How Vitamania changed what my family and I take for supplements.

Vitamania by Catherine Price is an amazing book of knowledge and humor about the discovery of the substances we now call vitamins and how and why supplement sales are so high.  I am really hesitant to take any isolates anymore after reading about the whole l-tryptophan fiasco.  We are all really just guinea pigs when it comes to the supplement industry. I highly recommend this book! 

We try to eat a whole food based diet, and much to my surprise, my children have come to enjoy a variety of salads as their side for most dinners.  After watching, My Diet is Better than Yours, we ordered James Abel's The Wild Diet. The recipes are wonderful and so satisfying that, although you are allowed to have dessert, I rarely have a desire to eat it.

Even though we eat healthy, I know there are nutrients we are missing. I can't eat dairy, my kids don't eat enough veggies, and we all don't eat enough fermented foods or sea vegetables. Therefore we supplement.  However, Catherine Price posed a question that has plagued me for years, if you take something daily that your body produces naturally, will it stop producing it? Well, I don’t want to find out, so we take weekends off from our supplements.We currently take the following on weekdays:

Calamari Oil – 500 mg/ 2 times daily. According the Dr. Perlmutter and Dr. Alberto Villoldo in the book, “Power Up Your Brain,” you need 1000 mg of DHA daily. If it is good enough for my daughter who continues to recover from the removal of a brain tumor, it is good enough for the rest of the family.  Calamari Oil is naturally very high in DHA. 

Garden of Life MyKind Organics multivitamin –  These vitamins are made from an organic real food blend. There are a couple that don’t come from the blend like K2 and B12. 

Garden of Life Raw Calcium – 2 pills/ 2 times daily. Again, Garden of life harnesses the goodness real food offers. Plus, I have always noticed a difference in my hair, skin, and nails, when I have taken it in the past. 

Isagenix Product B Isagenisis - contains Alpha Lipoic Acid, N-Acetyl Cysteine, and herbs that benefit the aging body. My daughter  takes it as well for the memory boosting and liver protecting herbs it contains.

We alternate the following on weekday mornings:
      Solle Naturals Cinnamate – My husband likes the taste, I like the immune balancing benefits of the yeba mate and thyme. Yerba mate contains 15 amino acids, phytonutrients, trace minerals, and more. Thyme is also nutrient dense and known to be good for fighting off illness. My daughter alternates this with Isagenix AMPED Recover BCAAs because they are sweetened with Stevia.
     Solle Naturals Excell - My husband and I drink this for the hormone regulating, eye enhancing, and blood pathway strengthening herbs.Plus, it makes our morning protein shakes taste delicious!

We alternate the following in the evenings:
     Solle Naturals Solle Vital - Solle Vital contains adaptogenic herbs that help balance your immune system and reduce the effects of stress.
     Solle Naturals Solle ReNue - Contains herbs that help rebuild our muscles, heal our bodies, and calm the mind to give us a good night's sleep.

Now, this may seem a bit excessive. However, for us, it is a way to stay healthy and energetic enough to exercise.  I have always been one to get sick when I hit the cardio hard. This supplement routine has helped me overcome that. My husband and son both suffer from hay fever and skin issues like eczema. Let's not forget my daughter, who is working at getting the neurons to re-fire in her brain after the extensive surgery. My oldest daughter fights the multiple supplement routine, but she is still young.

There are many people who believe natural supplements are natural, so they can't hurt you. That's not true. Natural supplements have side effects, interact with certain medications and each other, and can harm you, if taken in excess.  For instance, green tea extract (which is now found in everything) can harm you liver in high daily doses. They are now saying cinnamon is the same way. Even eating too many cruciferous vegetables every day can effect your thyroid.

They say at least 70% of health is the diet, 20% exercise, and 10% supplements.  When health issues arise, it may call for additional supplementation. That supplementation may be short term or long term, depending on the situation.  Please remember, everything in moderation, and don't take more than suggested dosage. Just because it is natural, doesn't mean more is better.

I always check the ingredients of any supplement before I take it or give it to a family member. I strongly urge you to check the ingredients on WebMd.com or Drugs.com before starting a supplement program.

Here's to your health!