Supplements for Healthy Life

WHY DO I TAKE SUPPLEMENTS?

If we eat, good, healthy, natural food, we should get all nutrients necessary for healthy functioning of our bodies. But, it’s not always possible to eat nutritious food, especially when we are away from home and when we are not in a complete control over what we eat.

Additionally, some nutrients are only available is certain foods which may or may not feature in our diet. Certain nutrients are scarce or they may only be available in reduced quantities, especially in vegetables grown in the nutrients depleted soil.

That’s why I use supplements. I try my best to eat well, but I also think that it’s important for me to complement my diet with selected supplements. For example, selenium is a scarce mineral, available in trace quantities in a limited number of food products. Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium. But how often do I buy and eat Brazil nuts? That’s why I take selenium as a supplement.

In this post, I will talk about supplements that I take, more or less, on a regular basis. I do this to help my body function properly, to increase and maintain strong immune system and also to help detoxification processes.

MULTIVITAMINS

I believe that everyone should take one good multivitamin, on a daily basis. We may have a very good diet, but do we know if food that we eat comes from the nutrient rich or depleted soil? Furthermore, do we know how many of the nutrients in the food that we eat our body absorbs? Ideally, we should get all our vitamins and minerals from natural and nutritious food in our diet, but I suspect that’s not really the case.

So, I take a multivitamin every day. I choose good quality products, from reputable companies. They may cost a bit more, but I want to make sure that the multivitamin I’m taking is efficacious.

You too, make sure that you choose a good multivitamin. Check all ingredients carefully. Very often, cheaper variants contain sugar that may be concealed under different names. You don’t want sugar in any of your supplements.

Good multivitamin product should make you feel energised, at least that’s how I feel with products I take. I normally take it in the morning, after breakfast.

Finally, if you take only one supplement, this should be it.

NIACIN (Vitamin B3)

Niacin plays an essential role in the dynamic regulation of thermodynamic equilibrium, more precisely within cellular organelles.

Flush niacin, in nicotinic acid form, offers wide spectrum anti-pathogen, anti-inflammation and immunity-modulation properties through its ability, with sufficient supply, to thermodynamically regulate clearance of disease particles and maintain homeostatic bio-energetic metabolism.

What does this mean? It means that, for example, flush niacin is a causative antidote for SARS-CoV-2 virus. Inhibition of lipolysis by flush niacin, within minutes, literally inhibits collection of lipid deposits. SARS-CoV-2 enters and replicates through cholesterol. The abundant presence of cholesterol within lipid rafts plays an essential role in viral entry and fusion. Cholesterol depletion from cellular membranes inhibits SARS-CoV-2.

To find out more, you can check this web site.

I started taking flush niacin approximately 2 years ago, when I came across the Dr. Kats’ work. I started with 50mg, but now I take 500mg every day. The first time I flushed, it was a strange and slightly unpleasant experience. I flush rarely now and, even if I do, I’m not bothered. The flush is totally harmless, while there are other well documented benefits of this vitamin.

For example, niacin is the best compound that you can take for high cholesterol. It reduces bad (LDL) and increases good (HDL) cholesterol. But I’m not going to get into that now, if interested you can easily find many niacin studies for various different ailments. Additionally, the book “Niacin: The Real Story” is a good starting point if you want to learn about this miraculous vitamin.

To summarize, I take niacin for my health and longevity. I firmly believe this is also one supplement that everyone should take on a daily basis.

MAGNESIUM

One more supplement that I now take every day is magnesium. Recently, a friend of mine gave me a book “The Magnesium Miracle” to read. If you can, get hold of this book and read it too.

I never knew that magnesium was so important. Perhaps, it’s one of the most important compounds that you should take. It catalyses most chemical reactions in the body, produces and transports energy, synthesises proteins, transmits nerve signals and relaxes muscles. It is a required cofactor for between 700 and 800 enzyme systems.

Magnesium comes combined with other substances. The best forms are magnesium taurate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate, magnesium malate, magnesium orotate and transdermal magnesium oil.

The dosage should be 6-8 mg/kg of your body weight. Also, what you want in your supplement is elemental magnesium. For example, 1000mg magnesium citrate contains 125mg elemental magnesium, the rest is a “citrate” part, which is basically citric acid.

One other thing to keep in mind is the absorption rate, which is around 20% for all above listed types of magnesium.

Without getting into too many details, I can say that, ever since I started taking magnesium on a daily basis, I’ve never felt better. I no longer have any pain anywhere in my body, especially after the weight training. Magnesium prevents build up of lactic acid in muscles. I take approximately 800mg every day, half in the morning and half before I go to sleep.

N-ACETYL CYSTEIN (NAC)

I started taking NAC more or less at the same time when I started taking flush niacin. NAC is a precursor of glutathione – one of the most powerful antioxidants. This in itself is the sufficient reason for taking this supplement. Additionally, NAC detoxifies the liver and the lymphocytes from chemicals and other poisons.

I don’t take NAC all the time, although it’s one of the supplements that I consider essential for my wellbeing.

VITAMIN C

Vitamin C is required for at least 300 metabolic functions in the body. Most people know of vitamin C and its ability to prevent common colds. It’s the first line of our antioxidant defence in plasma against many different kind of free radicals.

Normally, vitamin C is readily available in a number of different products, with citrus food being the best source. I eat fruit in limited quantities, because of its fructose (sugar) content. I limit my intake of sugar as much as possible. That’s why I take the vitamin C supplement, in addition to what I get from food that I eat every day.

Our body can’t make and can’t store water soluble vitamin C and it only uses the necessary daily amount. The excess quantity of vitamin C is eliminated. Having said that, when I feel that I’m getting a cold, I take 1000mg every hour until I no longer feel that I have a cold. Vitamin C has powerful antiviral properties.

I use different products, from different manufacturers that come either as ascorbic acid or ascorbates. Sometimes I take 1000mg every day, sometimes I take 250mg or 500mg. Regardless, it’s one more supplement that I take every day.

VITAMIN D3

I take vitamin D3 only in winter. There is no need to take this vitamin in summer, because our body produces it as soon as we are out in the sun. In my case, the problem is that I live in London and there is very little sunshine during winter months. It basically means that there is simply no possibility for my body to produce this vitamin on its own.

Vitamin D3 helps absorption of calcium and phosphorous and it also contributes to the normal immune system function. People that take big quantities of this vitamin should also take vitamin K2, to ensure that no excess calcium circulates in the blood vessels. Vitamin K2 and magnesium drive calcium into the bones.

As soon as I get out in the sun, I don’t take this supplement. I believe, my body produces whatever quantity it needs. It’s also important not to take too much of it, because of a possible toxicity. Vitamin D3 is a fat soluble vitamin and it’s stored in the liver.

CURCUMIN

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb. People have been using turmeric for centuries, to treat various health issues. This root is native to southeast Asia. It has a beautiful golden colour and people also call it “Indian saffron”.

Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has been extensively studied for its disease fighting properties and health benefits.

The body doesn’t absorb curcumin very well on its own. To help our bodies get the maximum benefit, we need to consume curcumin with black pepper. Piperine, a compound in black pepper, increases bio-availability of curcumin by 2000%. This is very important to keep in mind. You can also use turmeric, as a spice, when you prepare food, but you have to add black pepper. The alternative is to choose a good curcumin supplement, with the piperine extract.

Of all supplements that I take, I consider this to be also one of the most important ones. I take it for its anti-inflammatory properties.

SELENIUM

Selenium is a mineral found in Brazil nuts, poultry, fish, eggs and cereal. Its intake is crucial, however both selenium deficiency and excess are harmful. Taking it in the right amount can have wide-ranging health benefits, while its deficiency is linked to numerous health problems.

It’s a vital antioxidant, its main function is to inhibit the oxidation of lipids. In other words, it protects the immune system by preventing the formation of free radicals that can damage the body.

It is very important to take this mineral in optimal quantity. You have to consider all possible sources when you calculate your daily intake. For example, one Brazil nut contains on average 50mcg of selenium. If you eat two Brazil nuts per day and you eat fish at the same time, you probably don’t need to take the supplement.

In other words, you should take approximately 100-200mcg of this mineral per day either in your diet or as a supplement.

I’ve been taking selenium on a regular basis for over 20 years now. If I take it as a supplement, I pay attention to the daily dose and I take one 100mcg tablet every 2 days.

MILK THISTLE

Milk thistle is a plant with white veins and distinctive purple flowers. The story has it that a drop of the Virgin Mary’s milk fell onto its leaves. The active ingredient in this plant is silymarin.

Milk thistle protects liver. People with liver damage use it as a complementary therapy.

Milk thistle helps reduce inflammation and liver damage caused by free radicals, produced when liver metabolises toxic substances.

The main reason why I use this supplement is to help my liver in its daily detoxification job.

SO, TO SUPPLEMENT OR NOT?

Like most thing that we do in our lives, we need to decide what’s best for us and take an appropriate action. The same logic applies to choosing right supplements.

We are lucky because the information is so widely available now. But we need to do some research. I’ve invested a lot of time and effort in order to improve my overall wellbeing and health.

One final note, products in the photos in this post are for illustration only, so that it’s immediately clear to you what I’m talking about. Sometimes, I use supplements that you can see in the photos, sometimes I buy different brands.

You too, make sure to use only good quality supplements.