4 Things To Consider Before Taking Supplements

Before we get into all things supplements; I want to give you a summary of this article right from the start. Supplements are NOT a replacement for lifestyle changes and an aligned eating routine. Supplements can surely be the cherry on top of a wellness and aligned eating routine but they will not magically (despite what all of the fancy marketing tells you) get you to a state of wellbeing. You know what will? Hard work to develop habits that nourish you. More on that later. For now, let us unpack supplements. 

If you are considering adding supplements into your routine. Please consider the 4 things below:

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1) Analyze your habits and make tweaks as necessary. 

As I stated above, supplements are no substitute for lifestyle habits that nourish your body,  mind, and soul. Before you add any supplements, analyze your wellbeing routine. Are there any tweaks you can make to better support your health? For example, if you are skipping meals or erratically eating when you do sit down for a meal, can you put more focus on prioritizing your nourishment for a few weeks? Aim for 2-3 meals per day spaced out with 2-4 hours and snacks to bridge the gap between meals as needed. If you are already giving your lifestyle habits your all and you want to add supplementation. 

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2) Consider your why.

I often recommend supplements to my clients AFTER we tweak their lifestyle habits. Sometimes I even use functional lab testing as my guide and sometimes I consider general rules when it comes to supplements. For personalized supplement recommendations I encourage you to talk to your doctor or a trusted healthcare professional who can review your labs and health history and make appropriate recommendations. There are also general rules to consider, here are a few:

• Trying to get pregnant or balance your hormones? Take a prenatal.
• Sick or trying to boost immunity? Take a whole food source of vitamin C, extra vitamin D, and some zinc.
• Is Winter cold and dark where you live? Take vitamin D.
• Taking an antibiotic or wanting to boost gut health? Take a prebiotic/probiotic.

3. Not all supplements are created equal. 

Consider your source when buying supplements. If you are ordering supplements off Facebook or Instagram, realize that these supplement companies are probably paying more in marketing than in development of said supplement. Again a conversation with your doctor or a trusted healthcare professional or even some research on your own will give you insight on some of the higher quality supplement brands. Do not be afraid to advocate for your health. Ask questions to these companies directly asking about the development of their supplements and the quality standards they follow. 

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4. Give supplements a trial run. 

If after going through all of these considerations you have found a supplement you are ready to add- give it a go! If you notice any severe adverse reactions, discontinue the supplement immediately. If there are no severe or adverse reactions, I usually advise my clients to stick with a new supplement anywhere from 6-12 weeks. During this time, revisit your why for supplementation and determine if this supplement is meeting your original why. If you don't notice a change, give the supplement the full trial period of 12 weeks. After that time if you don't notice a difference, you can most likely discontinue use, however if they were recommended by your doctor or a trusted healthcare professional, you would want to have a conversation with them before discontinuing.

  Hopefully this has given you a starting point if and when you are considering supplementation. For more information on how supplementation can be the cherry on top of your wellness routine (or to get started with a personalized wellness routine) fill out my form and let’s connect!

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