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Supplements: Too Much of A Good Thing?!

Supplements—everyone’s on them or telling you to take them, but should you really? After all, you may think that you eat a healthy and well-balanced diet and get loads of sun and exercise. 

The truth is not so easy. 

While diet is important, there are some nutrients that we just don’t get enough of from our food anymore so we may need to supplement, but what you supplement with is critical.  

Suzan Terzian, Nutrition Consultant, Holistic Health Coach and Functional Medicine practitioner, points out:

• Eating a nutrient-dense, well-balanced diet should always be your top priority, but we are globally facing an over-farming epidemic.  
• Our soil is depleted of nutrients therefore our food is not as nutrient-rich as it was say 100 years ago. We are simply no longer eating wild foods. 
• Supplements can come in and bridge the gap. 
• You should work with a nutritionist or functional medicine practitioner, and try to get a sense of what’s missing from your diet.  
• Being stressed depletes our nutrient stores drastically, so supplements can definitely support the body.  
• It’s always food first, managing stress, being in nature, getting some sun, and hydrating well.  

Here are some of the things Suzie suggests that we do before jumping into supplements. 

• Get comprehensive lab work by a professional to learn what you need before you take anything. 
• Get better at tuning into these signals and messages from our bodies. Our bodies communicate their needs via symptoms.
• Work in synergy with your body and understand what it is trying to communicate to you.  We often spend years and years in a nutrient-deficient state, and not know it.  
• Set a goal to get ahead of any illness or dis-ease. 

Once you figure out which supplements you need, then it’s time to figure out which ones to buy.  There are thousands of brands out there!

Should we buy the popular brands available in supermarkets and pharmacies?

The answer is, no!  Quality matters A LOT! Don’t just buy what’s popular and cheap.

Did you know there are many different forms of the same vitamin, and taking the correct one will ensure you get the benefits you’re aiming for.

For example, vitamin B9, most people know is as folic acid, but that’s the synthetic (cheaper) form of B9.  What you should be looking for is the natural form Folate.

A few more to look out for:

Vitamin B9: We want the Folate form, not Folic acid

Vitamin D: We want D3 form, not D2

Magnesium: Has different forms for different bodily functions.  Not all equal. 

B12: Methylcobalamin rather than Cyanocobalamin (see above)

Zinc: Citrate & Picolinate rather than Zinc Oxide or Carbonate

Bottom line: Nothing replaces food—a rainbow and variety of nutrient-dense foods is key to good health & longevity. 

Supplements are just what they’re called: “supplements”. 

They supplement a well-balanced diet in order to fill in the gaps here and there. They are not meant to replace food and must be researched and used carefully to protect and support your health.

If you’d like to take more charge of your dietary intake, get in touch with Suzie www.instagram.com/yourhealthguidesuzan – she’ll arm you with information and kickstart your health journey.