let’s talk supplements

Diving into probably the most asked question I get… supplements! I will always stand true to my belief that there is NO substitution for a plant based diet which includes a variety of vegetables, fruit, beans, mushrooms, nuts and seeds. Food is our most powerful medicine and the answer to chronic disease. This is the part I work on most with my clients, because it is the most basic foundation for health! Supplements can be necessary and helpful but that is certainly not the first thing I look at. There is no magic pill, magic drink, or even magic superfood that you can take once a day and cure all your ailments. If any supplement has weight loss claims or any other extreme health claims that is a huge red flag for me! Weight loss and health does not come in a supplement or superfood powder, it comes from a lifestyle of eating nutrient dense foods, reducing animal products, exercising, good sleep, good relationships, clean water and stress management! Someone recently asked me what supplement I would recommend for someone struggling with depression and anxiety. While yes, there are some supplements that might possibly help, the answer to that question is not a supplement, it’s not a quick fix. It’s lifestyle, it’s exercise, it’s eating foods that heal the gut and promote and feed good bacteria to live there that will produce the serotonin and other neurotransmitters that will make you feel happy and vital again.

All that being said, there are some vitamins and minerals that are often lacking in our fast paced lifestyle and not always having great food options. Some of the main ones would be B12 for someone who is not eating animal protein every day, iron for women of childbearing years (this means if you have your period or are pregnant or nursing) and vitamin D if you are not getting adequate sun exposure or are living in a zone where you literally can’t enough vitamin D (almost everyone). Every person is different and there could be underlying health issues causing deficiencies you might be unaware of so it is always a good idea to get tested every now and then, especially for vitamin D (called the 25 Hydroxy test) and iron for women (ferritin test). Low levels of vitamin D are linked to cancer and every organ in our body has vitamin D receptors so it is very important. Too much or not enough iron is harmful so it is good to know your levels so you can supplement accordingly. Today I am talking about what I have been taking and what works for me, brands that I trust and what to look out for when choosing a supplement. This is a long post, but it needed to be thorough, so if you really want to know the science behind why I give these recommendations, take the time to read the whole post. I plan on doing a separate post for children so look out for that too!

MULTI VITAMIN – A multi vitamin is a good “safety net” if you will for anything you may be missing from a good plant based, whole food diet. However, there is literally only ONE that I can with good conscience recommend and here is why.

The first is the folic acid debate. Folate (which your body turns into folic acid) is extremely important for several chemical reactions related to DNA synthesis and methylation, as well as DNA repair mechanisms. This means it is crucial for fetal development and specifically the closure of the neural tube in utero. Folate from whole plant foods is different than synthetic folic acid found in fortified processed foods and most multivitamins. Synthetic folic acid is actually linked to breast cancer, asthma and even possibly birth defects. I have even heard it might be related to the quickly rising amount of infants born with tongue tie, but there is not science on this yet. Folate is easy to get from food and really does not need to be in a supplement. Some excellent sources are legumes, dark leafy greens, cauliflower, beets, parsley and asparagus (to name just a few).

The second reason I do not recommend the average supplement on your health food store shelf is because of Vitamin A (also in the form of beta-carotene) and Vitamin E. Taking any of these three in supplemental form was linked to increased risk of mortality in a meta-analysis. Supplemental vitamin A is also linked to calcium loss in the urine, contributing to osteoporosis as well and alarmingly too much supplemental vitamin A during pregnancy is associated with cardiac birth defects.

The third reason is that there is evidence that excess supplemental selenium is linked diabetes, high triglycerides, prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, and impaired immune and thyroid function. If you are eating a plant based, whole foods diet, you won’t be lacking in selenium. Just one Brazil nut provides twice the DRV of selenium! Mushrooms, asparagus and mustard are excellent sources as well as tofu.

Iron and copper are others that are harmful in excess. Our bodies store excess iron and copper in case of extreme conditions like bleeding or famine. However, their accumulation over time may be detrimental because both metals are involved in generating oxidative stress, a byproduct of energy production, which contributes to cardiovascular disease and brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Most often, the only time iron supplementation is necessary is for women of child bearing years (if you have your period or are pregnant or nursing). I talk about why nonheme iron (from plants) is better than heme iron (from animal sources) here. Iron is tricky unless you have been tested so it’s a good idea to know your levels. Once you know your levels, there is a great guide here to know how much supplemental iron you should be taking.

The multi vitamin that I take is Dr. Fuhrman’s Gentle Prenatal and recommend that for women who are in child bearing years. If you are a woman post-menopause I would recommend this Women’s Daily Formula instead. It does not contain the extra iron and has more vitamin D and calcium for bone health as we age. For men, since I know there a couple who may read this, I would recommend this Men’s Daily Formula.

OMEGA-3s – We need a 3:1 balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids for optimal health, namely brain, heart, joints and nervous system. These fats are “essential” meaning our bodies cannot produce them on their own. Omega 6 fats are abundant in grains, oil and animal products and more often than not we have too much Omega 6 fats in our diets which is inflammatory. Omega 3 fats are harder to come by and good plant sources are hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seeds and walnuts. Fish are also a good source of Omega 3 fats however the heavy metal and PCB pollution in our oceans should limit the amount of fish we consume. Besides for eating plant sources of Omega 3 fatty acids, it’s a good idea to take an Omega 3 supplement for most people, either a clean fish oil or a vegan algae derived oil. Again, there are exceptions. Fish oil thins your blood, so if you have a blood disorder or are going in for surgery in the near future, talk to your doctor about what supplements you are taking! Not all fish oil supplements are created equal and most are not tested for purity or potency. The brand that I take and trust is Xymogen Arctic Oils OmegaPure and you can only get it from a doctor. It is International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) five-star certified which is the highest level of purity, stability and potency in fish oil, as well as third party verified. For me, taking this fish oil supplement has kept some eczema away on my face as well as keeping chilblains (painful inflammation of small blood vessels in your skin on your hands and feet) and cracking on my finger tips away in the winter.

GUT HEALTH – Gut health is a relatively new field of study and scientists have barely scratched the surface. I do not usually recommend taking a daily probiotic unless you have recently taken a round (or multiple rounds) or antibiotics. In which case I recommend Klaire Labs ABx Support, derived from inulin of chicory root. Inulin, a polymer of up to sixty molecules of fructose that are joined together like links on a chain, is a prebiotic, meaning it feeds and therefore multiplies the good bacteria in our gut. Most probiotics are derived from bacteria colonized in a cow’s gut. As you probably know a cow has a rumen stomach which hosts completely different bacteria than our very acidic stomachs! It makes no sense that bacteria that lives in a bovine stomach would survive the journey through our very acidic stomachs and thrive in the human gut. Truth is, prebiotics are everywhere, in pretty much every fruit and vegetable in the grocery store. Consuming foods like onions, garlic and tubers like sunchokes regularly will provide your gut with the fuel it needs to stay healthy. I’ve written a whole post on ways to improve your microbiome/gut health here.

Another supplement that I recommend, especially for clients with gut issues or food sensitivities is called Restore. Created by Zach Bush, MD, triple board certified physician and founder of M Clinic in Charlottesville, Virginia, this unique supplement heals the gut lining and protects it from environmental toxins that might make their way through our digestive tract as well as diversifying the flora in our guts. It is an almost tasteless liquid that is easy for anyone to take, including children (more on children in a separate post soon). You can read more about Restore here.

WHAT IF I CAN’T SWALLOW CAPSULES – If for whatever reason you’ve never been able to swallow capsules or you just have a terrible gag reflex as a side effect of pregnancy, this section is for you. During the first half of all 3 of my pregnancies I could not swallow my normal prenatal vitamin. I tried opening the capsule and putting it in a smoothie or mixed up in a PB&J but nothing worked and it always ended up coming right back up. If the reason you can’t swallow is unrelated to pregnancy, the smoothie method might work for you, so try it. If it is because of pregnancy induced gag reflex, here’s what I would suggest since Dr Fuhrman does not have a chewable prenatal vitamin. Take the Pixie Vites, chewable or the powder (meant for children) until you are able to swallow capsules again. I would also consider taking an additional chewable B12 supplement if you don’t eat meat and taking an additional chewable/liquid Vitamin D3 and Iron supplement based off your blood work. For Omega 3 fatty acids take the algae drops I mentioned above. The drops have a mild taste which I was able to tolerate during early pregnancy. About half way though my pregnancies I was able to swallow capsules again and taking them with something bubbly like kombucha always makes it easier for me.