To Supplement or not to Supplement...

“A healthy outside starts from the inside”

(Bear with me, this topic is a long one!)

There are so many different advice when it comes to supplements and superfoods… First, I in no means wish to tell you what to do, but simply sharing information and my own experience with supplements. Please make sure to check with your GP before taking any supplements, as some can interfere with medications and medical conditions.

In an ideal world, our bodies would be able to source all macros and micro nutrients directly from our foods. Sadly, we do not live in an ideal world…

To begin with, the ENVIRONMENT in which the foods are grown, prepared and packaged are far from their original state when found in nature. Many of our food sources contain pollutants and toxins that did not exist a century ago.

Secondly, the BIODIVERSITY, in many regions of the world is rather scarse. For many of us, having to rely on what is locally growing around us, would mean feeding off potatoes, onions and carrots for more than half of the year! Could we survive? Yes. Would this unlock our best health and life potential? Absolutely NOT!

Then we have to take in consideration our LIFESTYLE. The world we live in is a high stress, high pace, constantly connected society, which puts a physical & psychological strain on our bodies. Don’t get me wrong, we have always lived with “stress” and our bodies are designed to sustain it, to a certain extent. Let’s rewind briefly.

Our bodies have this fight or flight response to stressors. Back a few hundred years ago, stress would manifest in the shape of animals running after us trying to eat us, or cold, infectious diseases, or famine to name a few. This stress would be present for a rather short amount of time and then end. Either you would fight back or manage to escape away!

For most, these ancient threats no longer exist (even if sadly, lack of food still remains an issue in parts of the world). Rather, these “stressors” have been replaced with an “everlasting-typically-not-life-threatening” stress. The signals sent from our brains in response to these stressors remain and persist over time because the source of the stress does not stop! Wether the threat is real, imminent or man made, makes no difference to our bodies response. The issue is that we can neither run from or fight this constant stress. Therefore, these signals, which are basically hormones circulating through our body, are now staying permanently in our system instead of being produced during a sporadic event.

This is precisely because our way of living has changed so radically in the last 150 years, that we need to adjust the way we fuel our bodies and support it in order to thrive in our modern environment.

Finally it comes down to INDIVIDUALS. How you fuel your body will depends very much on the type of life you live. Where you live, your age, how you sleep, the stress you are under, the way you eat and how you move all has a direct impact on your individual & specific needs. I think you get the picture this is a complex topic with multi facets where a simple outcome cannot fit for all.

That being said, here is a general guideline that can help maintain optimal health:

OK this is very important… NOT ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE MADE EQUAL… So look for the ones with the less additives, ideally from an organic source, and the most bio available possible. We want to help our bodies function better and flush out toxins, not let extra toxins in, and this is why please read the labels and be on the lookout for colourings & artificial flavours or other additives.

1. Our best pill when it comes to energy, rejuvenation, recovery is …

🥁🥁🥁… SLEEP! Yes, indeed! If there is one thing you can do immediately and cost free is to invest in your sleep! If you have a hard time falling asleep, try to exercise early in the day, get enough day light during the early hours of fhe day, keep you caffein intake to a minimum and early (Latest 2pm, and yes even to those people who think coffee has no impact on them… IT DOES it is just that you built a tolerance!) If all the above fail, try some Melatonin to support your body to get ready for sleep (To clarify you cannot get “addicted” to Melatonin, it just helps to support your body get in sleep mode). Stay clear of screens at least an hour before getting in bed and dim the lights from 8PM…

2. Vitamin D. Many of us lack vitamin D as we don’t get enough sunlight or don’t eat enough vitamin D rich foods. Vitamin D plays an important role in bone health, immunity as well as reducing inflammation. Make sure to take a supplement that includes D3 and vitamin K2 otherwise calcium will neither be absorbed or integrated in the bones… I love the one from Dr. Julia Hunter “Skin Fitness Plus” called Vitamin D3/K2.

3. A good DHA & EPA (Omega 3) source. Omega-3s support heart and brain health, and are responsible for many processes in our body such as keeping a strong immune system as well as a healthy hormonal and reproductive system. DHA is found mostly in fish… and many of us are reluctant to take this fish oil because of all the environmental pollutants. However, many manufacturers actually purify the oil to rid of these heavy metals and pollutants. Therefore try to source a good quality DHA. Make sure to eat nuts such as walnuts, almonds, flax seeds and chia seeds to help get the whole omega range. Once opened, make sure to keep the pills away from direct sunlight and ideally store in the fridge. (I like the one from “Physica” called Omega Gold)

4. Pre & Probiotics. Ok, that is another important one. Back in the days, we would get the whole panel of good bacterias from the plants/fruits, vegetables and animal products that we would consume. Unfortunately nowadays with all the pesticides, antibiotics, processing and cleaning (to remove potentially harmful pathogens) this also removes all the good bacterias. These helpful soldiers are so important to human health, they help fight off the bad bacterias, they are involved in vitamin synthesis, digestion of cellulose, angiogenesis (creating new blood vessels) and much more. Here is how you can source them from food : bananas, yogurt (try to get natural, organic and as fresh from the farm as you can), kefir, kombucha, homemade kimchi is a great one (will be posting soon with homemade recipe!), sourdough bread and miso. Otherwise you can find some good pre and probiotics in health stores or pharmacies.

5. Collagen. Collagen is a protein responsible for skin elasticity, joint health, and is present in your skin, bones muscles, blood… pretty much everywhere! With time, your body breaks down collagen and doesn’t produce it as efficiently. Because it is present in so many different areas of the body and plays such an important role, I strongly believe it is one to supplement to achieve optimal health. One great brand is called Formetta (if you can handle the taste!) it comes as a powder to dissolve in water to drink daily.

6. Maca is a great super food to replace coffee. Maca helps with energy and stamina, I love to add to my shakes to get that extra kick we sometimes need :)

7. Spirulina Power! This algae is actually one of the most nutritious and nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Spirulina is 60% protein! It contains 18 amino acids, including all essential amino acids and 10 of the 12 non-essential amino acids. Spirulina is also a great source of phytonutrients, copper, iron, manganese, potassium, B vitamins, iodine, and Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). I also add it to shakes (taste warning, it does have a little taste…) but you can also find them in pill form.

8. Curcuma : This extremely antioxidant rich root also called turmeric is highly anti inflammatory. I love the blend from “Life extention” called “Advanced curcumin Elite”.

There are so many other amazing super foods and supplements, however please remember that no supplement or vitamin will make up for lack of sleep, poor hydration, bad eating habits or unhealthy lifestyle… As always it is the sum of many moving parts that will make your body function optimally and achieve long term health.

Finally, make sure to cycle your supplements. Take them for 3 months and then do a break for 2 or 3 weeks. Also if you feel that a supplement does not seems to be agreeing with you, then stop taking it.

Any questions?

Hope this helps :)

Sending healthy hugs always.