Ask the Experts: What Supplements Should We Really Be Taking?
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With stress levels rising and people looking for ways to boost their immunity levels and get proper nutrition, wellness experts say this could be an ideal time for you to start a supplements routine. Adding a couple of easy-to-take supplements to your daily food intake and exercise regimen could go a long way towards keeping you healthy — and sane.
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“Ideally, you’d get all of your nutrients from a healthy diet, but the reality is that many people struggle to eat well and that certain nutrients are difficult to get, even with a well-planned diet,” says Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietician, and nutrition and wellness expert. “Beyond just meeting your basic needs, certain supplements can optimize your well-being. Though full-fledged deficiencies are rare,” she continues, “I often see insufficiencies—people taking in inadequate amounts of certain nutrients. In these cases, supplements can be helpful and are easy to take regularly.”
Bela Patel, Pharm.D. and Certified Holistic Health Coach and Founder of WholisticPharmacist.com said that this doesn’t necessarily mean supplements can protect against something like, say, COVID-19. “So while we do see benefits with vitamin C and zinc with the flu and common cold, sufficient studies aren’t yet available to show if they will respond similarly to COVID-19.”
These supplements may not curb all your wintertime sickness blues, but experts say they all play an important function into your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Whether you’re looking to boost your immune system, heal your gut or just need to calm some anxious thoughts, here are the best supplements to take right now.
1. Multivitamins
“While there isn’t one specific supplement that is the magic pill for immunity, you can consider a daily multivitamin if you feel your diet isn’t filled with a colorful array of fruits and vegetables,” Patel says. “The micronutrients essential for adults can often be found in most multivitamins.”
Ritual Vitamin Subscription
If you’re worried about cold and flu season, you might want to consider combining your multivitamin with herbs that support healthy immune functions, like ginger or elderberry. Remember that you’re playing the long game though when it comes to building up your immune system, so whatever vitamins or supplements you take, it’s recommended to them regularly, not just when you start to feel the sniffles coming on.
INBLOOM Immune Defense Blend
2. Vitamin C
Everyone knows that the best way to get vitamin C is through fresh fruits and vegetables, but as grocery stores continue to face the squeeze of inflation, that’s easier said than done. And while a number of meal delivery services and grocery delivery companies have stepped up to deliver fresh produce to your door, you can’t beat the convenience of a vitamin supplement.
“This vitamin is very important for your health,” Patel stresses. “It acts as a powerful antioxidant, which helps to fight free radical damage caused by the environment, processed foods, and stress, which eventually causes cellular damage. Vitamin C acts to neutralize these free radicals preventing this inflammation,” she explains.
Need more proof of its benefits: As a result of vitamin C’s anti-inflammatory activity, Wuhan University in China started clinical trials to assess high-dose vitamin C infusion as treatment against severe acute respiratory illnesses associated with the coronavirus.
Care/Of Vitamin C Supplement Subscription
3. Vitamin D
“Vitamin D is hard to come by in food and while you can get it from sunshine — which activates your body to make it — most of us don’t get sufficient, unexposed sun time,” Cassetty says. Those popular light therapy lamps can mimic the appearance of sunshine, but they won’t have the additional health benefits of vitamin D.
“Vitamin D supports a healthy immune system and supplementation has been shown to protect against respiratory infections,” Cassetty says, “so if you aren’t already taking it, you might want to consider it.”
Sports Research Vitamin D Softgels
4. Zinc
“A number of studies have found that when using zinc lozenges during a cold, the duration of the cold was reduced by one day,” Patel says. “While its specific mechanism is unknown, theories include that it prevents the [cold] virus from entering cells and/or that it decreases the inflammatory cytokines in the blood.”
In addition to boosting immunity, Zinc also has a number of additional benefits, including helping to speed up the healing of wounds, improving brain function, and helping the treatment of acne. These quick-dissolve tablets are easier to take than traditional pills or capsules, too.
Thorne Zinc Picolinate
5. Magnesium
If you just need to calm down a little bit, you’ll want to keep some magnesium in your medicine cabinet. “Magnesium is a relaxation mineral,” Cassetty explains. “It helps counter the effects of stress in your body and supports a healthy sleep cycle, so it’s especially relevant right now. It’s also involved in your immune response.”
Though magnesium is found in common pantry items, like whole grains, beans and nuts, studies have shown that up to 80% of Americans have a magnesium deficiency.
Cassetty recommends taking magnesium in powder form (mixed with water). “Magnesium is a larger mineral so pills are hard to swallow,” she says. The flavored packets from OMG! Nutrition are highly-absorbable, and make it easier to get your daily dose of magnesium, while being easier on your stomach (“The most common form of magnesium pills — magnesium citrate — can cause stomach discomfort and a laxative effect,” Cassetty says). Also: this drink powder tastes surprisingly good.
OMG! Nutrition Magnesium Packets
6. Probiotics
“Your gut hosts the majority of your immune functioning, so it’s important to maintain the integrity of your GI tract,” shares Cassetty. “That takes a multi-pronged approach that involves eating a diverse, high-fiber diet, including colorful foods that are rich in polyphenols, and enjoying fermented foods, like yogurt, regularly. This strategy makes sure that you’re feeding the beneficial bacteria as well as consuming foods that supply them.”
Still, probiotic supplements can come in handy, both if you don’t have access to fermented foods easily, or if you want to add an extra boost to your gut health and digestive health.
“If you’re shopping for a probiotic, look for one that has strains that have been clinically shown to produce the response you’re looking for,” Cassetty says. Nella Probiotics, for example, has been clinically validated to show improved sleep quality, increased energy and better digestion. In a departure from typical probiotics, Nella uses strains that come from the stool of athletes for increased performance (no, seriously). Five-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Nathan Adrian, six-time world champion wrestler Adeline Gray and ultramarathon runner Kyle Pietari are among the athletes sharing their fecal matter for the benefit of humanity.
These capsules are vegan, gluten-free and contain no dairy or soy, making it easy on even the most sensitive stomachs. Additional benefits of taking a probiotic: these pills can help relieve diarrhea, gas and bloating.
Nella Performance Probiotics
1. Viva Naturals Vitamin C Capsules
Everyone knows that the best way to get vitamin C is through fresh fruits and vegetables, but that’s easier said than done. At the end of the day, you can’t beat the convenience of a vitamin supplement.
“This vitamin is very important for your health,” says Bela Patel, Pharm.D. and Certified Holistic Health Coach. “It acts as a powerful antioxidant, which helps to fight free radical damage caused by the environment, processed foods and stress, which eventually causes cellular damage. Vitamin C acts to neutralize these free radicals preventing this inflammation,” she explains.
What we like: one bottle contains 250 capsules -- enough to last you more than eight months, when taken once-daily.
Viva Naturals Vitamin C Capsules
2. Sports Research Vitamin D3 Softgels
“Vitamin D is hard to come by in food and while you can get it from sunshine — which activates your body to make it — most of us don’t get sufficient, unexposed sun time,” Cassetty says. Those popular light therapy lamps can mimic the appearance of sunshine, but they won’t have the additional health benefits of vitamin D, which can help strengthen your bones and boost your overall mood.
“Vitamin D supports a healthy immune system and supplementation has been shown to protect against respiratory infections,” Cassetty says, “so if you aren’t already taking it, you might want to consider it.
What we like: these pills are blended with natural coconut oil, making it easier to swallow and digest.
Sports Research Vitamin D3 Softgels
3. Frunutta Zinc Tablets
“A number of studies have found that when using zinc lozenges during a cold, the duration of the cold was reduced by one day,” Patel says. “While its specific mechanism is unknown, theories include that it prevents the [cold] virus from entering cells and/or that it decreases the inflammatory cytokines in the blood.”
In addition to boosting immunity, Zinc also has a number of additional benefits, including helping to speed up the healing of wounds, improving brain function, and helping the treatment of acne.
What we like: these quick-dissolve tablets are easier to take than traditional pills or capsules.
Frunutta Zinc Tablets
4. OMG! Nutrition Magnesium Powder
If you just need to calm down a little bit, you’ll want to keep some magnesium in your medicine cabinet. “Magnesium is a relaxation mineral,” Cassetty explains. “It helps counter the effects of stress in your body and supports a healthy sleep cycle, so it’s especially relevant right now. It’s also involved in your immune response.”
Though magnesium is found in common foods, like whole grains, beans, nuts, and dark leafy greens, studies have shown that up to 80% of Americans have a magnesium deficiency.
Cassetty recommends taking magnesium in powder form (mixed with water). “Magnesium is a larger mineral so pills are hard to swallow,” she says. The flavored packets from OMG! Nutrition are highly-absorbable, and make it easier to get your daily dose of magnesium, while being easier on your stomach (“The most common form of magnesium pills — magnesium citrate — can cause stomach discomfort and a laxative effect,” Cassetty says).
OMG! Nutrition Magnesium Powder
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