Do you need to take Supplements to be Healthy?

As a Health Educator, I receive countless offers from companies wanting me to offer their products to my clientele. Everything from whey protein to vitamins & Acai berry drinks. I do take supplements myself, but believe that with the right diet, my clients really don’t NEED to take supplements.

So here’s a list of the supplements that I currently take & why:

  • Multi-Vitamin – I do recommend that everyone take a good multi-vitamin. I don’t recommend a particular brand. Just make sure that it has the Consumer Lab’s seal of quality on it.
  • Calcium Women between the ages of 24 & 50 have an RDA of 800/1000mg of Calcium for bone health. Calcium is best absorbed in quantities less than 500mg, so I take one tablet 2x daily. Although I do eat a lot of leafy green vegetables, I don’t always consume dairy. This ensures that I have strong bones now & will (hopefully) prevent osteoporosis.
  • Glucosamine & ChondroitinScience has not proved that Glucosamine or Chondroitin (sounds like Kondroitin) works for joint pain. I think it works for me. I used to get sore hips when I ran or walked long distances. Since I started taking it, I haven’t had any soreness (not related to muscle soreness).
  • Vitamin E Recommended by my physician for breast fibroids.
  • Fish OilAlthough I LOVE fish, the truth is that I don’t eat enough. In order to ensure I get adequate amounts of Omega-3 EFAs, I take Fish Oil (at night).
  • Biotin I take Biotin because it strengthens my nails.
  • Folic Acid Women between the ages of 24 & 50 have an RDA of 400mcg of Folic Acid to prevent anemia & birth defects in pregnant women. The difference between Folic Acid & Folate is that Folate is found in fruits & vegetables, where Folic Acid is the supplement form of the same micro-nutrient.
  • Vitamin D Helps with Calcium absorption, and I just feel "peppier" when I take it.

The purpose of a supplement is to aid, not correct. Therefore, a vitamin doesn’t replace the need for getting your proper vitamins & minerals through your food, but ensures that you’ve gotten your Recommended Daily Allowance on the micro-nutrients that you may not get regularly through food. Meaning that you can’t eat a diet full of junk food, pop a multi-vitamin & walk around feeling smug.

There was a time that I drank whey protein shakes, ate meal replacement bars, and took more supplements than I’m willing to admit. The truth is that if you’re eating properly, you probably don’t need much. Just a good multi-vitamin. The main reason I don’t advocate large supplementation, is that it just isn’t sustainable. When you look into the future, and you’re 60+ years old, do you see yourself mixing up a protein smoothie? Maybe – if you do, by all means, go for it. If you don’t, then use that image of what you see in the future as a guide for what you should be doing now.

As a service related business, I always want to offer my clients the best service possible. Often, if there are related products that can help, like the Bodybugg, I want to offer them. However, I will never partner with another company that I don’t believe in, or use myself. Be weary of health advocates who sell supplementation too hard to their clientele.