What are the best overall supplements to take?

[Roy]

I'm going to spend a bit more time optimizing and investing in my health with supplements, just looking for some advice from people with lots of experience in the area.

What are the overall best/cost effective supplements to take that actually noticeably help your health significantly? Not looking to spend $100's on every little mineral or placebo, just want the ones that pack an actual punch with (hopefully) no side effects.

Some information on me (if you need more ask);

- 27 year old male

- Live in northern Ontario (cold climate 6 months of year, hot/very humid other 6 months)

- Quite healthy, only health issues are mid-day fatigue/brain fog some days, and bad psoriasis.

- Good diet. Limit sugar intake to just coffee (2 cups a day), eat mostly fruit/veg/organic food, was vegetarian for 4 years now added just fish (1-2 times per week)

- Currently take Maca, D3, and Calcium every other day (forgetful lol)

 

[tenta]

What's the cause for needing supplements?

[Roy]

8 hours ago, tenta said:

What's the cause for needing supplements?

Don't necessarily need them.

[Villager Albert]

Hi Roy,

I'd reconsider calcium supplements. If you take them for a specific reason, just make sure it's calcium citrate and not carbonate.

I think the most important ones to take are fish oil (but choose a good brand), creatine, d3, vitamin k2, and iodine.

Magnesium is also a must for most people but I don't think you need it if you eat  a lot of leafy greens and legumes.

If you're almost vegetarian, It's also a good idea to get tested for zinc, b12 and iron.

B12 is probably a must for you, I recommend methylcobalamin.

[StarStruck]

I take these:

fish oil

vitamine d

Wheatgrass

[28 cm unbuffed]

@StarStruck

Wheatgrass - do you drink it, like a green juice in a morning? 

I've read, that it works like coffee, without negative effects.

[StarStruck]

@28 cm unbuffed I use the powder form and I mix it with water.

[RawJudah]

Firstly, quit the coffee. Coffee drains vitamins and minerals from the body. Nothing good about coffee. Keep taking the vitamin D3, as most of us do not get enough sunlight.

I've been a supplement experimenter for a few years now and the best ones I can recommend are B-Multivitamin, Turmeric, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin C, and Flaxseed Oil. 

I went to the local health shop and asked 'what do I really need?' and they said the above listed. A lot of other supplements are good but not necessary, are a placebo, or a waste of money. 

With a good clean diet you could already be getting what you need...

[Roy]

thank you @Villager Albert

@RawJudah Any tips for quitting coffee? I'm addicted as fuck, been drinking it almost daily since April of 2011. I've gone without it for many days/weeks before but it's so ingrained within me.

Like I can physically go without it and not have withdrawal, but mentally I'm like "my day would be more awesome if i had a coffee right now" lol

[RawJudah]

@Roy quit cold turkey. That’s the only real way. You just have to grit your teeth and bare the withdrawal. It’s a horrible experience, one that I’ve gone through so many times, but the feeling of no caffeine in me is so much better. Peaceful and clear headed!

I've heard that chewing a coffee bean in the morning instead of an actual cup of coffee could help wean you off, but I think you’d still be addicted. 
 

Cold turkey is the only way!

[trubodywellness]

@trubodywellness  @RoyFish oil. "One of the key nutrients many of us don't get enough of is long-chain omega 3 fats (which are found naturally in oily fish, for example, salmon)

Multivitamin. In theory, we should be able to get all of our nutrients from our diet. Large doses of minerals can compete with each other to be absorbed. Don't use calcium, zinc, or magnesium supplements at the same time.

Turmeric/Curcumin.

Vitamin D3.

Magnesium

[latina25]

Omega 3 

[Red-White-Light]

@Roy The no bullshit supplements are Creatine, Vit D, Vit K2, Magnesium, Zinc and Whey protein. You can get your iron levels checked by a doctor to see if you need to supplement iron.  

[Cepzeu]

@Roy + 1 to quitting coffee. 

I only drank 1 cup per day but noticed a heavy late morning brain fog most days. Tried eating breakfast and not eating breakfast and varying sleep hours, didn't help. 

After 1 week off caffeine (eliminated tea as well), brain fog no longer occurred and I felt like I had a steady energy until about 7 pm at night.

The best way to quit is to get a coffee substitute. Most grocery stores sell them. I can recommend cereal beverages such as Inka, or Caro, or alternatively Dandelion tea. 

Still get the taste but not the caffeine

[Espaim]

+1 to quitting coffee

Maybe it'll even discard the need to supplement the nutrients you lose from drinking coffee

[Hello from Russia]

You don't need to take expensive supplements or eat toxic fish to get omega 3.

Look up Flaxseed seeds and their omega 3 content. Either add them to your stuff or add flaxseed oil - easy omega 3. And it's quite cheap compared to fish oil supplements.

[Hello from Russia]

+1 to quitting coffee

Also, whey protein will make your psoriasis worse. Milk proteins make skin diseases worse in general

[Alextvvv]

@Cepzeu  For how long did you drink 1cup/day ? Did you drink it in the (early) morning ?

[Bogdan]

I would stop taking calcium, it has blood clotting effect when taken as a supplement. I would also quit coffee altogether, cold turkey. 

I recommend everyone to take B12 as methylcobalamin. Use the cronometer website/app to track your vitamin and mineral intake. Don't rely on supplements. If you are low on any micronutrients, work  on adding foods that contain them.

Even for Omega3, i highly advise against fish oils, for many reasons. Try to eat ground flax seeds, soaked or ground chia seeds and/or hemp seeds for your Omega3's. If you insist on a supplement, choose one that comes directly from algae.

The only other supplements i deem worthy at this point in my research are mushrooms, such as Paul Stamets offers (not affiliated in any way). Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, Reishi, Turkey Tail etc. They are amazing for the brain, like truly, truly amazing.

[Exystem]

These are some supplements that are natural and good for your general health, will replace lots of the single-vitamins/minerals and have a high bioavailability. Also good against parasites which strain your digestive system a lot and much more difficult to overdose than e.g. vitamin d etc.

Be careful to buy only bio-products, you don't want pesticides in your body.

Spirulina + Chlorella tablets
Goji berries
Turmeric + Piperine capsules
Hemp seeds (best unpeeled and unroasted)
 

Omega-3 is good, as well as vitamin d, but the latter you should combine with vitamin k2 and best in combination with mct-oil (it's available as one mixture) due to bioavailability and a multi-effective use within the body.
Also be careful with the calcium, don't take it too often. Very important for a vegetarian lifestyle is iron and vitamin b12. Iron has its highest bioavailability together with vitamin c, so you could take iron tablets and combine it with some Acerola powder (as a fresh and healthy drink mixed with water).

Edited July 20, 2020 by Exystem