Are Supplements and Vitamins Important?

Supplements and vitamins are very important when it comes to your weight loss results or overall body goals. They are not a scam, and no, you will not obtain all the extra nutrients and vitamins you need from the food you consume. For one, guaranteed your day to day food intake is not very diverse, it may be remotely the same day to day. On top of food choices, some days you may eat less, and some days you may need more. The average person is not a reliable source for providing a constant and diverse supply of vitamins and nutrients through food sources. Our environment, pollution, work stress, weather, lack of sleep, and overall life stress all create wear and tear on our bodies. We live through it daily, we just have a crazy physiological system set in place to combat and resist this, so we can live our day to day lives.  Daily, hourly, our bodies fight stress from big to small, and supplements and vitamins can help boost our bodies combat system by providing boosted vitamins and minerals.

 

Supplements such as co-enzyme Q-10, chromium (a mineral), and alpha lipoic acid can all help our bodies metabolism. CoQ10 helps our mitochondria process and convert glucose into energy, chromium, and ALA help the digestion, absorption, transport, and utilization of our food energy (glucose) as well as help stabilize blood sugar and digest carbs (which at the end of the day is glucose). In winter months when the sun is low hanging during the day, and then complete darkness at 5pm, extra boosts of vitamin D3 are important. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can trigger low moods, low energy, depression, fatigue, hits an all-time high around January-February when the sun, our best source of energy boosting vitamin D, is absent. This is why in the summer months when the sun is high in the sky and then out until 9pm, our energy levels are usually booming until 9pm and the overall mood is uplifted. Supplementing with Vitamin D3 is a phenomenal way to help rid the feeling of SAD, and keep your mood boosted through the darkest months. A strong DIM product can help stabilize hormonal imbalance, such as increase good estrogens and decrease bad estrogens which has been proven to increase the health of cervical and breast cells. Dim will bind to the Bad estrogens, which are linked to breast and cervical cancer. Not limited to women, a strong DIM product can help men with Gynecomastia, the condition where there is increased male breast tissue giving the mild to severe appearance of “man boobs”. This is due to hormonal imbalances, and is related to bad estrogens which DIM can help absorb. The tricep area in women in particular is also estrogenic, so a strong DIM product can help “deflate” a puffy and/or jiggly tricep area. Choline as well as Zinc also helps tremendously with estrogenic rich areas at absorbing bad estrogen which can lead to a puffy, inflated, and jiggly appearance of tissue. Crazy right? Omega-3 is amazing for the maintenance and formation of healthy and strong cells. I notice a big difference in my skin clarity, hair growth shine and thickness, and it also helps keep your joints healthy and lubricated. You will not feel the effects from your vitamin and supplement protocol immediately, it can take up to 3 months for them to kick in. Taking your vitamin and supplement protocol randomly and sporadically will not be overly useful for you.

 

Things to consider:

  • A multi-vitamin can be used, but in my opinion in conjunction with other vitamins and supplements as well. If price is an issue (they can get pricey), a high quality multi-vitamin from a reputable company can be sufficient for some vitamins…but not all. Sometimes the dose per vitamin and mineral in the multi is not enough to make much of an impact or difference. Of course, it’s a start and something that can be built upon as you discover more of what you need. Everyone’s supplement protocol can be customized.

 

  • Like I said, vitamins and supplements can get very expensive. Some companies are more so than others, but the expense may be for a good cause if you do your research. Where the company sources their vitamins and minerals may be something you should look into. A pure source with limited fillers will have a more potent effect, possibly reaping the benefits of your vitamin protocol more efficiently i.e. more bang for your buck. Per pill, the dose may have increased purity and therefore more effective. No bias, but Canada has been known to impose strict regulations on vitamins and supplements compared to other countries, so buying vitamins made in Canada may not be a bad idea in a relatively “unregulated” industry. Simply google the company who makes the vitamin and look up some reviews before buying. Always talk to your doctor, or board certified health care professional if you are on medication, if you would like to check the proper dose, and if you need more guidance.

 

  • Some companies have way too little grams or mgs of the vitamin per dose, they can really cheap out on you. Try to find a supplement or vitamin that has a higher dose per pill or tsp. depending on

 

My Favourite Vitamins:

  1. Omega-3 + D (Liquid) by NutraSea in Citrus, or Tangerine-Grapefruit. ($$$)
  2. Magnesium Bisglycinate by CanPrev ($$)
  3. Vitamin D3 by Natural Factors ($)
  4. Rhodiola ($$)
  5. Zinc by Natural Factors ($)
  6. Co-Enzyme Q10 by Natural Factors ($)
  7. Alpha Lipoic Acid by Natural Factors ($)
  8. Chromium by Natural Factors ($)
  9. Estro Adapt (DIM product) by AOR ($$$)