Vitamins and Supplements

It is a well-known fact that we don’t get enough of the vitamins and nutrients our bodies need in processed foods.

Cooking and processing food can decrease and even destroy the valuable nutrients that should go to us.

Even though vitamins and nutrients are occasionally added to these foods, we typically require additional supplementation through store-bought vitamins and supplements.

If you’ve heard the term “junk in, junk out”, this applies to the nutrients you supply your body. If you want a good recipe for a filling salad, go to my post Featured Recipe: My Keto Salad. It’s full of healthy carbs, fats, and other goodies that your body will thank you for.

Well, let’s get back to vitamins and supplements. My daily regimen includes the following quantities of Vitamins and Supplements:

• Vitamin B100 – 1 tablet
• Vitamin C – 1 tablet
• Vitamin D3 – 1 tablet
• Vitamin E – 2 capsules
• Vitamin K2 – 1 tablet
• Magnesium Citrate – 2 capsules
• Vitamin C with Zinc chewables – 2 to 4 tablets
• Glucosamine Chondroitin and MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) – 1 tablet
• Probiotic (Culturelle is my preferred brand) – 1 tablet
• Omega 3 Fish Oil – 2 capsules
• Turmeric – 2 capsules

Vitamin B100

I buy this Vitamin B100 complex from Costco. Each tablet contains the following ingredients:

• B12 (methylcobalamin) 100 mcg
• Biotin 100 mcg
• B5 (niacinamide) 100 mg
• Choline (bitartrate) 100 mg
• Inositol 100 mg
• B3 (niacinamide) 100 mg
• B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) 100 mg
• B2 (riboflavin) 100 mg
• B1 (thiamine mononitrate) 100 mg
• B9 (folic acid / folate) 1mg

If losing weight is your goal, folic acid and B vitamins in general are highly important in reducing the buildup of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been directly linked to increased coronary artery disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin C

I buy this Ester-C brand from Costco. Each tablet contains the following ingredients:

• C (calcium ascorbate) 1000 mcg
• Calcium (calcium ascorbate) 120 mcg
• Zinc (zinc oxide) 4 mcg

Vitamin C is vital to repairing many of the body’s systems. Vitamin C is also the single most important co-factor for repair of collagen breaks in your blood vessels and skin.

Vitamin D3

I buy this Vitamin D3 tablet from Costco. Vitamin D has multiple roles in the body to:

• Maintain the health of bones and teeth.
• Support the health of the immune system, brain, and nervous system.
• Regulate insulin levels and aid diabetes management.
• Support lung function and cardiovascular health.
• Influence the expression of genes involved in cancer development.

Vitamin E

I buy this Vitamin E capsule from Costco. The role of Vitamin E in the body is to:

• Balance cholesterol
• Fight free radicals and prevents disease development
• Repair damaged skin
• Thicken hair
• Balance hormones
• Help PMS symptoms
• Improve vision
• Protects against Alzheimers’s Disease
• Lower Cancer Risk and Improve Effects of Medical Treatments
• Improve physical endurance and muscle strength
• Help during pregnancy for growth and development of fetus

Vitamin K2

I bought this Naka brand Vitamin K2 from Magnesium Citrate

I buy this Magnesium Citrate capsule from Costco. The role of Magnesium Citrate in the body is to:

• Promote the normal functioning of cells, nerves, muscles, bones, and the heart.

Usually, a well-balanced diet provides normal blood levels of magnesium. However, certain situations cause your body to lose magnesium faster than you can replace it from your diet. These situations include treatment with “water pills” (diuretics such as furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide), a poor diet, alcoholism, or other medical conditions (e.g., severe diarrhea/vomiting, stomach/intestinal absorption problems, poorly controlled diabetes).

Vitamin C with Zinc (Chewable)

I buy this Vitamin C plus Zinc chewable from Costco. The role of Zinc in the body is to:

• boost the immune system
• prevent developmental problems in children
• protect against eye disease
• promote the proper function of testes and ovaries

Glucosamine Chondroitin with MSM

I buy this Glucosamine Chondroitin and MSM (Methyl Sulfonylmethane) tablet from Costco. Glucosamine and Chondroitin are supplements well known for their use to ease the pain of arthritis. MSM is another one but not backed with as much scientific testing.

I mainly use this because their is history of arthritis on my mother’s side of the family and joint pain has been one of my main factors in reduced feeling of well-being the past 2 years.

Probiotic

I buy this daily probiotic under the Culturelle brand from a pharmacy chain here in Vancouver, B.C. named Shoppers Drug Mart. It is one of the better ones because it contains 10 billion active cultures to promote the “good” bacteria in your gut. In Dr. Steven Gundry’s book, The Plant Paradox he explains how commonly used medicines like NSAID’s (Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs ie. Ibuprofen and Motrin), broad-spectrum antibiotics and stomach-acid blockers completely wipe out both the good and bad bacteria in your gut. Probiotics help to restore the proper gut flora.

Total Restore

I discovered and purchased this supplement through Dr. Steven Gundry. I will make a separate post to tell you more about him, his books and this supplement. The main reason I take this is to promote a strong gut lining and to fight against the “lectins” in most of processed foods we eat today.

Turmeric

I buy this Turmeric capsule from Costco. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in Turmeric. The main role of Curcumin in the body is to:

• Act as a natural anti-inflamatory
• Dramatically increase its antioxidant capacity
• Boost brain-derived Neurotrophic factor which is linked to improved brain function and a lower risk of brain diseases
• Lower risk of heart disease
• Contribute to the death of cancerous cells and reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors) and metastasis (spread of cancer)

Final Thoughts

So this is my lineup of the vitamins and supplements that I use to keep my body feeling great; on top of eating healthier food. You need to provide your body with the proper building blocks to maintain strong, healthy cells because, sorry to say it, the processed foods we find abundantly supplied in our grocery stores just don’t cut it.