Do you supplement, you should! And the quality MATTERS!
Our soils are not what they used to be. Pesticides, over farming, and monoculture farming have all but stripped out soils of many of the necessary nutrients, leaving the foods we eat depleted. Further, the fruits and veggies we eat have often been tinkered with, in order to mass produce them, therefore their nutritional value has taken a hit. Ben Greenfield (What Is The Best Multivitamin? (bengreenfieldfitness.com)) talks about much of this and more on his blog. Sadly, we are fooling ourselves if we think we can meet all our nutritional needs just by eating organically. I wish that were the case, but even organic produce is lacking nutritional value and we tend to eat many of the same foods, lack diversity, and eat prepared foods, leading to the need for supplementation. The FDA acknowledges that not all supplements are created equal (What You Need to Know about Dietary Supplements | FDA) further, the supplement industry is not monitored by the FDA. This means that it is IMPERATIVE to take the highest quality supplement on the market. If there is not oversight, it is up to us to find the best supplement company and quality. One that is bioavailable, lacks fillers and other harsh chemicals, is made with the highest quality ingredients… drum roll… in walks Thorne Research. Optimus Medica gives Thorne Research a 5-star rating! That is the highest you can get (Best Quality Vitamin & Supplement Brands | Optimus Medica), and Ben Greenfield insists that it is the only brand of supplement you need to use (What Is The Best Multivitamin? (bengreenfieldfitness.com)). Coming from one of the most influential health brains out there, that is a MASSIVE statement for the company from a little town in Idaho!
Now that I have made my case for supplementation in general and a super high-quality supplement at that, let us talk about four of the most common supplements people take/should take. And if you are curious what supplements would benefit you, beyond this very short list, check out this handy quiz!
This baby is a complete multi-vitamin and mineral supplement in just two capsules a day. It contains nutrients that support your immune system, bones, heart, brain, nerves, and skin to name a few. Because so few people eat five servings of fruits and veggies in a day, and our diets lack diversity, a multivitamin is a great starting point. It is bioavailable (absorbable) and doesn’t have any additives or preservatives. It does contain Vitamins A, C, E, D, B, K1, K2, zinc bisglycinate, and chromium amongst others. What are you waiting for? This is the silver bullet we have all been looking for!
Omega-3 fatty acids are critical to our health. They are polyunsaturated and our body cannot make them, meaning you must get them from your food. And most of us do not eat enough fish to satisfy the body’s need. We need Omega 3’s for heart, respiratory, and brain health, detoxing the liver, supporting infant brain development, and decreasing inflammation! Unfortunately, we get far more Omega-6 fatty acids in our diets because the majority of oils we consume (processed foods) contain Omega-6’s. The ratio between Omega-3 and Omega-6 should be around 2-1, but most American’s are eating 16-1. One of the beautiful things about Thorne’s Omega Plus is that it has a blend of Omega-3 and Omega-6, but the Omega-6 they use is Gamma linolenic Acid (GLA) which acts like Omega-3, giving your supplement more bang for its buck!
Vitamin D is a must-have! It helps strengthen teeth and bones, supports muscle strength, enhances the absorption of calcium, encourages brain, cardiovascular, and immune function, and helps elevate our mood. Direct sunlight is a fabulous source of vitamin D, but most people do not get enough direct sunlight or eat enough of the right foods, therefore we must get it from supplementation. Thorne utilizes an extremely high quality of D3 and does not contain harsh additives or fillers.
Calcium and magnesium work together in the muscle cells. Magnesium helps muscle fiber to relax and calcium helps them to contract. This doesn’t just help our skeletal muscles; it is also critical for our heart muscle. Thorne created the perfectly blended supplement which is highly absorbable and an advantageous ratio of 1:1! We need calcium for strong bones, and we need magnesium for just about everything… it is involved in more the 600 of the body’s enzymatic reactions. This supplement can improve your athletic performance, heart, sleep, and bone density, and so much more!
Take advantage of JADA Studios’ Thorne Research March Madness Sale! Save 20% off all your supplement needs through March.