What ARE The Most Important Nutrients For The Rest Of Your Body?
In Mary Shelley's classic horror novel "Frankenstein", the mad doctor builds his monster by robbing local cemeteries for certain body parts. Well, if you were to play the role of an even madder scientist, how would you go about building a body from scratch?
How would you make bone? Muscle? Your organs? And all the bits and pieces that connect everything? What nutrients would you use for each? What would you place priority on first?
How you answer that question is more important than you think. Because every single day cells in your body die. And whether or not they are replaced depends entirely on what type of nutrients you put in your body every single day. Here are the most critical:
7. Protein
Adult women are advised to consume about 46 grams of protein a day while men need closer to 56 grames. Most U.S. adults actually consume more protein than this on any given day, but there are groups at risk of deficiency. Pregnant and nursing women require more than the average person, as do those engaging in intense exercise and most seniors.
In fact, seniors may need double the typically recommended amounts of protein to prevent age-related muscle loss, especially if they're bedridden of facing a chronic illness or injury. Since proteins make up a major part of your skin, muscles, organs and glands, anyone who
s overcoming an injury or illness may benefit from an additional amount.
A few years back I heard a story about a man who suffered 3rd degree burns over his entire body. While he was in the hospital he burned an incredible 8,000 calories a day just to heal his body (for perspective, most people only need 3,000 calories a day). So, if you are in any way injured, you need more protein than you think.
As for what type, there are many high-quality protein supplements on the market. Whey protein is a good option, but feel free to choose one that meets your unique needs (for instance, a plant-based source if you're vegetarian).
6. Whole-Food-Based Multivitamin
Many Americans have serious nurtient gaps and do not get nearly enough of certain nutrients to be optimally healthy. While you may not be lacking enough to be deficient (but then again, you might), you may be getting inadequate levels for optimal health. For instance, research suggests a large number of Americans are not getting enough A, C, E and B vitamins.
Personally, every six months I test my blood to see what I'm deficient in and then I base my supplements on that. It's the only way to truly know what you need.
It's certainly possible to get all the nutrients you need from nutrient-dense-foods - but, be honest, you may not be eating these nutrient-dense foods daily, at every meal. A green smoothie or green superfood powder can be a good addition here, but you can also find whole-food-based multivitamins in capsule or tablet form.
5. Ionic Multi-Mineral Supplement, High in Magnesium
I recommend you use a separate supplement for minerals than your typical multivitamin (some are combined multivitamin-mineral supplements). Trace minerals like nickel, silve, zinc, tungsten and many others are essential for proper function of your body and play a role in helping prevent degenerative conditions, including joint pain.
Just like I test for vitamin deficiencies, I test for mineral deficiencies too. It's called a hair mineral analysis test and i suggest you look into it.
Ionic minerals exist in an unstable state that allows them to bond readily with water so they're easily absorbed by your body. Their positive or negative charges also combine into a dynamic electrical flow that helps move nutrients into your body.
Choose a varity heigh in magnesium, as research suggests only about 25 percent of US adults are getting the recommended daily amount of 310 to 320 milligrams (mg) for women and 400 to 420 for men. Minerals sourced from seawater are naturally high in magnesium.
Magnesium is important for your heart, muscles, kidneys and more, and deficiency is a major cause of fatigue, weakness and abnormal heart rhythms. Research from CRNF found that nearly $7 billion in avoidable hospital costs could be saved from 2013-2020 if more Americans used magnesium supplements.
4. Fish Oil with CoQ10
The anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats found in fish oil have been proven helpful for heart health, memory and cognitive function, healthy pregnancies and fetal development, skin health, anti-aging benefits, mood support and even improving dry eye symptoms.
Most Americans don't eat nearly enough fish to get these healthy fats on a daily basis, which is why supplementation with high-quality fish oil is so beneficial. According to CRNF, nearly $4 billion in coronary heart disease-related savings could occur from 2013-2020 if more Americans used omega-3 supplements at preventive intake levels.
Omega-3 deficiency has been described as the sixth biggest killer of Americans, causing 96,000 deaths each year. I recommend a source that also contains CoQ10, for the added benefits to your heart.
3. Vitamin D3
About 41 percent of U.S. adults are deficient in vitamin D, and many more have levels that are below optimal. Among the elderly, who have a decreased ability to make vitamin D from sunlight, and African Americans, who have higher levels of melanin in their skin (which reduces your skin's ability to produce vitamin D) rates of deficiency are even higher.
A few years ago, following a blood test, I discovered I was deficient in vitamin D (and I follow a very healthy diet and get plenty of sun). After supplementing with it I noticed feeling happier and had a lot more energy.
Inadequate vitamin D levels have now been linked to a growing number of health conditions, from heart disease and cancer to autoimmune diseases and infections (including the flu).
And you don't want to be in the "average" or "normal" range, which is said to be 30-50 ng/ml. What research is revealing is that in order to reap all the health benefits vitamin D has to offer, you need to be in the optimal range, which is 50-80 ng/ml.
You can get vitamin D from sesible sun exposure, but if you're not able to spend time outdoors every day, a vitamin D3 supplement will be necessary. Have your levels tessted and work with a health care provider to determine the pull-right dose for you to get your levels into the optimal range.
And be sure you're taking vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which is the type produced in your skin, and not vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), a synthetic form. Vitamin D3 has been found to increase blood levels of vitamin D more effectively than vitamin D2.
2. Melatonin
Melatonin, which is naturally produced by your pineal gland, is well known for helping to regulate your sleep-wkae cycle. It's often recommended for people with insomnia and other sleep problems, but virtually everyone can use it to improve the quality of their sleep. It's during sleep that your body heals and regenerates, so high-quality sleep is truly essential to wellness.
On those days I'm super busy and put long hours in at work, i notice a melatonin supplement helps me feel more refreshed the next morning.
Many are also not aware that your body's production of melatonin declines with age, making supplementation increasingly important as you get older. Plus, melatonin also plays a role in hormone balance and immune system function, and it even has antioxidant properties. Research has even shown that people who take melatonin after strenuous, high-intensity exercise have less cell damage and greater levels of an anti-inflammatory protein, lending increased support for the usefulness of this supplement across the board.
Well, there you have it. The 9 supplements everyone really needs.
Now, there is one final type of supplement that is more important than the previous 9 on this list combined.
I say that because how good you look and feel depends much more on getting the "bad stuff" out than it does on getting the "good stuff" in.
Do you remember a few years ago when all of the garbage collectors in Greece went on strike? Soon after piles of trash were everywhere. Public trash cans overflowed. Whole streets became walls of bags filled with garbage. Litter surrounded ancient monuments and the whole place stunk to high heaven.
Well, if you were planning a vacation... would you consider going to Greece to visit the monuments if you knew that awaited you? Of course not! The experience of all that history would be ruined by the oeverwhelming filth and stentch.
Too much "bad stuff" ruins everything!
Likewise, if your body is filled with "bad stuff"... excess inflammation, built up scar tissue, waste, toxins, foreign matter, and other small irritants no amount of "good stuff" will get you healthy.
And that's where this final supplement comes in.
Without it, nothing else really matters.
