Eating anti-inflammatory foods and spices can help reduce inflammation, risk of disease and even improve bone health.
When I arrived at work this morning there was a note that read, “Mike – customer Nick wants to know your vitamin regimen. Please call him @ …”
I’ve been asked this question numerous times over the last 12 years, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to blog about it.
So today, I thought I would take a few minutes to share what I take. Before I give you the list though, I want to make a few general comments. For the most part, I believe supplements should fill the gaps in your diet and lifestyle. For example, we hear quite a bit about the benefits of eating an anti-inflammatory diet. Therefore, if you eat a ton of wild Alaskan salmon, you can probably skip the fish oil softgels. I however do not eat fish as often as I should, so I take a fish oil supplement.
Secondly, I’m a huge fan of whole food vitamins (Read Is your multi making you sick?). You’ll notice that I don’t take a ton of isolated vitamins like B1, B6 and the like. In some cases, taking individual nutrients makes sense, but for me this is usually with a therapeutic effect in mind – like taking B6 for carpel tunnel.
Finally, this list is by no means all inclusive or permanent. There are many supplements I’ve used over the years that for one reason or another I’ve moved away from. Ask me this same question in six months and perhaps I’ll have tweaked this regimen a bit. However, most of these are some of my very favorites…so it’s a good bet they’ll make my top 10 for a long time!
So to sum it up, I take a bunch of stuff, but as you’ll see what I do take is mostly from whole food nutrients designed to either fill a gap in my diet. I’ve tried to include links to previous blogs or podcasts. In addition, if you click the product name, you will be sent over to our e-com site (vchoice.com) so you can see the product itself.
So here we go:
- Zyflamend - probably the single most clinically researched nutrient available. This is a multi spice/herb combo that has powerful inflammation modulating capabilities. It has been studied at the Cleveland Clinic and Columbia University among others. Click to read one of my blogs about Zyflamend.
- Vitmain D3 1000IU from MegaFood – a whole food source of this incredible important nutrient. (I only take the 1000IU because I also get D3 from Bone Strength (see below)) Click here for blog or click here for podcast about D3.
- Wholemega Fish Oil – 100% unadulterated wild Alaskan salmon. Read A WHOLE new chapter in fish oil and Why does using sustainable fish oil matter?
- All Flora probiotic – a variety of beneficial bacteria in a base of whole foods. Click here for past probiotic blogs.
- Berry Green – I love this product! A combination of 20 organic fruits and vegetables. I use the powder because it’s cheaper, but you can also get it in capsules. Here’s my blog on Berry Green.
- Bone Strength – a plant source of calcium, vitamin D3, and K2 (Ks may be one of the most important nutrients you’re NOT eating). Listen to Solving the calcium paradox with guest Jen Luse.
- Balanced B-Complex by MegaFood. A whole food source of the B-Complex. According to a HealthPrint from YFH, my body goes through these like water. It must be all that stress!
- Magnesium by MegaFood. A whole food source of magnesium. Again, a HealthPrint said I needed this, and I think it’s really helped my blood pressure (in addition to BP Take Care below!)
- BP Take Care – a clinically studied formula with demonstrated ability to reduce both systolic and diastolic hypertension. I’ve always had a slightly elevated systolic blood pressure and I believe this and the whole-food magnesium has made a big difference. Click here to read BP Take Care blog.
- Daily Fiber Formula from Yerba Prima- a good blend of soluble and insoluble fibers. Helps with detoxification and normal bowel function.
In addition, I do take other supps as needed. One recent inclusion is a product called Tension Release by MegaFood. (Yep, I blogged about Tension Release!)
Nicole, just as important as what you take is the timing of WHEN you take these supplements. For me, I don’t take my Bone Strength supplement as often as I should because I have not yet gotten into the habit of when to take it.
So could you please update this blog (unless I’ve missed it) to include the times you take them (first thing before breakfast I take …with breakfast this…with lunch this…before bed, etc.) Thank you.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for the question. Actually, I (Mike) wrote this blog so I’ll reply.
First, my general philosophy on supplementation is similar to what most experts say about eating meals – I try to split my supps into smaller more frequent doses as opposed to one large “meal”. With that said, you also need to be realistic. Consistency is huge, so if you try to be too exact on timing, you’ll find you skip or forget, and then you’re likely worse off than if you had taken everything all at once.
In general, my daily routine is as follows:
In the morning, not long after waking I take my probiotic (currently it’s New Chapter’s AllFlora). I wait about 30 minutes before eating.
After eating, I then take the following:
1 each of – Zyflamend, Vit. D3, WholeMega, Bone Strength and BP Take Care.
2 each of B-Complex and Magnesium (both by MegaFood). I don’t split these because I like that they can help with daytime stress.
Then after eating dinner I take:
1 – Zyflamend and 1 WholeMega
1 – serving of Berry Green
2 – Bone Strength
Sometime before bed, but usually an hour or two after dinner, I take a serving of the Daily Fiber Formula.
So as you can see, I basically split my supps into two doses. Would it be better to take the b-complex and magnesium throughout the day? Probably, but I know for me, I would end up forgetting them and thus, I feel I’m better off taking them both in the morning.
Thanks again for the question!
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