The Best Food Supplements for Better Health
Improve Your Hormone Profile, Lose Fat & Build Muscle With These Top Supplements
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There's an undeniable sweet spot when it comes to using supplements to address your body's micronutrient needs. On the one hand, you should be getting the majority of your vitamins and minerals from a well-rounded, healthy diet; on the other hand, even meticulous attention to dietary details can leave you lacking, in whole or in part, in some key nutrients.
Supplementing a good diet with targeted, high-quality vitamins and minerals will help you shore up your nutritional deficiencies, address some lagging issues, and even maximize your muscle-building and fat loss potential.
But before we look at a few supplement categories that can improve different aspects of health, here is a quick note about the supplement industry: There are a lot of faulty claims out there, and a lot of companies that make cheap or mislabeled products. Always look at the label before you buy or take a supplement. Many companies put in a tiny amount of the advertised product (which is often quite expensive to produce) and fill the rest of the pill with cheap, useless crap like sand or other fillers. Stay away from anything that lists a “proprietary blend” on the label. Also stay away from supplements that use corn oil, soybean oil, or vegetable oil as a carrier.
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With that caveat out of the way, here's what you need to know about food supplements and how they can help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
Boost Your Testosterone Levels
Testosterone is not just for guys who want to get huge. It’s a vital hormone that all men need. Having low testosterone levels can lead to a decreased sex drive, an increase in body fat, and feelings of fatigue and brain fog. It can even make you feel less confident.
While nothing will magically double or triple your testosterone levels, there are a few nutrients that can help.
Vitamin D - Jarrow Formula D3, 100 Servings
Yes, the sunshine vitamin can have an impact on your testosterone levels. In addition to boosting cognitive function, immune system, bone health, and mood, vitamin D can help regulate testosterone levels.
Vitamin D is particular important for those of us living in the northern hemisphere and have to deal with winter. Because of the cold, many of us tend to not want to go outdoors, which means we don't get enough exposure to the sun, and in turn, we develop a lack of vitamin D. Supplements are a great way to compensate for those cold days that force us to stay indoors.
Zinc - Thorne Zinc Picolinate, 60 Servings
A Zinc deficiency can cause a drop in testosterone. Taking a Zinc supplement can be helpful – especially if you don’t eat a lot of red meat. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of Zinc deficiency include hair loss, impotence and eye and skin conditions.
Magnesium - Natural Calm Magnesium Gummies, 240 Servings
Magnesium is another heavy hitter. It’ essential to more than 300 enzymatic processes. It improves cardiovascular function, ATP (energy) production, metabolism, insulin sensitivity, anxiety, and PMS. It relieves stress and dramatically improves sleep quality. You can feel it calm you down. And, most importantly, it can also help increase testosterone production.
Add in the fact that 68% of Americans are magnesium deficient and you see why this supplement makes the list. We simply don't get enough magnesium in our diets. The reason for this is that there aren't enough high concentrations in our soil, and if it's not in our soil, it's not in our food. Another reason we might not be getting enough magnesium is because we simply aren't eating enough vegetables.
Sometimes grabbing some leafy greens is just impossible, so taking a magnesium supplement can be a great alternative. It's important to take it before bed as it's a natural sedative. (It can actually give you a better quality sleep). It can also help with inflammation and might be the answer if you're inexplicably gaining weight.
Reduce Inflammation & Joint Pain
You don’t need to be a lifelong gym rat to suffer from pains and aches. I’m not talking about the pain you feel after a bad fall or catching an elbow to the face while playing basketball. I am talking about the chronic kind of pain – shoulder or knee pain, stiff joints. If you live an active lifestyle, the everyday wear and tear on your body is enough to cause inflammation.
If you suffer from recurring pain, nothing replaces going to see a doctor. However, certain dietary supplements can help with chronic pain and inflammation. They won’t work as quickly as a Tylenol, but if you take them consistently you may not need painkillers anymore.
Collagen - Bulletproof Collagen Peptides, 25 Servings
Collagen is the main protein found in animal connective tissue, including your connective tissue. Your joints, tendons, ligaments, and skin will all benefit if you take collagen. It improves flexibility and makes your bones less brittle. It’s even good for your brain. It provides glycine, a neurotransmitter involved in energy synthesis, motor control, and sensory pathways. You can get collagen from foods like grass-fed organic meats and bone broth soup made from grass-fed cow bones. A more convenient source is grass-fed collagen powder.
Glutathione - Bulletproof Glutathione Force, 90 Servings
Glutathione is an extraordinary antioxidant. All your cells produce it, and it’s the body’s main line of defense against oxidative stress. It also acts like a battery, charging other antioxidants like vitamins C and E so they can do more work in your body. It removes heavy metals from your system, increases resilience by improving immune system function, and crushes both systemic and neural inflammation. There’s plenty more glutathione does, too. Check out some of the research on your own if you’re curious – glutathione is very well studied.
Typical glutathione supplements break down in stomach acid, turning into amino acids that don’t impart all the exceptional benefits listed above. The Bulletproof Glutathione Force supplement is bound to a peptide called lactoferrin that protects it as it passes through the stomach, delivering it intact to your gut, where it can work its magic. Upgraded Glutathione also contains molybdenum, a mineral that activates enzymes involved in glutathione activity to boost its effects even more.
Omega-3 - Dr. Tobias Omega 3, 90 Servings
Omega-3 supplements are some of the most potent anti-inflammatory diet supplements in existence. Many things can cause inflammation, including lack of sleep, poor diet and stress. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3s. But if you don’t eat wild-caught fish on a regular basis, consider taking a fish oil supplement. It’s good for your heart, brain and cholesterol levels. It can act as an anti-inflammatory agent when taken consistently.
Be careful, though, because as important as it is to get enough Omega-3s, it's equally important to reduce Omega-6s, which cause pro-inflammatory carcinoids. Avoiding vegetable oil is a great first step in reducing your Omega-6 intake.
Fortify Your Immune System
A weak immune system is no good. Nobody enjoys being tired, sick, and run-down all the time. The following supplements will enhance many other areas of your health — not just your immune system — and are beneficial to just about anyone.
Vitamin C - SOLARAY Super Bio Vitamin C, 125 Servings
Vitamin C has been around for forever, so its effects have been exhaustively studied and well documented. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, it enhances immune function, and it aids in collagen synthesis, promoting radiant skin and flexible joints. It’s also very safe. One study showed that participants could consume up to 120 grams of vitamin C a day with no side effects.
$27.99 at Amazon.com
Greens Powder - Amazing Grass Greens Blend Superfood, 30 Servings
This is the new multivitamin. Think of it as an insurance policy for your health. A quality greens powder should include a variety of freeze-dried plant extracts. This ensures you are getting nutrients from real food sources – instead of a chemically produced multivitamin. However, this shouldn’t be an excuse to skip eating your vegetables.
$25.99 at Amazon.com
Probiotics - BioSchwartz Daily Probiotic Supplement, 60 Servings
This may surprise you, but you're actually more bacterial than human. Their are over 100 trillion bacteria cells in your gut. These bacteria are crucial in maintaining a healthy immune system, which is why you might want to take a probiotic supplement to restore balance in your gut. Improving the levels of good bacteria in your digestive system assists both your digestion and immune function. Modern-day life is pretty stressful and can play a big part in throwing the bacteria off-balance. Another big problem is the prevalence of antibiotics. Antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria, but also target the good bacteria, throwing your whole system for a loop. Yogurt is a good source of probiotics, but taking them in pill form can be easier in some situations.
$18.79 at Amazon.com
Speed Up Fat Loss
This is the one topic you all want to hear about. The truth of the matter is that fat loss requires a caloric deficit. No pill will magically reduce your waistline — regardless of how flashy its label may be.
That being said, this last nutrient has an array of health benefits— and may help you lose weight when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Green Tea - Zenwise Green Tea Extract, 120 Servings
You can use green tea extract or drink the tea itself. Green tea is loaded with catechins – a type of antioxidant that benefits just about every organ in your body. It protects your heart, brain and liver, improves the health of your blood vessels and reduces your risk of developing cancer. It also contains caffeine – which can help with fat loss.
$19.77 at Amazon.com
Concluding Thoughts
Supplements aren’t always necessary, and it’s easy to be turned off by the aggressive marketing tactics used by supplement brands. However, they can be useful even if you aren’t trying to be the strongest guy in the gym or look like a bodybuilder. Use this guide, do your own research and talk to a doctor before you start taking anything.
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