Are Supplements really necessary?
This is a question I get asked a lot. And the short answer is, yes, they absolutely are! Sadly, we live in a world where it is incredibly difficult to get everything we need from food alone. Soil erosion, exposure to toxic chemicals, poor water quality, stressful lifestyles and deteriorating gut health all mean that it is a constant challenge for the body to get all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
Not only that, but also, most people do not eat nutrient dense, life giving foods at every meal. In fact, people spend much of their lives eating very mediocre food, or even unhealthy food, and unfortunately, even if they turn things around and eat super healthy food for a few years, it won’t necessarily undo all the years of accumulated deficiencies.
But taking supplements can be expensive and arduous. It can also be a waste of money unless you know exactly what you are doing. And that is what I want to provide you with here, a clear outline of the baseline supplements, which support overall health and protect against disease.
The baseline supplements are essential for good health. They protect against viruses and bacteria, boost the immune system, help to flush toxins and provide the body with key nutrients that it might not otherwise get enough of. Here is an overview of the key baseline supplements:
1) Celery juice
Celery juice, a supplement? Yes! Celery, when juiced alone, with nothing else added and taken daily on an empty stomach, is an herbal medicine, and a potent one at that. It helps with the following:
1. Neutralises and flushes toxins from the liver (something we all need!)
2. Destroys viruses, due to its sodium cluster salts that break apart viral membranes
3. The ultimate gut healer – critical for healing acid reflux, bloating, SIBO, bacterial imbalances and more
4. Multi-vitamin for the brain
5. Helps to fight autoimmune disease, because it targets the viruses behind autoimmune diseases
Medicinal dose: 400ml of pure celery juice, empty stomach daily
2) B12
Nearly everyone is deficient in B12 due to the state of our liver health, and yet the body relies on B12 for thousands of functions. A stagnant, sluggish liver cannot effectively deliver essential nutrients to where they need to go, so the body ends up not getting what it needs. B12 needs to get to the central nervous system but with a sluggish liver, it hangs around in the blood instead. This can be why b12 blood tests come back as high, when someone starts supplementing. It’s a sign that the liver needs some work. B12 supports:
1. Illness and symptom recovery
2. Reduces inflammation
3. Fatigue, anxiety, depression, bi-polar and other neurological disorders
4. Immune strength
5. Protects against viral damage
6. Liver health
The right B12 supplement should contain a combination of adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin
3) Zinc
Again, like B12, most people in the modern world are zinc deficient and it’s hard to get enough zinc from food. Zinc controls the immune system and it is critical to every single aspect of our health, including:
Killing viruses
In men, for prostate health and healthy sperm
Supports fertility
Supports the thyroid
The kind of zinc you take also matters. Liquid zinc sulfate is the most bio-available to the body.
4) Vitamin C
We use up so much Vitamin C through daily stress, so it is absolutely critical to keep replenishing those stores, as humans don’t make their own internal supply. Vitamin C helps:
1. Strengthens every aspect of immune function
2. Cleanses the liver, lymph and blood
3. Strengthens the adrenals
4. Restores the central nervous system
Again, the kind of Vitamin C you take matters. Ester C or liposomal C are the most bio-available forms.
5) Lemon Balm
Lemon balm, also known as Melissa, is a top healing herb. It has been used for centuries and very much acts as an overall body tonic.
1. Highly anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic
2. Calms the nerves, especially those involved with digestion
3. Critical for healing anxiety
4. Super high in minerals
6) Spirulina
Spirulina is the equivalent of taking a multi-vitamin except better because it is so bio-available. It is the most nutritionally complete food there is. It helps with:
1. A source of beta carotene
2. Iron rich
3. Protein packed
4. Builder of beneficial flora
5. Detoxifier
6. Critical for removing toxic heavy metals
7. Important for any chronic illness or symptom
8. Amazing blood sugar balancer
I also want to mention Vitamin D simply because people get so hung up on it. While it can be important during the winter months or for someone who’s liver is not functioning well, it is not in fact one of the baseline supplements needed for survival and disease prevention. And it is not helpful is very high doses, as often recommended across the health world.
It is also critical to know what to look out for in supplements, as many of the additives and fillers work against our health. This is where supplements can become a big waste of money. Here are a few of the big culprits that you really want to avoid:
Citric acid – a corn derivative (GMO) that irritates the intestinal and stomach lining. It also lowers the immune system.
Natural Flavours – you will see ‘natural flavours’ in so many things, even lots of products in your health food store. Natural flavours have the same chemical composition as MSG, so they are to be avoided, as MSG and similar chemical compounds are highly toxic to the brain.
Alcohol – even in herbal medicines for example, negates the full effect of the herb. It also lowers the immune system.
Bovine Derivatives – Poor quality animal products that contain heavy metals and hormones.
Whey protein – a disaster! Contains a form of MSG and is highly toxic.
Carnitine – exacerbates and flares any symptom or condition.
Preservatives – tend to be lists of chemical, toxic ingredients that affect the body in a myriad of ways.
Always be a detective when it comes to your health. Where there is big business and money to be made, vulnerable people quickly become prey. Knowledge is your greatest power.
Wishing you much love, happiness and health.
Rebecca