While there is no substitute from the nourishment you receive from whole foods, we feel there is a benefit to supplementing your diet with certain vitamins and minerals. Some may recommend no supplements and some may advise you to take 47 different ones daily. We are fairly conservative in our approach. If you’re not aware yet, we are not medical doctors and this is simply our preferred regimen. Also, the affiliate links are here for ease of finding the exact supplements we use. Buy them anywhere you want…or, not at all.
- 500mg of Vitamin C (Buy Here). Immune system, skeletal system, wound healing, collagen, iron absorption, anti-inflammatory etc. Vitamin C really plays in an important role in all of these functions. While some claim it is unnecessary, we find adding this to our daily regimen helps us to stay healthier, feel better and not worry so much if we miss our daily dose of berries. We take with a meal.
- 2000 IU of Vitamin D3 (Buy Here). Vitamin D has been getting a lot of press lately due a to several reports of a large percentage of the seriously ill from COVID showing a deficiency. It absolutely has been shown to support immune function (including resistance against certain diseases) as well as benefits to the health of the skeletal system. Some lesser known and lesser discussed benefits are also as a mood enhancer to combat depression (more of a mood regulator) and as a benefit to weight loss. Some advise to take 4000 IU or higher per day but since Vitamin D is fat soluble (the extra is not urinated out), we are conservative and take 2000 IU daily which we feel is sufficient. Vitamin D is typically found in fatty foods such as oily fish, meat and eggs and of course, sunlight helps the production of it as well. Take with a meal.
- 100mcg of Vitamin K (Buy Here). We mainly take this low dosage of K to supplement our Vitamin D consumption. While vitamin D helps to promote adequate calcium, vitamin K helps direct that calcium to where it is needed in the body. This helps prevent calcification of tissue and in areas such as blood vessels. You can also find vitamin K in leafy greens which we consume a bunch of so, we feel this small dose of 100mcg is adequate. Take with a meal.
- 15mg of Zinc Picolinate (Buy Here). Zinc has been a part of our daily regimen for years. We used to drink a certain effervescent supplement until we switched to the easily absorbable variation of zinc. There are many reported benefits of zinc. Immune support which is the primary benefit we hear broadcasted. However, while this is a core benefit, there are also hormonal benefits, digestive benefits, wound healing advantages and the list goes on. Again, some may take 30mg a day but with the reported tolerable amount of zinc to be 40mg, we believe 15mg is adequate. This is mainly due to the fact it is easily found in food sources such as meats, eggs, shellfish and even some vegetables. This is one we try to take on a completely empty stomach for proper absorption. If you get an upset stomach, take it with food but also try to avoid caffeine right after or before consumption.
- 200mg of Chelated Magnesium (Buy Here). Magnesium works as a complement to zinc which is a primary reason it is in our daily regimen. Magnesium helps your body regulate zinc, helps with sleep, helps with bone, muscle and heart health. Zinc does its part by allowing your body to better absorb magnesium so these supplements really do go hand in hand. Magnesium can be found in several nut varieties, bananas, milk and poultry. We typically take this one with food (we take everything but the Zinc together at the same time with a meal).
There you have it, our 5 vitamins and minerals we take daily. Again, this is our opinion and a real look at what we consume every day. We also try to eat a healthy, balanced diet so that these supplements truly SUPPLEMENT our diet and are not substitutes for lack of nutrition.