The Big 3 Supplements for Better Health

Supplements can be a divisive topic, with a lot of people arguing that if you eat a healthy, varied diet you should get all the minerals and vitamins you need. This is a statement I agree with - to a point. Food should be your first source of nutrients, but how many of us are consistently having varied healthy food, hitting the more optimum amount of 10 portions of fruit and veg a day on a daily basis. Combined with the fact that our food is not as nutrient dense as it used to be; farmed fish have lower levels of omega 3 (a highly beneficial fatty acid) than their wild counterparts. Soil is more nutrient depleted than ever, lowering the amount of nutrients in our veggies, and while there are alternatives such a grass fed organic beef, organic non pesticide vegetables and wild fish line caught sockeye salmon, these can often retail at over double the price of there more intensively farmed counterparts.

For these reasons there are some common deficiencies in our diet and I believe these are the best 3 supplements to combat them:

• Omega 3 - in the form of fish, krill or algae.

• Vitamin D3

• Probiotics

When it comes to omega 3 there are good and not quite as good sources. In my opinion there are more benefits of getting omega 3 oil from the flesh of the fish rather than the liver - this is due to the livers primary job being detoxification, meaning there will be more impurities and potentially harmful compounds in liver oils. Omega 3 also contain anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to be as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in reducing conditions such as arthritis, low back pain and neck pain (Macroon and Bost 2006).

Vitamin D3 plays an important role in keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy. It comes from sunlight exposure on skin, unfortunately when clothed or wearing sun cream we don’t create adequate levels in the body. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults. According to statistics collected by Forth, 74% of people are in the lower than optimal vitamin D levels, with 27% of people having deficiencies in vitamin D levels.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that live in your gut promoting a healthy digestive tract and a healthy immune system are their most widely studied benefits at this time. Diet and use and antibiotics can be particularly harmful to our gut bacteria so using a probiotic combined with a healthy diet rich in fibre will help to promote good gut health again over time.

The way supplements are prepared is also an important factor; aim to get them cold pressed (non-heat treated) and make sure the contents are food state. For all of these factors we have chosen to stock Cytoplan whose supplements cover all of the above and are complete with the phytonutrients and associated food factors for optimal absorption and use in the body. 

References:

Maroon JC, Bost JW. 2006. Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory: an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for discogenic pain. Surg Neurol. Apr;65(4):326-31.