smaller dose to watch for reactions. As with all supplements, ask your doctor if on prescriptions or if dealing with a special health concern.
3. Mega Spore Biotic
This probiotic is sweeping our Functional Diagnostic Nutrition community! It is spore-based (picture those tiny bits of mold you see on rotting produce) which is better for colonizing the colon.
I am unfortunately one of those people who doesn't necessarily feel a ton different on probiotics, but I do have a success story. I had an irregular bacteria profile on my stool test, and took Mega Spore. My bacteria was normalized on the re-test.
One thing I learned about probiotics this year is that taking it twice a day can have added benefit. And taking it at night can help you have a nice BM the next day, as all that bacteria helps make for bulky stool.
This product is not cheap and is sold only through providers. Once you have a provider, you can re-order online. See more here.
4. GI Revive by Designs for Health
This formula was suggested to me by my mentor in the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition program. I love it. It is so soothing for my gut. I would imagine it would be very nice for those people who feel it's hard to push out their bowel movement. And it's good for anyone healing leaky gut or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
This product is only sold through practitioners. I would suggest 1 scoop a day in water for maintenance, and twice daily for added therapeutic value.
5. O.N.E. Multivitamin by Pure Encapsulations
I discovered this multi this year and I've been recommending it ever since. It's a good price point on a well-formulated one-a-day. The B vitamins are methylated / activated, there's lots of zinc, and bit of iodine.
My one problem with this formula is that the high amount of zinc can make me nauseous, so I have to take it with a large meal. Unfortunately when I try to remember at dinner, I sometimes forget. It's sold through practitioners. Learn more here.
6. Gelatin powder by Great Lakes
I'm really crazy about this easy-to-use gelatin powder. You can use it to make jello treats with the kids, or make it into a cup of broth.
This grass-fed collagen and gelatin powder is good for building the gut, calming the nerves and nourishing skin an nails. I've have seen it only once locally at a co-op. Mainly it is found online.
7. Vitamin D3 + K2 by Thorne
Vitamin D is still a nutrient most people don't get enough of, even though we know more about it now. If you are dealing with low immunity, Seasonal Affective Disorder, inflammation or an autoimmune disease, pay special attention. I like to see vitamin D in the 60-80 range on a blood test.
This vitamin D is in the right form, and is paired with K2 for best absorption. It's in an easy dropper, so you don't need to take a pile of pills. I like 5,000 IU a day for maintenance, but you can safely go up to 20,000 IU day temporarily if you are trying to correct a big depletion.
This product is sold through practitioners.
8. Omega Co3 by Apex Energetics
Apex has very well-formulated products, and this Omega Co3 has become the staple fish oil in our house. It tastes delicious, and has lots of co-factors to help absorption. My son takes it very well.
Fish oil helps us burn fat, have a smart brain, and ward off colds. It is very important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, to build baby's brain. It is sold through practitioners.
9. Adapt Align by Biomatrix
This is a diverse adrenal support, with adaptogens, key vitamins and glandulars. When I was taking it more regularly, it really seemed to help. I was taking two in the morning, and then another two at lunch before my afternoon slump. This one is sold through practitioners as well.
10. Resvero Active and Tumero Active by Apex Energetics
I snuck in a two for one on this last one! These two are often paired together, as they are both natural anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories that seem to have a synergy when dosed together.
The first time I took Tumero Active, I couldn't believe that my body felt less achy within an hour. Taking it over the course of a month, some heightened brain fog I was experiencing went away.
The Tumero and Resvero together are often recommended for autoimmune conditions and runaway inflammatory conditions. I recently had a client take them together for her stubborn plantar fasciitis. She was very pleased with the outcome.
These products are sold through practitioners, especially functional medicine practitioners.
I had a lot of fun writing up this list! Hope it's helpful to you. Feel free to share your questions or comments below.