(Last edit 3/23/2024)
I am big fan of an animal-based, protein rich diet that contains a ton of veggies (both raw and cooked in butter or olive oil), nuts & seeds, fruit as dessert, whole-fat dairy, eggs and fermented foods like pickles, sauerkraut and kombucha. And bone broth. That ish is a cheat code! However, I do take supplements as well. Partly because the soil in which food is grown today has little to zero minerals left in it because of factory farming. But also because I am interested in long term health, achievement of that extra 5-10% and feeling awesome on a daily basis. Plus, I need all the help I can get to increase my HRV, more on that in a later blog. If you want to read more about my diet, read here.
Being an avid reader has led me to books in the health, wellness and biohacking space (check out my Books Page). Also, listening to podcasts hosted by Andrew Huberman, Tim Ferriss, Ari Whitten, Gabrielle Lyon, Andy Galpin and Whoop podcast also catch my attention on all things supplements… This list changes, but there a few staples.
Below are the supplements I take everyday and those I am experimenting with as well. I give a brief description and have links to products I take below the description. Enjoy. And reach out if you have any questions.
First, I start every morning prior to coffee and food with the below regimend:
- LMNT Electrolytes (Salt in particular, but also potassium and magnesium)– As Dr. Cate says, most of us are woefully under eating salt. Did you know salt is involved in basically every function of the body? And that Himalayan pink seat salt containers every single mineral on the periodic table? Salt helps to establish healthy hydration levels and electrolyte balance, nerve health, nutrient absorption, and muscle function. Just to name a few. Dr. Cate says we need 3-5 grams per day, but if you sweat and/or are an athlete, you might need 5-10 grams per day!
- LMNT Citrus (The citrus tastes like yellow Gatorade, yum)
- Digestive Enzymes – If I have a meal that is extremely large and hearty, or unhealthy (gasp! Yes, I like pizza occasionally), I will have 1-2 capsules of digestive enzymes to aid in digestion. But when you take digestive enzymes on an empty stomach, they (the enzymes) enter into the bloodstream and aid in immune support, detoxification, and support the circulatory system. I guess I should say they “may” support all these functions since now clinical trial will ever prove this. Longer story.
- Activated Charcoal – Loads of benefits with taking activated charcoal. I don’t take every day, and tend of cycle on and off every month or so. Here is a good article to read about benefits – Primal Life Organics
- Bentonite Clay – a great detox agent to get lead, mercury and aluminum out of your body. It is also said to fight off bad bacteria and aid in immune support.
Here are the supplements I take a few supplements everyday:
- Multi-Sourced Collagen Protein – The most abundant protein in our body that helps with bone strength, digestive function, amazing hair/skin/nails, joint support, strong tendons and ligaments and decreases overall inflammation.
- Melatonin – Our bodies create melatonin when the sun goes down, but if I take 2-3mg I go to sleep very, very quickly. And go into restorative sleep (REM, Deep) faster and stay there longer (thanks Whoop band). Maybe it is the placebo effect, but I don’t leave my house without melatonin when traveling.
- Coconut Oil – Rich in amazing fats like MCT’s that contribute to overall health, including skin, hair, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, oral health and encourages fat burning while delivering fuel directly to your brain in the form of short chain triglycerides.
- Vitamin E – Another powerful antioxidant that helps with healthy skin, hair, vision, reproductive health, increases red blood cell count and support a healthy immune system.
- Iodine – critical for proper thyroid function, inherent antiseptic that contributes to a healthy immune system, nerve health, brain health, and very important for fetal development (which is not a reason why I take everyday). This one is on the list of supplements I give to my kids every day, it is that important!
- Magnesium – I get a little bit of Mg in my LMNT supplement, but not enough for my daily needs. Mg is used by every cell in the body and used in hundreds of biochemical reaction throughout the body, and worst of all most people are deficient. It helps with muscle and nerve function, heart function, combats depression just to name a few. It helps chill me out at night and drift off into sweet slumber.
- Boron – very important for bone health, aids in wound healing, teeth/gum health, it increases the biological half life of vitamin D thus disallowing a deficiency (whoa! thank you Dr. Steven Lin), balances hormones and reduces overall inflammation.
- Beef Liver (& Beef Organs) – Liver is the healthiest food in the word, and the nastiest. I can’t do it. But I want it. So I take pills. Liver helps with well everything… Strong joints and connective tissue, brain health, heart health, bone density, immunity, liver support, kidney function, and more! Beef liver is the modern day multi-vitamin/mineral complex with all the B-vitamins, Vitamin A, Choline, Phosphorus, Manganese, Selenium, Copper, among many other!
- Vitamin K2 – plays a yuge (yes, I spelled it that way intentionally) role in bone health via calcium metabolism (meaning it controls calcium density in our bones and works to ensure calcium doesn’t build up in the arteries), heart heath, strengthens our teeth, and blood clotting, which sounds scary but is actually vitally important or else we would bleed to death every time we cut ourselves.
- Creatine – improves muscle mass, endurance, energy. I have found creatine allow me to fast and not lose weight either. However, creatine makes me gain about 5-8 pounds very quickly, which I don’t particularly love at my current stage of life…So I only take like 2g-3g per day.
- Mushroom Powder/Ashwagandha – a blend of 10 species of USA grown, organic whole food mushrooms including Cordyceps, Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Chaga, and more. Mushrooms help with overall vitality. They support overall health, immunity, focus, energy, cognition and performance. There is also a good amount of Ashwagunda in the mix as well, however, I do supplement with it as well since I don’t consume OM everyday.
- Cod Liver Oil/Fish Oil – Omega 3’s and a great natural source of Vitamin A (retinol) and Vitamin D. Look for a pure Cod Liver Oil that does not put synthetic forms of Vitamin A/D into the pill. Most do… I also take a fish oil supplement that does not have added synthetic vitamins as well. I try to get 2g per day.
- Flaxseed Oil – Another great way to up the amount of Omega 3’s in the diet.
- Spirulina – My kids love the fact that I take algae Yum! Dubbed as the “healthiest food in the world” (I feel like I have said that about many foods…), spirulina is similar to beef liver in that is a packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients and protein. Another reason why I don’t take a multi-vitamin. Spirulina has most everything a multi-vitamin has, except it is real food.
- Glutathione – Our bodies make this powerful antioxidant in our livers, however many/most people are woefully low in their levels. Glutathione is found in every cell in our bodies and benefits include protecting the body from disease by supporting immune function, improve insulin sensitivity and therefore help control blood sugar, transport mercury out of the bran (metal detoxification), slow cancer progression, and can even help reduce/fight again oxidative stress.
- Pterostilbene – reduce damage to cells from free radicals, anti-inflammatory, blood-sugar balancing effects, anti-obesity effects, heart health, brain health, health aging.
- Biotin – For the hair… Duh.
Supplements I do not take:
- Ascorbic Acid – Read up on the work of Morley Robbins and you’ll find that most supplements containing ‘vitamin C’ are ascorbic acid, which, according to Robbins, is actually a pro-oxidant, not an antioxidant. Go figure. I believe him, so I avoid ascorbic acid like the plague. I just eat a small orange/tangerine per day and get whole food vitamin C complex from it.
- Vitamin D – Again, according to Robbins, most people are not vitamin D deficient. We have too much Iron in our systems, and not enough copper. And taking lab made “storage” vitamin D is not going to do anything. We get vitamin D from the sun. So I try to get sunlight and use red light therapy daily. Living in FLA helps with this!
- Iron – I have always been skeptical of the need for much Iron and all the Iron deficiency in the US. Go study the work of Morley Robbins and you will swear off Iron once and for all…
- B-Vitamins – most (all) commercial multivitamins are using lab made B-vitamin complex, not great for the body. If you want all the B-vitamins, supplement with or consume Beef Liver on the regular.
Supplements I am still playing with, but undecided:
- NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) – David Sinclair has made this compound famous and rightfully so, it is pretty amazing. NMN is a powerful anti-aging compound that can improve brain health, heart heath, exercise, our livers and sleep. NMN improves insulin sensitivity, increases energy, assists in DNA repair which is the reason for anti-aging benefits. To get sciencey real quick, NMN gets converted into NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) in the body, so technically NAD is what is giving us all the benefits mentioned above.
- Resveratrol – The antioxidant in red wine, but you’d have to drink like 16 bottles to get the 1 gram of resveratrol I take each day. Please don’t do that… Anyway, resveratrol is another anti-aging, antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. It can help lower oxidized LDL, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity, have protective benefits to brain health, fight cancer growth and protect our joints by making our cartilage stronger.
- Leucine – Dubbed the most important amino acid for muscle building. Cool. I am in…
- Zinc – Zinc plays a role in immune health and hormonal health. It is involved in the manufacturing of testosterone. However, the more zinc you take, the less copper you have in the body. There is a delicate balance here. I don’t currently supplement with Zinc by itself because it is found in some other supplements I take (beef liver, spirulina). But I am keeping my eye on my zinc levels because while it can be toxic at high levels, it is very important…
- Methylene Blue – Potential miracle compound… Powerful antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, mitochondrial health, improved energy production, anti-aging, this list could go on forever. Hard to take though, I have to put drops in a capsule every morning with my morning smoothie. But worth it!
If you order any of these as powder in bulk from a company like Bulk Supplements, know that many of these powders are absolutely disgusting. Consider purchasing some capsules and stuff into them… Yes, I am a wimp. A very smart wimp… Here is the 1g+ size I use – Capsuline Size 000
Supplements I have played with and no longer take…
- Beta Alanine – I have tried to take this 3 separate times and it just makes me feel weird. Maybe I am just weird?
- L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1 – Similar to Beta Alanine, just makes me feel weird. And after reading a few books, including those by mark Sloan, I don’t think anyone should be taking this or anything that is a Nitric Oxide booster…
- Carbon 60 – I use Olive Oil on pretty much everything, so I cut this out.
To be continued…