The Supplements I Take & Why + the Ayurvedic Extract That Helps Us Get More from Our Food

One of the most common questions I get from customers in the health food store where I sometimes work is “Which supplements should I be taking?”, which, when they learn I’m also a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, is almost always followed by, “What do you take?”

Here’s the thing: the choice to supplement is a deeply personal one. Although there is a core group of supplements that virtually everyone will benefit from (more on these at the end of this post), the supplements you choose to take will depend on a wide range of factors, including your unique goals, age, health conditions, diet, activity level, and even the time of year.

For instance, my personal daily supplement regimen (this is by no means a prescriptive list, as every body is different, and my needs will undoubtedly be different from yours), includes:

• Berberine, for blood sugar regulation, which helps to keep my hormones balanced and my skin clear,
• N.A.C, which helps to detoxify excess estrogen from the liver,
• Probiotics, for gut health,
• Evening Primrose Oil,
• B Complex,
• Vitamin D,
• and Magnesium.

And then there are the as-needed supplements that I keep on-hand, but don’t necessarily take every day, such as Ashwagandha for stress/sleep support, Vitamin C, for an extra immune boost, rhodiola, for those mornings when I just need a little extra energy and stamina, and occasionally a greens or protein powder, for the days (or seasons) when my diet isn’t as on-point as I’d like it to be.

Are all of these really necessary? For you, maybe not. Or perhaps you require a completely different curation of herbal and nutritional support.

In an ideal world, I’d love to tell you that we can get everything we need from a natural, whole-foods diet. Unfortunately, in today’s world of ultra-processed foods, GMO’s, soils that have been so over-tilled that they are completely depleted of minerals, and produce that is picked long before it ripens and then shipped in the back of cargo trailers before it sits in a supermarket display, sometimes for weeks, that is simply no longer a realistic option. Even if you ate perfectly at every meal, every day of your life – which, let’s be real, even the best of us don’t – it still wouldn’t be feasible to get all of the nutrition we need, the way that our food is produced in North America today.

We can, however, do our best by eating a colourful variety of unprocessed, nutritionally-dense foods (ideally local), including organic or frozen fruits and veggies (which are picked when ripe and immediately frozen, so their nutritional content remains high), grass-fed meat (particularly organ meats), pasture-raised eggs (including the yolk), wild-caught fish, and plenty of sprouts, seeds, and even seaweed. This will help ensure that any gaps in our intake are few and far between, thus minimizing the need for nutritional support via supplementation.

There is, in fact, one supplement worth noting that can actually boost the bioavailability of the nutrients that are present in the foods we eat, meaning we are able to absorb more vitamins and minerals from our diet.  

Shilajit is an Ayurvedic (ancient Indian) remedy that consists of the dark, mineral-rich extract of high-mountain rocks in the heat of Summer. Sound woo-woo? Despite its somewhat dubious host of aliases including names like “Blood of the Mountain”, and “Juice of Rock”, Shilajit has been used successfully for over 3000 years to promote gentle detoxification, strengthen the immune system (particularly the lungs and respiratory tract), support the kidneys and urinary tract, help maintain balanced blood sugar, fortify the bones, and promote energy and healthy aging, all alongside its aforementioned benefit of enhancing the absorption of nutrients, even magnifying the potency of other herbs and supplements.  

It does this by providing a rare combination of beneficial trace minerals, including silica, iron, calcium, copper, lithium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, and zinc, as well as fulvic acid, humic acid, amino acids, and plant-based antioxidants. Shilajit is created from the slow decomposition of plant material over many centuries, deep in the rocks of high mountainous regions across the world. As it develops, it becomes a sticky, mineral-infused substance. Stimulated by the intense heat of Summer, it eventually seeps out of the rocks and is available for harvest.

If you’re still on the fence about supplements, or are unsure where to start, it’s important to know that quality and sourcing does matter, and if you’re shopping at a reputable health food store (and not in the pharmacy section at Costco), a well-trained sales rep should be able to assess your needs and recommend some well-formulated products that will get you the results you want.

Having worked closely with brand reps, and attended seminars on the research, manufacturing, and comparative mechanisms of many supplements, I can assure you that natural health products are regulated, despite what you may have heard from TikTok or That Guy on YouTube, and many are also sourced and extracted with the utmost care, as well as being clinically studied and third-party tested for safety and efficacy.

As with anything, a balanced and informed approach is always well-advised. Although I’m a passionate advocate for the benefits of supplementation alongside (not instead-of) a health-promoting diet and lifestyle, you can have too much of a good thing. We don’t need to be taking every latest and greatest “superfood” or extract we read about in the headlines, just because it’s purportedly “good for us”. The list of foods and practices that are “good for us” is so long and wide-reaching that to try and incorporate every single one on a daily basis would be insanity. And there comes a time (usually when you find yourself taking handfuls of softgels multiple times a day) that you may reach a point of diminishing returns. The body cannot, after all, process, absorb and utilize unlimited chemical compounds.

Instead, it’s best to select a few supplements that are going to provide the most benefit in the areas where you personally need the most support. If you aren’t sure what those are, a good place to start would be a marine- or plant-based Omega-3 supplement (which is particularly hard to come by in the Standard American Diet, and is important for healthy aging and preventing inflammation, the root of all disease), a Probiotic (because gut health equals total-body health), and a high-quality Multivitamin.

And maybe even Shilajit, if you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck from your lovingly-planned, nutrient-dense dinners.