Healthy lifestyle: Top 5 Supplements for Optimal Health

You are what you eat - a healthy diet containing the necessary vitamins and minerals is imperative for a healthy lifestyle. It is easy to say this; however as we all know, it is almost impossible to jam-pack all the necessary nutrition into our daily diet. Sometimes we just don’t have the time and money to cook some fish for omega-3s, eat some red meats for iron and ingest enough protein for muscle building.

Furthermore even if you somehow manage to have a “perfect diet”, absorption and bioavailability restrict how much of these vitamins and minerals are actually taken up in your body for the effects to occur. A common and well documented example is drinking milk whilst eating a meal containing eggs or meant. This would lower the absorption of the calcium in the milk because iron (from the eggs or meat) binds to calcium in the intestines lowering absorption (Landa, 2012). Ideally these should be separated by a period 3 hours, which requires time and planning to actually happen. Therefore supplements provide a quick and easy solution to this provided they are of high quality and taken at the appropriate times (sensitive vitamins and minerals right before bed and fat soluble vitamins during a meal).

So here are 5 recommended supplements for a healthy diet and lifestyle:

1. Multivitamins – not a fan of taking lots and lots of different pills each day? Multivitamins provide a nice way to supplement your nutrition requirements whilst containing other nutrients that you can also benefit from. When choosing a multivitamin, find one that offers you the nutrients that would benefit you the most. E.g. if you have a family history of prostate cancer then look for multivitamins containing boron.

2. Vitamin D3 – is required for maintaining a healthy life. When the sun’s rays are absorbed the skin, it is converted to vitamin D3 which many people are deficient in. Low Vitamin D levels have been linked to; several types of cancer, depression, and low bone density (Jackson et al., 2007).

3. Coenzyme Q10 – or CoQ10 for short, is a well-known “inflammation fighter” as it has anti-inflammation effects. Therefore it has preventative effects against arthritis, headaches and premature ageing due to sun exposure (Fuller et al., 2006).

4. Fish Oil – found to be important in warding off heart disease and preventing cognitive decline. Also found to be good for vision, diabetes and joints.

5. Folic acid (folate) – many people already know the need for folate for women during pregnancy to minimise risk of defects of the brain and spinal cord. It is also important for both men and women for all ages. Folate is a Vitamin B with studies demonstrating it decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and also lowers risk of hypertension (Hinterberger and Fischer, 2013).

Check our supplements products for optimal health:

Fish Oil 1000mg Omega 3 400 Capsules - Healthy Care

Omega 3 1000mg 180 Caps - Natural Life

Wild Krill Oil 1000mg 30 caps - Healthy Care

Super Calcium + Vitamin D 400 Tablets - Healthy Care

References:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/03/top-5-supplements-for-optimal-health.html
Fuller B, Smith D, Howerton A, Kern D. Anti‐inflammatory effects of CoQ10 and colorless carotenoids. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology; 01.03.2006;5:30.
Hinterberger M, Fischer P. Folate and Alzheimer: when time matters. Journal of Neural Transmission. 2013;2012;120:211-224.
Jackson C, Gaugris S, Sen SS, Hosking D. The effect of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) on the risk of fall and fracture: a meta-analysis. QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians. 2007;100:185-192.