supplements page

[girlhk]

If you do everything "right"-- no grains or bad oils, no processed food, consume a healthy ratio of carbs/protein/fats to suit your lifestyle, get moderate exercise, decent sleep, lots of sunlight, minimal stress, at an appropriate weight for your size, no health problems (as in, no formal diagnosis of anything), and generally feel well, happy, good energy... do you need to supplement with anything? What supplements do you take, and how did you decide to do so?

(Not that I think my diet and lifestyle is perfect, but just wondering how I can spot deficiencies and supplement as needed..)

[Damiana]

I started off taking a number of supplements, including probiotics, chromium, potassium, vitamin C, B12, etc. but have since cut it down to only 400mg of magnesium citrate daily. I've found it helps with BM and muscle soreness and that's all I really need. I eat well, nothing processed, plenty of vegetables, meat, and probiotics, and I feel fine.

[YogaBare]

Oops, double post

[YogaBare]

There was a good thread on this recently:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread79286.html

I've just recently started taking supplements tablets. I was a bit afraid of putting unnecessary strain on my liver, but I don't think I'm getting what I need from my diet. So I take:

- Vit D (when tracking my nutrients I realised that I never get more than 25% of the RDA)
- Magnesium (kept getting cravings for cashew nuts. This stopped it).
- Alfalfa (meant to help your body make collagen)
- Vit B complex (on days when I don't eat eggs. Meant to be good for skin).

And for a while I've been taking:
- Powered grass-fed beef gelatine (on heavy exercise days)
- Two tea spoons of coconut oil (if my skin felt dry)
- A spoon of sugar in tea (if my thyroid felt sluggish... as per Ray Peat).
- Iron (I have a tendency towards anemia, but I only take this at my TOM).

[Fantazmic]

I have always taken supplements. I have salycilate intolerance and so for me I cannot process salycilates like everyone else and when I do they strip all the magnesium and vitamin B out of my body. That along with food not being a nutrient rich as it used to be I take them to be on the safe side. I am about to start Marks advanced health forumal and see how I go.

I think for me I can tell how I am going from my overall wellness. How I feel in myself and I always try to be aware of tell tale signs that I might not be right things like muscle cramps, or mood changes or skin hair or nails not right. There is a lot that you can pick up just by being observant.

[MissJecka]

Grok Didn’t Take Supplements So Why Should I? | Mark's Daily Apple

[girlhk]

YogaBare,

How do you know if your thyroid feels sluggish, or whether you are putting strain on your liver?

There was a good thread on this recently:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread79286.html

I've just recently started taking supplements tablets. I was a bit afraid of putting unnecessary strain on my liver, but I don't think I'm getting what I need from my diet. So I take:

- Vit D (when tracking my nutrients I realised that I never get more than 25% of the RDA)
- Magnesium (kept getting cravings for cashew nuts. This stopped it).
- Alfalfa (meant to help your body make collagen)
- Vit B complex (on days when I don't eat eggs. Meant to be good for skin).

And for a while I've been taking:
- Powered grass-fed beef gelatine (on heavy exercise days)
- Two tea spoons of coconut oil (if my skin felt dry)
- A spoon of sugar in tea (if my thyroid felt sluggish... as per Ray Peat).
- Iron (I have a tendency towards anemia, but I only take this at my TOM).

[Cryptocode]

If you do everything "right"-- no grains or bad oils, no processed food, consume a healthy ratio of carbs/protein/fats to suit your lifestyle, get moderate exercise, decent sleep, lots of sunlight, minimal stress, at an appropriate weight for your size, no health problems (as in, no formal diagnosis of anything), and generally feel well, happy, good energy... do you need to supplement with anything? What supplements do you take, and how did you decide to do so?

(Not that I think my diet and lifestyle is perfect, but just wondering how I can spot deficiencies and supplement as needed..)

I take a lot of supplements. When I started PB I really thought I was dying. Also at that time forum members were talking about lots of different supplements they were taking; I thought I needed all of them. I also experiemented with them and read about them to see how they effected my body.

Now I'm slowly reducing the variety and amount I take (after 4.5 months). I plan to then stay on Mark's Damage Control, Primal Flora, Omega-3's, extra Vit. D3 and Iron (I'm anemic) and the amount of Potassium needed (by trail and error) to stay constipation free.

The Damage Control is a professional grade for professional athletes. I'm not one. In time, maybe a year or so, I may drop to only the Omega-3 and iron and maybe Potassium.

I like Paleobird's idea of liver pate (multi-vitamin) and bone-broth (multi-mineral) (all Grass-fed) but she's been doing PB for years.

If you feel great you probably don't need any supplements except Vit. D3, K2 and Magnesium Citrate.

[YogaBare]

YogaBare,

How do you know if your thyroid feels sluggish, or whether you are putting strain on your liver?

Hey girlhk,

I've read a few times that supplements are taxing on the liver, so I've avoided taking them, but actually I feel better when I do.

Re. thyroid - basically if I'm getting chills, or feel tired in spite of eating well, or don't feel like I'm metabolising my food properly.

[Balance]

If you do everything "right"-- no grains or bad oils, no processed food, consume a healthy ratio of carbs/protein/fats to suit your lifestyle, get moderate exercise, decent sleep, lots of sunlight, minimal stress, at an appropriate weight for your size, no health problems (as in, no formal diagnosis of anything), and generally feel well, happy, good energy... do you need to supplement with anything? What supplements do you take, and how did you decide to do so?

(Not that I think my diet and lifestyle is perfect, but just wondering how I can spot deficiencies and supplement as needed..)

I have wondered the same thing lately regarding supplements. If I were you I would monitor my intake of food for the week just to give youself an idea of where you stand. I would use a program like NutriCalc or FitDay to track all your macro/micronutrients and to see where you may be deficient. I personally use Nutricalc and it works great, it even gives me my n3:N6 ratio. Even though I am getting over 100% of all the RDA vitamins that does not mean I am digesting and absorbing everything perfectly. The RDA is the recommended daily allowance but it does not mean its optimal for everybody. Some people may need more of a certain vitamin or mineral for therapeutic purposes. Nobody has a perfect diet and we don't always rotate our food around enough to get the optimal amounts of every nutrient. Also, not all of us get adequate sun exposure year round. So vitamin D may be needed for some people. Our environment has a ton of pollutants and stressors which may require more supplementation. I personally take a vitamin d3 supplement in the winter months when I do not spend enough time outside in the sun. I will take a good probiotic maybe once a week just as a maintenance dose. With all the toxins and chemicals around us probiotics may be a good idea once in awhile even if your digestion is good. Finally I think a whole food grade multivitamin may be a good option once in awhile as well. I use the Mega Food men's multivitamin which is highly absorbable because the vitamins are all from whole food sources.