Supplements

Supplements are just what the name implies--a supplement to your diet. You can not have a handful of M&Ms, Diet Coke and pop some pills and think you are good. WRONG! You need to eat as much "real" food as possible and supplement. I think everyone needs to take a multi-vitamin, glucosamine with chondroitin, fish oil (animal based oil) or flax seed oil (plant based oil) at a minimun and, add calcium if you are a female. Based on your individual needs, there are other things you might add to the mix. I also use a protein powder (for when I eat my oatmeal--and any other time when I don't get enough protein with the meal). You can see that I take quite a few things more than what I mentioned and that is less than what I use to take--way less! I have been using Opti-Women vitamins by Optimum Nutrition for years. They make versions for men and seniors too. Any time you can find a multi-vitamin that is whole food based--the better it is. Because it is whole food based and not synthetic, you will have to take it two or maybe three times a day. The glucosamine/chondroitin is for your joints. It is a supplement that you don't notice right away but, if you stop, you will notice that you aren't taking it any more... Fish/flax oil is essential fat. We need fat but there is a difference between good fat and bad fat. Unfortunately, the American diet seems to have tons of bad fat and not enough good fat. I have been taking fish or flax oil for 15 years or so. I really believe that the water I drink and this supplement is part of the reason my skin looks so good. I had terrible skin when I was younger and now I get so many complements on my skin. How funny is that?! I also use melatonin and L-tryptophan together as a sleep aid when I need it--it is natural and non-habit forming.

I am not real big on medicine but a big proponent of supplements. If you are giving your body what it needs to do it's job, you won't need to take meds--in many cases. This country is over-medicated! You go to the doc and the first thing they do is write a script. What they need to do is discuss your diet and exercise. I firmly believe that many things can be changed by diet and exercise.

Change your body--change your life!