Here is a great video to touch on why, even on a raw food diet, it may be necessary to supplement.
And another reason to grow your own food!
I actually have been taking several supplements before this month. In May, this month, since most of my meals are fruit and veggies I don't take them all daily (apart from B-12 and D if I don't go outside). I do have rules I follow though, I read labels Very carefully and make sure they are always natural and top quality. I seek out ones without additives like soy, milk, lactose, gluten, wheat, and vegetarian when possible (apart from ones like krill and fish oils). Health research is my hobby and obsession, and the decisions I made to choose what supplements to include in my daily routine were not decided upon lightly, but they contain ones that I truly believe to significantly enhance my health and well being.
The first one being an organic cold process vegan multivitamin for women, by Earth Shift products. I adore all their products, they're top quality at whole sale prices. Like Don mentioned in the short video above, I also don't take it daily, if one day I decide I don't need it, I don't take it. My diet is very healthy, so I'm happy doing so, this prolongs my supply as well. I've barely taken it at all this month. I've been tracking all my nutrients with CRON-O_Meter, and I pretty much go over in vitamins and nutrients, so I have been basing my intake on that, on a need to take basis.
Another vitamin I take is B-12. Since I don't eat meat I wanted to make sure my B-12 intake is sufficient, so I take Dr. Mercola's Vitamin B-12 booster, that comes in a spray form. I like the spray because I can choose how much to take daily, and it's a quick absorption method of taking this vitamin. It comes in a 30 servings spray bottle, and a serving is 6 sprays, that delivers 1.2mg, which is 20,000% of the %DV.
The next essential vitamin I take, which I consider the most important one is Vitamin D, also a spray from Dr. Mercola. In its 6 spray serving it delivers 6,000IU, which is 1,5000% of the %DV. It was a daily essential for me in the winter, but now that the weather is warming up, if I get to spend efficient time in the sun, I just skip that day. I can't stress enough how important Vitamin D is to your overall health and in preventing disease...so get some sunshine!
Next I take Milk Thistle to protect my liver and CoQ10 which is the compound that gives your mitochondria the
power to energize every cell in your body. This is crucial to the aging
process, because when your cells are starved of energy, they age
faster. The best natural source of CoQ10 is red meat, especially organ meat...and since I don't eat meat I take the pill form. You also need to take into consideration that even if you are a big meat and organ eater that you could still be deficient in CoQ10 if your missing other nutrients – Your body needs vitamins to use
CoQ10. If you’re missing vitamins B2, B3, B6, B12, vitamin C, folic
acid, or pantothenic acid, you may not get the benefits of CoQ10. Also Drugs can interfere with it – Statins, beta blockers, diabetic medications or other drugs rob your body of CoQ10. Other factors can burn up your CoQ10 – Having excess body fat,
repeatedly exercising for too long or chronic inflammation can use your
CoQ10 stores. So taking a holistic approach to your health, be mindful of All the things you do to better your health and stay balanced for optimal health. One pill (of any kind) will rarely take you from unhealthy to thriving until you address all aspects of your health. CoQ10 is turned into ubiquuinol in your body, and this process gets
harder to accomplish with age, so it's recommended that those over a certain age take Ubiquinol (CoQ10 already transformed). I take a high absorption CoQ10 with BioPerine (an herbal extract derived from black pepper fruit that is proven to help in absorption of nutrients the CoQ10, in the GI tract).
Another wonderful supplement I take is astaxanthin to help delay the shortening of my telemeres (these are what cap the ends of your chromosomes and keep your DNA strands from fraying). Each time your cells divide, your telomeres get shorter, and your cells act older.
Short telomeres dramatically boost your risk of serious diseases. I believe once you get down to 70 telomers you are basically dead...so lets preserve them! Scientists have learned that you can delay the shortening of the
telomere by activating an enzyme that rebuilds them. The discovery of
this substance, called telomerase, was such a breakthrough that it won
the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Over the past several years, astaxanthin has earned a reputation as one
of the most potent and powerful nutritional supplements ever made. It naturally prevents sunburn, prevents heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's dementia, and is a top natural anti-inflamatory. It's what gives the flamingo its pink. I could do a whole post on astaxanthin (and already have) but just to sum it up, I recommend everyone consider taking it. I get mine from BioAstin Supreme which is a 100% vegetarian formula. It has been shown to be
550 times stronger than Vitamin E and 800 times stronger than CoQ10.
BioAstin supports joint health, healthy tendons, eye health, healthy
immune function, healthy cardiovascular system, anti-aging through
cellular health, healthy skin, skin protection during sun exposure,
healthy oxidative balance, and increased energy levels. It's the miracle antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrient that is age and disease defying miracle nutrient from microalgae.
I then take 100% Pure NKO Neptune Krill Oil with the highest levels of EPA, DHA and
Astaxanthin in Krill Oils. Nutrigold's Neptune Krill Oil is NOT mixed
with other cheaper fish oils. It offers a significant source of Omega-3 (EPA & DHA), Phospholipids, and Antioxidants (Astaxanthin, Vitamin A & E). I also like the Carlson's lemon cod liver oil, but pretty much switched to krill oil to get my omagas. This extract of Krill Oil is a superior form of Omega-3 that provides
better absorption and utilization of the EPA & DHA by the cells,
making it more bioeffective than fish oil.
Apart from daily vitamins and minerals mentioned above, I also take a few herbs or superfoods in pill form. One I take along with my daily vitamins is a Ginseng complex with royal jelly. The capsule contains American Ginseng extract, Red Chinese Ginseng extract, Panax Ginseng extract, Eleuthro Siberian Foot and Royal Jelly. The capsule can also be opened and consumed in a tea form, but I find it easier to just swallow the capsule with water. I also have bee pollen in powder form, but rarely take this, although the health properties I find to be very good, the smell alone is not something to be desired, so I often don't like to put the powder in anything I consume, so I make it a rare occasion.
Another powder I take pretty much daily is Resvertatrol. This is another amazing antioxitand that can protect you from the damages of aging while helping to “switch on” your anti-aging genes. Resveratrol is a type of phytoalexin containing a key enzyme called stilbene synthase. It activates certain proteins called “sirtuins,” which your body
produces naturally to extend life under conditions of stress (like
starvation). Sirtuins transmit signals to every cell in your body that cancel out the effects of aging. I get a packages with 250 servings. Each serving is only a small 1/4 tsp that I put in my smoothies or raw chia meal. It's pretty much tasteless so I'm happy to be able to get this antioxidant without having to drink red wine! Which is the more widely known place to get a concentrated dose...however along with that benefit you get the harmful effects of the alcohol as well. Other foods with resveratrol include grapes and vaccinium berries like blueberries, bilberries and cranberries.
A superfood, that I've mentioned in several blog posts that I take daily is my my Chlorella/Spirulina tablets. I have the spirulina in powder form too, and used to crush the cholorella tablets with it an put both in smoothies (but I don't like the taste, or prefer my smoothies without, so now I consume the 50/50 chlorella/spirulina tabs by just swallowing a serving each morning with water. So much easier! I can't say enough good things about these 2 algae. The Spirulina is more nutritional and the Chlorella is more medicinal (for detox). I like the Chlorella because it gets rid of all the mercury and heavy metals in the body, and very unfortunate for me I have half an amalgam crown on a tooth (that I had put in against my will so to speak, as the dentist informed me the white part when making the crown chipped so half of it was white and the chipped half was replaced with the metal...which I now learned to be made mostly of mercury...I was very angry at the time but didn't make a fuss because he showed it to me informing me of it as he was putting it in! I couldn't exactly say no and walk out with half the process started. If I knew what I did now, then, I actually would have insisted and said "No"). But enough with that rant. Since it's in there and I can't afford to get it removed (Yet!) I take chlorella to expel the heavy metals that seep into my body. Both Chlorella and Spirulina are very high in vegetable protein as well. You can view my other blogs for more information on these wonder superfoods.
A spice that is a must to mention is Turmeric. I'm not s Huge fan of the taste, but would have it in Indian curries growing up (however I don't eat cooked foods at this time, so I switched to having it in teas. Since I don't like the taste too much I then switched to taking it in pill form. It's a super spice that shouldn't be ignored! If you want to take just ONE spice for your health this is the one to take. In addition, ayurvedic and Chinese medicines utilize turmeric to clear
infections and inflammations on the inside and outside of the body. But
beyond the holistic health community, Western medical practitioners have
only recently come on board in recognizing the benefits of turmeric. It blocks cancer and is a powerful antioxidanve and anti-inflammatory. And since it's best raw, I like having it in the pill form to get a good dose with a simple glass of water.
I'd like to mention probiotics as well. An essential for digestion health. I take mine in pill form because I don't enjoy any fermented foods really, which is a great way to get in those probiotics.
I also take digestive enzymes. It's so important to have a healthy gut, and when you need help digesting foods, it's a good idea to find a good digestive enzymes supplement to have with meals...especially if you choose to eat heavy meals such as meats.
