We know supplements are often a controversial issue among fitness & wellness professionals. Just so you know, we are on the pro-supplements side.

It is very obvious to us that due to most people’s daily levels of stress, toxicity in the environment, and less than optimal diets, everyone can get major benefits from taking good quality vitamins and supplements.

However, with the abundance of many different supplements on the market, how are you to know which ones you should be taking and if they will be giving you the nutrients you need on a daily basis?

Below are 5 supplements we strongly believe will benefit everyone.

Multivitamins including CoQ10 and minerals

Even if you believe you are eating a super healthy diet, you are probably not getting the optimum levels of nutrients. Most people do not get the recommended 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. And even if you did, some of the produce you consume may be grown in depleted soil, lacking in the proper content of vitamins and minerals.

Making sure you are taking good quality multivitamins and minerals will help ensuring you are intaking the daily levels of vitamins and mineral your body needs to function effectively.

By-the-way,  most quality multivitamins do not come in a ‘once a day’ pill. To be most effective supplement will dissolve and absorb properly in your body, so your cells can utilize the nutrients. Many supplements you get at the store are not in a form that can be broken down and absorbed by your body. Do your research before wasting your money on poor quality supplements.

Vitamin D

Since most of us work indoors and do not get enough exposure to the sun on a daily basis, we are deficient in vitamin D.  Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and to prevent hypocalcemic tetany (involuntary contraction of muscles causes by low calcium levels) . It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodelling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts.  Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.

The present guidelines recommends taking daily supplements of 400 to 1000 IU for adults under age 50 without osteoporosis or conditions affecting vitamin D absorption. For adults over 50, supplements of between 800 and 2000 IU are recommended.

Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acid

Researchers believe our contemporary Western diet is unbalanced, because it contains high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids (which come from grains) and not enough omega-3s.
A good omega-3 supplement offers so many benefits. Mounting scientific evidence shows that as well as helping our hearts, a diet rich in omega-3s is beneficial in reducing diabetes, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. And there’s also strong evidence that omega-3s counter inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s  disease.

Many experts recommend that adults should consume 1 gram (1000 mg) of EPA/DHA per day for good health. Fish products are a great source of omega 3s but there is increasing concern about mercury and other toxins found in some fish. Therefore, a good quality omega-3 supplement is essential to incorporate into your daily regimen.

Probiotic

A good probiotic is essential for healthy digestive function. Probiotics are bacteria that help keep the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines . The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system. We actually have more bacteria in our body than we do cells! As we age, we lose some of our good bacteria, and we experience digestive complications.

Studies have concluded that probiotics are beneficial, especially to aging adults who often suffer from suppressed immune systems due to the effects of aging and increased antibiotic use.

Finding a good, broad-spectrum probiotic will help improve your gut function and digestion. This will leave you feeling healthier, happier, and more energetic.

Whey Protein supplements

If you read our post from last month, you’ll know we are strong supporter of intaking, at least 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilograms of body weight on a daily basis.  We also understand that sometimes, “life” gets in the way and the best laid-out eating plan gets sidetracked.

That is one of the reason we drink 1 to sometimes 2 Whey Protein shakes per day.

Daily intake of liquid Whey Protein will help with keeping your existing muscles mass, increasing your daily metabolic rate and maintaining your body’s nitrogen balance.

Recent research shows that liquid Whey Protein consumption also confers positive cardiovascular benefits, including improved insulin function, improved lipid profiles, and reduced levels of C-reactive protein. For these reasons alone it offers an easy to take supplement that could have far-reaching effects in supporting healthy aging.

If you were on the fence regarding whether or not to take supplements, we hope this post will convince you to begin taking them.

The supplements we recommended are essential for normal body functions like cell growth, blood cell production, hormone and enzyme synthesis, energy metabolism, and proper functioning of body systems, including the immune system, nervous system, circulatory system, and reproductive system.

Our advice as Athletes/Coach/Sport Nutritionists and two people who wants to live long and healthy is start taking some good quality supplements.  You can thank us later…

Train Smarter – Not Harder

Michel & Svetlana