Tuesday's Q&A in Lafayette LA - 6/17/14

For this week's Q&A Tuesday we answer an EXTREMELY common question…

Q: What supplements should I be taking?

A: Supplements in Lafayette LA - they're pretty much essential health-boosters that can help you fill in nutritional gaps and protect your body against the occasional diet slip-up. While they won't make up for a bad diet, think of supplements as your nutritional pit crew, standing at the ready to make those quick adjustments, tweaks and fixes to your internal engines and get you back out on the road, raring to go.

Fact of the matter is, with so much of our food grown in soil that's depleted of nutrients, it's tough to get the necessary nutrition from food alone. Furthermore, if your meal features foods that have been genetically modified, sprayed with pesticides, processed, packaged and trucked long distances, most of the nutritional value has been lost by the time it hits your plate. So our bodies wind up being overfed with empty calories - and starved of nutrients.

While I recommend everyone should eat whole, preferably organic foods or from farmers' markets, I also believe that supplements are important as well. So where to start? Here's a basic list of supplement superstars in Lafayette that just about everyone can benefit from…

What We take Every Day (and You should SERIOUSLY consider doing the same!)
At minimum, I recommend taking a multivitamin, vitamin D3, fish oil and a probiotic. Why? Because the Fab Four covers a lot of health bases. Together, they can help keep your gut and insulin levels on an even keel, keep energy levels high and even help reduce cancer and heart disease risk.

1. Multivitamin
We have a huge need for protective, health-supporting nutrients to help us combat the daily assault of living in a polluted and stressful world. It's also why I put a good multivitamin at the top of my "vita-must" list. Think of a multivitamin as a little insurance policy to help protect your body against the vitamin and mineral shortfalls that can occur even in diets that are rich in healthy foods. By gifting your body with a multi, you'll also be optimizing cellular function, which helps make all your systems work consistently at their peak, instead of sputtering through the day.

A few Multi-vitamin buying tips:

• When buying, look for multi-vitamins in capsule form with an easily absorbed enteric coating versus harder-to-digest tablet versions.
• Always take your multi with food to assist with absorption and prevent the queasiness that can sometimes occur on an empty stomach.
• If you're on medications, review your multi's contents with your doc to make sure there aren't any contraindications.
• As there is currently little regulation of supplements in the US, be sure to buy from a reputable company, preferably a "whole-foods-source," like Innate Response.

2. Vitamin D3
Vitamin D, actually a pre-hormone and not a vitamin, is like the office busy body - it's involved in just about everything - playing an essential role in the making of hundreds of disease-preventing proteins and enzymes, and affecting more than 2,000 genes in the body. It enhances muscle strength, builds bone, has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects and bolsters the immune system. Come up perpetually short and over time, you could be leaving your body vulnerable to scourges like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Here's the tricky part: it's virtually impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from food, so you have to get it from supplements and sun exposure.

Vitamin-D fun facts:

• Generally 2,000 - 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 is a typical maintenance dose, but if your levels are low, you may need more - but don't DIY it or guess your appropriate dose. Have your levels checked by your doc at your annual physical to determine your needs.
• Ideally, your levels should be in the optimal range of 50 to 80 ng/ml.

3. Fish Oils
Fish oil supplements are rich in the essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are vital to good health. They support your body's ability to prevent chronic diseases and help protect it against inflammation. They also promote a stronger immune system; cardiovascular, joint and vision health; strengthen skin, hair, and nails; and enhance nutrient absorption, metabolic function as well as attention, mood and memory skills. In short, fish oil is seriously good stuff, but as with Vitamin D, you can't make your own omega-3 fatty acids, so you've got to get it from outside sources. Fatty fish and fish oil supplements are your best sources.

Fish Oil Tips:

• I recommend a dosage of at least 1200 mg of combined EPA and DHA daily, but make sure you choose a good quality fish oil to ensure purity and the removal of heavy metals, pesticides and any other weird chemicals/contaminants.
• We like Nordic Naturals because they are extremely high quality pharmaceutical grade fish oil & the environment wasn't harmed in the process (meaning the salmon are wild caught)
• BONUS: We take Pro-Omega-D by Nordic Naturals every day which provides not only our daily dose of fish oil - but also Vitamin-D! It's a 2-in-1 combo!

4. Probiotics
Probiotics are the naturally occurring "good" bacteria that live in your gut and play a significant role in your total wellness. When you're healthy, your intestinal tract hosts a battalion of more than 100 trillion friendly bacteria, who spend their days aiding digestion, boosting your immune system and consuming bad bacteria. They manufacture key nutrients and limit the growth of yeast and unhealthy bacteria - and in their spare time, they also help inhibit bouts of lactose intolerance, poor digestion and diarrhea. Poor diet, stress, pollution and antibiotic use can wipe out the good bacteria, so it's up to you to fortify and repopulate your gut with healthy bacteria - which is where probiotics come in. A daily dose of probiotics is a fantastic way to swiftly and significantly improve digestion and strengthen immunity - no prescription required! (P.S. Nordic Naturals also makes our "Go-to" Pro-biotic)

Probiotic added tips:

• Look for probiotic capsules or powders with the two most common and effective beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria.
• The daily dose for both should be 10-30 billion viable or "live" units of bacteria a day.
• We take Nordic Naturals Probiotics everyday! In all my years of researching supplements, I have yet to find a company that is of the same caliber as Nordic Naturals!

By Francesca Marino D.C.