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"What’s In YOUR Supplement Cupboard?: A Nutritionist’s Recommendation for 5 Key Supplements that Will Make the Biggest Impact on Your Overall Health, Fitness and Energy"

By Roxayn Daniels

Which supplements are in YOUR cupboard? Do you take any supplements at all? Or have you ever spent a lot of money on supplements and wondered whether they are even making a difference? Maybe you’ve accumulated an interesting collection of different supplements... the result of reading the latest study about a particular supplement in the newspaper or magazine.

If you’re like many people you have probably taken certain products off and on with no real consistency. Maybe you are confused about what you should take or wonder if supplements are even necessary at all? Following are a nutritionist’s recommendations for five key supplements that will make the biggest impact on your overall fitness, health, and energy.

In a Perfect World…
 There is still a small (and shrinking) number of nutritionists and dieticians who claim that supplements are unnecessary and that we can get everything we need from our food. While it makes sense that our bodies would more efficiently absorb and utilize nutrients from food rather than from supplements, after more than 10 years doing computerized analyses of people’s actual diets, I have yet to see even one person who is receiving at least 100% of their minimal requirements for 15 of the essential vitamins and minerals on a regular basis. In a perfect world where we would have our own organic garden complete with balanced, mineral rich soil, and eat an abundance and variety of only fresh, whole foods, ever day, never having to skip a meal or eat occasional processed or fast food, and weren’t exposed to things such as excess stress, exercise, pollution, and chemicals that increase our need for certain nutrients, then maybe it would be possible to achieve optimal health from our food alone.

The Reality…
 For most of us living in the real world, even with an above average diet, it is impossible to eat optimally all the time and most people are not getting everything their body requires every day for optimal health and fitness. Did you know that nutrient deficiencies can drastically affect your energy level, your long-term health, and your body’s metabolism and ability to burn bodyfat? You may be surprised that malnutrition is a major cause of obesity in North America!

If a body is deficient in even a few vitamins or minerals, this can cause excessive hunger. Also when there is inadequate intake of essential nutrients, energy production will be decreased and fat cannot be efficiently burned. To illustrate a few of many such examples: The B vitamins are essential to energy production and fat is burned at a greatly reduced rate if Vitamin B5 or B6 are undersupplied. Insufficient Vitamin E can cut fat utilization in half! Chromium, a mineral that is now deficient in 90% of our diets, is essential for muscle growth and normal insulin metabolism and therefore very important for control of bodyfat.

Leave “Fat Burners,” Creatine and other Extras on the Shelf Until You Have the Basics Covered! Before you even begin to experiment with optional supplements such as natural “fat burners,” creatine or others, it makes sense to ensure that you first have the basics covered. The five foundational supplements highlighted below will have the greatest impact on your overall health, energy, athletic performance, and ability to burn bodyfat and build muscle.

1. A Green Supplement
 Not as much a supplement as a “superfood!” Most contain an extremely health-supportive array of foods such as barley and wheat grass powders, chlorella, sprouts, fiber, as well as a variety of beneficial herbs, and sea vegetables. A quality green drink is loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals and a serving is equivalent to eating several organic salads. Green drink powders such as Greens+ (watermelon flavor is most popular), Blueberry Greens Force, GreensRx, and others can be purchased at most health food stores and are best taken first thing in the morning or any other time of the day on an empty stomach. There are even great tasting green drinks available for kids.

Although not inexpensive, think of your green supplement as a worthwhile investment in your health. After just a couple weeks of daily use, most people experience a noticeable difference in energy level. Within a relatively short time, you may also begin to notice other benefits such as increased mental clarity, nicer skin, better digestion, better sleep, and overall just a cleaner, healthier feeling. You have to try it to believe it!

2. A Protein Supplement
 Are you aware that your need for protein increases significantly if you exercise regularly, especially if you are strength-training? A good quality whey protein can be utilized by your body even more efficiently than protein from other sources such as chicken or fish. A protein shake is perfect for a post-workout snack and is also a great solution for people “on the go.” Place a serving of protein in a shaker cup and carry if with you. When you’re ready for a quick between meal snack, just add water, shake and drink!

When choosing a protein powder, look for supplements containing primarily whey isolates (either high alpha whey isolates, which are the best, or cross-flow micro filtered whey isolates). Because whey isolates are expensive to produce, many companies will mix these isolates with less expensive protein concentrates (such as caseinate and milk protein isolates) and still call them isolates. Read your labels. Not only are whey isolates the highest quality dietary proteins known to modern science, but they also have demonstrated a significant ability to increase our immune response – particularly in the fight with cancer.

These proteins also aid in fat burning and muscle growth, work as an appetite depressant, and can be used by those who are lactose intolerant. Avoid protein supplements with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and others and instead find one that is sweetened with a natural plant based sweetener called stevia. Vegetarians and those with allergies or intolerances to whey protein supplements can use brown rice protein, hemp protein, soy protein, or an exceptional vegetarian meal replacement product called Vega.

3. Essential Fats
 Many people are still eating too much fat. Surprisingly, many of these same people are actually deficient in the extremely important essential fats (Omega 3,6,9). These essential fats are important for a healthy brain and nervous system, immune system, and skin; for mood control; and also for efficient burning of bodyfat. Omega 3’s in particular are most deficient in our diets and must be supplemented. Good sources of the essential fats are foods such as high-fat fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel, sardines), raw nuts and seeds (e.g. walnuts, hemp seed and ground flax seed), supplements, or flax oil or an omega balance oil such as Udo’s Choice Oil.

4. A Good Quality Multi-Vitamin/Mineral
 While I am not a big believer in mega-dose supplements (except when needed to correct a severe imbalance or nutrient deficiency), a quality multi-vitamin/mineral is a great addition to an already healthy diet. It will help fill in the gaps on those days when you don’t eat as well as you’d like to and also make it easier to reach your recommended intake of certain nutrients that are most difficult to get from food alone such as iron, zinc, chromium and others.

5. Extra Calcium/Magnesium
 This important supplement recommendation is primarily for women as most men seem to achieve their calcium requirement from their diet and multi-mineral. Did you know that besides being critical for maintaining strong bones, there is a strong calcium / bodyfat connection? Estimates of the relationship between calcium intake and weight indicated that a 1,000 mg calcium intake difference is associated with an 8 kg (or almost 18 pound) difference in body weight.

Many women are not getting enough calcium in their diets. Are you? According to the National Institute of Health, the recommended total calcium intake (from diet and supplements) is 1,200 – 1,500 mg per day for teens and young adults under the age of 25, 1, 000 mg a day for women between 25 and 50 years of age, 1,200 – 1,500 for pregnant or lactating women, and 1,500 mg per day for postmenopausal women. The average calcium consumption among North American women is currently only 600 mg per day.

Increasing this average intake by about 600 mg through supplements and making a conscious effort to include more high-calcium foods in your daily diet, can have a dramatic effect on body weight and also ensure that you are not stealing calcium from your bones to make up for a shortage in your diet. It’s always best to take a calcium/magnesium combination (possibly with the addition of vitamin D depending upon how much you’re getting from other sources).

Keep it Simple…
 So there you have it folks… my recommendations for “5 Foundational Supplements” that almost everyone could benefit from. Your supplement program doesn’t have to be confusing. Keep it simple and take these five supplements (three of which are actually food based “supplements”) on a regular basis and you will know that your supplement money has been spent wisely! These five can provide many benefits including:

If you need some help selecting quality products, ask a knowledgeable health food store employee for their brand recommendations. Take care of your body and invest in your long-term health - you will be glad you did!

About the Author:

Roxayn Daniels is a certified Personal Trainer, Registered Nutritionist, and Life Coach in Vancouver, B.C. Her latest book, the Total Transformation Challenge ® is a unique 10 week fitness and wellness program for women. This program, complete with extra motivation and prize incentives, contains a 3 phase fitness program, a nutrition program that guarantees outstanding results, and the most effective transformation tools, strategies, and personal training “secrets” to help you achieve your fittest, healthiest, and most energetic body ever!

Visit for a variety of free "transformation tools" and resources or more information on the Total Transformation Challenge.

Personal Training site: www.transformationsfitness.ca