Breaking Down the Best Supplements
From fish oils to a normal multi-vitamin to random encapsulated herbals… what are the best supplements? I mean, if you could only take 1-2 supplements per day, what would they be? Do you have a clue? Hell, we didn’t either so we brought the experts in to give us their unbiased opinion on the best supplements available! Plus, learn how to get 50% OFF our favorite supplements with an exclusive code below… Here we go!
Are you taking the best supplements?
Man, there’s a ton of supplements out there on the market.
From herbs I’m not even going to try to spell (much less pronounce) to your good old-fashioned multi-vitamin, we need some help with this proverbial nutrient mess!
Dr. Chris Calapai D.O, called “The Stem Cell Guru” by the New York Daily News, explained, “There is so much contradiction out there about supplement taking. There are vitamins A-Zinc, fish oils, probiotics, herbal supplements, holistic essential oils, protein powder. It can get confusing.” That’s the truth!
Many argue that you can get all of your vitamins and nutrients from your daily diet. While this may be true with a balanced, holistic diet, who actually eats like that every day?
While we all strive to eat healthier, the reality is that our busy lives cause us to commonly do anything but and that’s where the best supplements can come in… to supplement your diet! Get it? And vitamin supplements work great for our health. The best way is to order vitamin test before and after taking supplements. We assure you that you will find a huge difference.
Jennie Ann Freiman MD explained, “There is no question that the ideal, and everyone’s goal, should be to derive nutrition from a well-rounded, whole food diet. Realistically speaking, that doesn’t happen for most people so the idea of supplementation makes sense.”
So enough of the breakdown. Here are 6 of the best supplements out there that could be right for you. Dr. Calapai recommends that many of these should be taken daily from the time we are 19!
Best Supplements
1. Basic multi-vitamin/mineral supplement
All vitamin supplements are NOT the same — it is important that you buy quality products from established companies that consistently test well in the lab for purity and labeling accuracy.
It is also important that you get a vitamin/mineral supplement that contains high-quality forms of minerals.
In general, oxides and sulfates are not very good forms of minerals, so the stuff you buy off the shelf at drugstores is usually made from low-quality ingredients (Dan DeFigio, Certified Sports Nutrition Counselor, and the bestselling author).
2. Fish oil
The typical American diet is very deficient in Omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids have been most widely studied regarding their effects on cardiovascular health.
Increased consumption of fish oil capsules may help slow the progression of atherosclerosis, thereby preventing heart attacks and cardiac arrhythmias.
The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA have a number of heart-healthy effects, including reducing triglyceride levels, raising levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, reducing levels of homocysteine, and reducing blood pressure.Omega-3s are also powerful anti-inflammatory agents.
Since DHA is important for the normal development and function of the brain, current evidence suggests that omega-3 fats can improve symptoms of depression, and delay the progression of nervous system disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (Dan DeFigio).
3. Probiotics
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that are an integral part of both the digestion and immune systems. They also keep other insidious things from colonizing in the gut. Often the beneficial bacteria can be overpowered by harmful types of bacteria or killed off from antibiotics, poor diet, or stress.
This is a major problem because a lack of beneficial bacteria in the gut can cause a host of problems with both digestion and immunity. Good candidates for probiotic use:
- People with inflammatory GI problems, like IBS, colitis, Crohn’s disease.
- People struggling with indigestion or acid reflux, especially if you use acid-reducing medication.
- Anyone with ulcers from Helicobacter Pylori bacteria
- Pregnant women
- People who often find themselves bloated or gassy.
- Anyone who is using, or has recently used antibiotics.
- People with a gluten allergy (celiac sprue) (Dan DeFigio).
4. Calcium
Almost every cell in the body uses calcium, it is extremely important for overall health, not just strong bones and teeth! It is imperative for muscle function, the nervous system, and the heart.
If your body does not get enough calcium the cells will take the calcium stored in your bones, depleting this stored calcium causes a loss in bone mass, arthritis, osteoporosis, and ultimately weakened muscles and reduced mobility (Dr. Chris Calapai).
Vitamin D has a role in almost everything, discovered to be a hormone rather than a vitamin, D helps the body absorb other essential nutrients, has a role in immune health, cardiovascular function, brain cell function, and tissue health.
Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with type II diabetes, cancer, dementia, heart disease, neurological disorders, and immune system failure.
Because of less active outdoor lifestyles (less sunlight) almost 1 billion people worldwide don’t have adequate Vitamin D levels, it’s important to supplement this with tablets (Dr. Chris Calapai).
6. Tumeric
According to Freiman, every single person in the US (and everywhere) should be taking turmeric if they don’t already eat it regularly.
Turmeric has evidence-based efficacy through thousands of years of use in both Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. It also has thousands of scientific studies (both animal and human) demonstrating its anti-inflammatory potency (inflammation is the 21st-century scourge) and its ability to fight cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.
Wrap-Up
Whether you take 1 or all 6 of these supplements, doesn’t give you the freedom to eat junk all the time. Freiman explained, “In reality, the problem is that people have come to view supplements as substitutes… Which covers the basics and frees them to eat junk. Not!”
When it comes down to it, make sure you are still consuming a wholesome, balanced diet and substitute it with some of the best supplements out there as an insurance policy for your health!
No matter which direction you go (powder, pill, gummies, liquid), just remember to eat well, be active, and become healthy!
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