Help! Vitamins are everywhere – which ones do I choose?
Everyone wants to easily and conveniently optimize their health. This often leads to buying (and hopefully taking) vitamins and supplements. But which ones to focus on?!! There are so many to choose from!
I recommend these 4 supplements for everyone:
Multivitamins for the most part, it is better to obtain needed vitamins from a healthy diet rather than pills and capsules. However, for those inevitable days when we don’t eat as well as we would like (for example, when travelling), most people can benefit from taking a multivitamin on an as-needed basis. Ask your functional medicine provider for a recommendation or check consumerlabs.com for an independent analysis. You could also try Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/Day, one of my favorites.
Vitamin D3 is a must. More like a hormone than an everyday vitamin, D3 is helpful in immunity, bone synthesis, maintaining mood and prevention of disease. Most people need to take 2,000 iu’s of Vitamin D3 a day. The best way to know your individual ideal daily dose is to take a base dose of 2,000 iu’s for at least 6 weeks and then get your levels drawn at your clinician’s office. Then you can adjust accordingly. Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with MS, low energy, and depression, among other issues.
Probiotics and Prebiotics for gastrointestinal & emotional health. Our gut ideally contains a hefty amount beneficial bacteria. The gut microbiome makes around 95% of our body’s serotonin which influences mood, learning, memory, and our ability to handle stress. It is super-important to support this bacteria with probiotics and prebiotics, especially if you’ve ever had to take antibiotics. It can take years to rebuild your microbiome after the antibiotics have done their work.
Fish oil or Algae oil-based Omega 3’s contain DHA and EPA which is made only in small amounts in our bodies. Therefore, to reap the benefits of these powerful fatty acids we either need to eat the right fish regularly (2-3 times a week) or take them as capsules. While traditional western doctors often overlook this crucial aspect of health, functional medicine providers tend to test for Omega 3, DHA and EPA and we now know that levels are at an all-time low. This is due to poor diet as much as poor commercial farming techniques that have increased the presence of Omega-6 in our meats and farmed fish (instead of the usual Omega 3s). So we need to increase our Omega 3’s, but what is the best way to get there? It is usually easier and cheaper to buy fish oil-based EPA/DHA (e.g., Nordic Naturals ProOmega 2000-D) but if you prefer a vegan alternative, you can get these omega-3 fatty acids from the same place that fish get theirs — algae. Because algae is lower on the food chain than fish, omega-3's from algal oils are naturally less contaminated than oils from fish (although the fish oil in supplements is purified, removing most of these contaminants). Another advantage of algal oil over fish oil is that the EPA and DHA are in the triglyceride form — which may be somewhat better absorbed than the ethyl ester form found in many fish oil supplements. In fact, an increasing percentage of fish oils are now sold in the triglyceride form, possibly for this reason. I would not recommend that those seeking a vegan alternative to fish oil-based supplements rely solely on plant-based Omega 3’s (other than the algae-based versions discussed above). Most plant-based Omega 3’s consist of ALA, which is difficult for the body to convert into the beneficial EPA and DHA forms. Whatever you choose, take the supplement with a meal containing fat for best absorption. Stick with 500 mg to 1 gram daily of EPA/DHA.
You can find all of the supplements above (and more recommendations) at https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/skerwinholisticnp/.
