Supplementing
MKknits
Posts: 184 Member
I dislike taking daily multi-vitamins, the only things I can see that they do is make me pee neon yellow. I have continued to take a Vitamin D and Vitamin B supplement as I do have a deficiency in both. I also take MagCalm some nights. Right now I just use the Rite Aid brand of most vitamins, but I do realize that there are better ways and better brands to get these vitamins. We spend money on high quality supplements for my epileptic special needs daughter, so I do know and realize there can be a vast difference in quality, we were trying to save money and started buying the fish oil caplets we give her from Sam's Club and it became pretty apparent that they were not helping in the way we wanted them to so we went back to Nordic Naturals or Carlsons fish oil caplets.
So I'm looking for recommendations what should I add to replace some of what I am missing by going low carb? Any brand recommendations? I would love to add things that are more natural and less processed (so taking fish oil instead of taking an omega supplement is an example).
I do have some spirulina tablets here but haven't been taking them, thinking I should add those puppies in. Also have some krill oil caplets but I can't stomach the smell of them so I haven't been using them.
So I'm looking for recommendations what should I add to replace some of what I am missing by going low carb? Any brand recommendations? I would love to add things that are more natural and less processed (so taking fish oil instead of taking an omega supplement is an example).
I do have some spirulina tablets here but haven't been taking them, thinking I should add those puppies in. Also have some krill oil caplets but I can't stomach the smell of them so I haven't been using them.
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calling @KnitOrMiss0
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cstehansen wrote: »calling @KnitOrMiss
mwhahaha....that's exactly what I was going to do....She's your go to for sure!0 -
***** PLEASE NOTE, I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL IN ANY CAPACITY - THE ADVICE BELOW IS BASED ON A COMBINATION OF MY OWN RESEARCH, PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, AND THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS AROUND ME*****
With that D3 supplement, you really need to be taking K2, especially since you are deficient. I like Life Extension brand, which you can get from their site, other sites, or on Amazon. I think Jarrow or someone else has a good K2/M7 formula...
As for the D, just look at the ingredients. If it has soy, get a different one. The one recommended to me (which I didn't get this time around) is Thorne D3. It has no soybean, sunflower, safflower or whatever inflammatory oils. At the time, I was taking mega-doses to get my levels up, but I've done that now, so I'm back to a therapeutic dose. I could probably go back to it... I think I'm taking Doctor's Best brand D3 right now. I do like the Source Naturals D-3 DROPS, but I think it is sweetened somehow. The WellnessWorks brand D3 drops are good too, but I don't know if that's just a local to me thing.
For the B-Complex (I'm assuming - can't do just B12, it will deplete your other B's), I really like Jarrow's B-Right. It has all of the readily available forms - not the synthetic forms (synthetics start with d-before the name, naturals have m-, e-, or "methyl" at the front of them).
That being said, unless you have health conditions or specific known deficiencies, there really aren't things you HAVE to get. I basically broke down the components of a multivitamin into individual pieces so I can control amounts and timing.
If you want to go simple and can afford to buy a bit at a time to get the amounts down, Calton Nutrition has an AM/PM formula that's pretty comprehensive called Nutreince. Someone here was trying it out, but I don't know how they've been doing with it. It's a powder, individually packaged, stirred into water, so it's better absorbed and doesn't have a chance to get oxidized or whatever. Buying a single month can be $60 or so per month, but if you buy 3-4 months at a time, the cost comes down to about $35 a month, which is about what most of us pay for a basic set of supplements.
Aside from that, my favorite experiments I'm currently running are:- using L-glutamine for sugar addiction, compulsive, and binge eating tendencies.
- Amino Acid precursors to Neurotransmitters ala THIS ARTICLE, my own tweaking on it.
- working up to most of Maria Emmerich's thyroid support suggestions
- working on essential oils and self care stuff (started using a natural toner I made last night - already noticeable difference - and I got my Argan oil to make my own facial serum, etc.).
Aside from that, unless you notice something of have a problem, if you are eating a variety of foods, including organ meats periodically, eggs daily, as many veggies/colors of foods (difference colors = different nutrients) as you can fit in your dietary plan, and avoiding grains/gluten which interfere with lots of absorptions, there really isn't a lot you HAVE to do. It's all very personal.
Identify any concerns, symptoms, or foods you know you eliminated and decide if you think you're missing anything. Many of us add or subtract things as we go along...
And thanks for the call outs, @cstehansen & @RowdysLady ... The book "The MicroNutrient Miracle" by Jayson and Mira Calton is on my current reading list - and where a lot of my information started before getting researched separately.
EDITED TO ADD: You are right, @MKknits - most multis are crap due to bad amounts, bad forms, and conflicting absorbing issues... Just my 53 cents...
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »You are right, @MKknits - most multis are crap due to bad amounts, bad forms, and conflicting absorbing issues... Just my 53 cents...
I am assuming the "53 cents" is based on the pre-tax amount to get to an after tax amount of 2 cents, right?2 -
Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help I've had from so many of you.0
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cstehansen wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »You are right, @MKknits - most multis are crap due to bad amounts, bad forms, and conflicting absorbing issues... Just my 53 cents...
I am assuming the "53 cents" is based on the pre-tax amount to get to an after tax amount of 2 cents, right?
@sstehansen - close but no cigar. I'm SOOOOO much more opinionated than putting in my 2 cents, so I make up something at random, based on whimsy. LOLz2 -
Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help I've had from so many of you.
@MKknits - You are so welcome. And let me tell you something you already know as a teacher, sharing anything we know that is in any way beneficial to someone else, EVER, is what it is ALL about! Happy to share what I know, learn, or have researched.0 -
So I'm looking for recommendations what should I add to replace some of what I am missing by going low carb?
I've been keto only 7.5 months but have not experienced a reason to supplement except for an initial need for increased sodium and magnesium. I ceased supplementing those and did not find a return of "keto flu" symptoms or leg cramps (though I am aware either may return sporadically). I did start taking magnesium again but the reason has NOTHING to do with weight/food choices.
What are you missing by going low carb is my question.
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and @KnitOrMiss doesn't fail us!1
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if you are Vit D deficient, your best bet is to take food carotene supplement and get sunlight...
food carotene will convert to A as needed
A will convert to D as needed - sunlight (UV) required
D is not terribly bioavailable as a supplement, plus, it's almost impossible to overdose on food carotene while it's very easy to overdose on A and D since they are hard on the liver1 -
tcunbeliever wrote: »if you are Vit D deficient, your best bet is to take food carotene supplement and get sunlight...
food carotene will convert to A as needed
A will convert to D as needed - sunlight (UV) required
D is not terribly bioavailable as a supplement, plus, it's almost impossible to overdose on food carotene while it's very easy to overdose on A and D since they are hard on the liver
I live in Maine - most of our population is actually D deficient because we live in a colder climate and are only able to fully expose our skin to sunlight during the summer months AND because even in the summer months the suns rays are never truly direct slightly slanted, so our D production is often lower then folks in more southern states even in the summer. In winter especially more sunlight won't fix the issue in Maine the sunlight we get is just not intense enough.0 -
light therapy lamp?0
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I am only on day 5 of being strict keto. I keep hearing about supplementing with magnesium, sodium and potassium. I already didn't eat a lot of sugar and most days my carb intake prior to now was around 100 mostly from vegetables.
I haven't experienced any side effects whatsoever so far. I am using pink Himalayan (always have) in much greater quantities these past several days. I did buy some chelated mag before I started. How important is the potassium and should I wait until something happens before getting it? Or have some lite salt on hand? I'm not really sure what side effects would warrant it other than cramps? I have energy, sleeping well, no headache. I'm drinking close to 100 oz of water a day. Not peeing as much as I would normally expect. My diet is all real fresh food, nothing processed. It has consisted of meats, eggs, cheese, spinach/lettuce/celery/cucumbers, avocados, mayo, butter, olive oil and coconut oil.
Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.0 -
@dkginger Disclaiming - I have had gastric surgery, so YMMV but I didn't need to add any extra supplementation to my diet - that I know of - I just had blood work done and we'll see what that says soon enough 1
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I have a non keto pal who eats a healthy high carb diet regularly and did a 10 day fat load (keto) for 10 days then 3 days of carb load (400 carbs) prior to a half marathon and never once experienced keto flu when going high fat or any lethargy when switching up to pre race super carbing. Had a personal best for the half marathon. Guess we all react differently to dietary changes.1
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I guess I kind of assumed I was missing nutrients with the decrease in veg. I eat veg with my two meals (usually broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach) but I'm not eating as many fruits and vegetables as I was before.0
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I'm vitamin d deficient also and was prescribed 50,000 Mcg once weekly and will retest next week to see where I'm at. I'm also taking fish oil and magnesium as an addition to eating this way. The brands aren't spectacular, but they do the job for the time being. I tend to like solaray for most supplements.
As far as additional supplements, I am taking adrenal support, quercetin and a daily vitamin. The daily vitamin is mostly due to the fact that I was drinking an energy supplement daily and cannot afford it at this time. But yeah, my urine is just neon from it. So I'm not sure.1 -
@MKknits you raised a good question and got some good replies.
I take a lot of supplements and have found that Life Extension Mix Capsules state of the art Multi-Nutrient Formula cut down on the number of bottles I have to manage each day.
Eating KETO quickly addressed about 70% of my joint and muscle pain. About two months ago I decided to go off all of my supplements that I have added over the last two years except fish oil that I have been taking heavily for over 20 years.
Over night I went into a tail spin pain wise and was really bad for the next month and still am not at my pre supplement vacation level of pain control.
Best of success with your trial and error use of supplements.0 -
I am only on day 5 of being strict keto. I keep hearing about supplementing with magnesium, sodium and potassium. I already didn't eat a lot of sugar and most days my carb intake prior to now was around 100 mostly from vegetables.
I haven't experienced any side effects whatsoever so far. I am using pink Himalayan (always have) in much greater quantities these past several days. I did buy some chelated mag before I started. How important is the potassium and should I wait until something happens before getting it? Or have some lite salt on hand? I'm not really sure what side effects would warrant it other than cramps? I have energy, sleeping well, no headache. I'm drinking close to 100 oz of water a day. Not peeing as much as I would normally expect. My diet is all real fresh food, nothing processed. It has consisted of meats, eggs, cheese, spinach/lettuce/celery/cucumbers, avocados, mayo, butter, olive oil and coconut oil.
Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.
Just wondering about the pink Himalayan salt. Is it better than regular salt? Or is it just preference?0 -
Just wondering about the pink Himalayan salt. Is it better than regular salt? Or is it just preference?
It is far superior to table salt and even sea salt due to the mineral content. Over 84 trace minerals where table salt has been stripped of almost all its minerals and bleached. This is but one of many references. http://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/02/01/this-is-what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-eat-pink-himalayan-salt/0 -
It is far superior to table salt and even sea salt due to the mineral content. Contains over 84 trace minerals where table salt has been stripped of almost all its minerals and bleached. This is but one of many references. .http://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/02/01/this-is-what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-eat-pink-himalayan-salt/0
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I guess I kind of assumed I was missing nutrients with the decrease in veg. I eat veg with my two meals (usually broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach) but I'm not eating as many fruits and vegetables as I was before.
I hear ya. Not eating much in the line of vegetables and very little in fruits is a hard idea to overcome based on what we have read and been told for the last several decades regarding a "healthy" diet. I tend to operate from the premise that my body is very smart and will function well if I feed it. What it needs is fuel and it will convert the fuel accordingly. I may find out otherwise so I continue to "knock on wood".0 -
emaline2210 wrote: »I'm vitamin d deficient also and was prescribed 50,000 Mcg once weekly and will retest next week to see where I'm at. I'm also taking fish oil and magnesium as an addition to eating this way. The brands aren't spectacular, but they do the job for the time being. I tend to like solaray for most supplements.
As far as additional supplements, I am taking adrenal support, quercetin and a daily vitamin. The daily vitamin is mostly due to the fact that I was drinking an energy supplement daily and cannot afford it at this time. But yeah, my urine is just neon from it. So I'm not sure.
@emaline2210 - with that vitamin D deficiency, please make sure you're taking corresponding levels of K2 to help absorb the D3, or you'll just end up cluttering your arteries with absorbed and unrouted calcium and D3... It scares me, as I was D deficient, and I got my numbers up to a point where I had to bump back down my doses (107 was my last test, I think and they want you at or below 100). Getting the K2, magnesium, and boron with my D3 helped me get this under control with a quickness. Dr. Berg has some great info on how to pair the doses (generally it's 10,000 IU of D3 to 100 mcg of K2 (M7 form), if I remember correctly. Also, it's recommended to balance by taking fish oil and vitamin A at night (12 hours apart from D) to prevent toxicity...0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »emaline2210 wrote: »I'm vitamin d deficient also and was prescribed 50,000 Mcg once weekly and will retest next week to see where I'm at. I'm also taking fish oil and magnesium as an addition to eating this way. The brands aren't spectacular, but they do the job for the time being. I tend to like solaray for most supplements.
As far as additional supplements, I am taking adrenal support, quercetin and a daily vitamin. The daily vitamin is mostly due to the fact that I was drinking an energy supplement daily and cannot afford it at this time. But yeah, my urine is just neon from it. So I'm not sure.
@emaline2210 - with that vitamin D deficiency, please make sure you're taking corresponding levels of K2 to help absorb the D3, or you'll just end up cluttering your arteries with absorbed and unrouted calcium and D3... It scares me, as I was D deficient, and I got my numbers up to a point where I had to bump back down my doses (107 was my last test, I think and they want you at or below 100). Getting the K2, magnesium, and boron with my D3 helped me get this under control with a quickness. Dr. Berg has some great info on how to pair the doses (generally it's 10,000 IU of D3 to 100 mcg of K2 (M7 form), if I remember correctly. Also, it's recommended to balance by taking fish oil and vitamin A at night (12 hours apart from D) to prevent toxicity...
How much vitamin a? Thanks for the helpful info! I've completed one month (4 doses) of vitamin d. Should I add in k2 now? Or only if she prescribes another round this week?0 -
is there a brand of vitamin D3 or k2/m7 that any one recommends?0
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tcunbeliever wrote: »if you are Vit D deficient, your best bet is to take food carotene supplement and get sunlight...
food carotene will convert to A as needed
A will convert to D as needed - sunlight (UV) required
D is not terribly bioavailable as a supplement, plus, it's almost impossible to overdose on food carotene while it's very easy to overdose on A and D since they are hard on the liver
I wasn't aware that Vit. D was hard on the liver... ??
Meanwhile, here's an article summarizing a recent editorial in the NEJM:
Vitamin D deficiency is widely overestimated, U.S. doctors warn
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/vitamin-d-deficiency-1.3845085Correctly interpreted, less than 6 per cent of Americans ages 1 to 70 are deficient and only 13 per cent are in danger of not getting enough.
That's concerning, "but these levels of deficiency do not constitute a pandemic," the authors write.
Yet people may think there is one.
Blood tests for vitamin D levels — not advised unless a problem like bone loss is suspected — are soaring. Under Medicare, there was an 83-fold increase from 2000 to 2010, to 8.7 million tests last year, at $40 apiece. It's Medicare's fifth most common test, just after cholesterol levels and ahead of blood sugar, urinary tract infections and prostate cancer screening.
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is there a brand of vitamin D3 or k2/m7 that any one recommends?
@kennygang - I was told (by The Thyroid Pharmacist lady, forget her name) the best brand of D is Thorne Pharmaceuticals (she gave me another brand, too, but it was more expensive), because it doesn't have any inflammatory oils. It was a little more expensive, but I was going through it too quickly (was higher dosing because I was trying to increase a deficiency, but dropped back down to maintenance dose now, so might be okay), so I switched to Doctor's Best brand because it uses Olive Oil and not sunflower or safflower or soybean oil which can all be inflammatory. I also liked the Source Naturals drops, and Wellness Works drops (WW might be a local only brand, not sure), but the SN drops were sweet, and I couldn't find info as to whether it was sugar or AS... The WW were unflavored. Both are good for getting your doses in with a hot fatty beverage, etc. Really just depends on your preferred intake method.
For K2, if you don't want the K, also, I think the Jarrow brand is the highest/most recommended. I don't remember the pricing, but it has good K2/M7. Personally, I like the other bits (K2/M4 & K1), so I get the Life Extension Brand of Super K Plus from Amazon. Really decent prices there. I love Jarrow brand for many other things, and they have great quality, but I haven't used this K2/M-7 only myself. I can't remember if Maria E is the one who recommended this formula, but I think so.1 -
emaline2210 wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »emaline2210 wrote: »I'm vitamin d deficient also and was prescribed 50,000 Mcg once weekly and will retest next week to see where I'm at. I'm also taking fish oil and magnesium as an addition to eating this way. The brands aren't spectacular, but they do the job for the time being. I tend to like solaray for most supplements.
As far as additional supplements, I am taking adrenal support, quercetin and a daily vitamin. The daily vitamin is mostly due to the fact that I was drinking an energy supplement daily and cannot afford it at this time. But yeah, my urine is just neon from it. So I'm not sure.
@emaline2210 - with that vitamin D deficiency, please make sure you're taking corresponding levels of K2 to help absorb the D3, or you'll just end up cluttering your arteries with absorbed and unrouted calcium and D3... It scares me, as I was D deficient, and I got my numbers up to a point where I had to bump back down my doses (107 was my last test, I think and they want you at or below 100). Getting the K2, magnesium, and boron with my D3 helped me get this under control with a quickness. Dr. Berg has some great info on how to pair the doses (generally it's 10,000 IU of D3 to 100 mcg of K2 (M7 form), if I remember correctly. Also, it's recommended to balance by taking fish oil and vitamin A at night (12 hours apart from D) to prevent toxicity...
How much vitamin a? Thanks for the helpful info! I've completed one month (4 doses) of vitamin d. Should I add in k2 now? Or only if she prescribes another round this week?
@emaline2210 - I think someone somewhere (Dr. Berg, probably) said that 10,000 iu daily is safe without testing for deficiencies first (the only I got is 25,000 iu, and I was taking it daily, but I got a spirulina blend that has A, and so I'm rotating between them now... doing the spirulina M/W/F/Su, the A is T/Th/Sa...but I'm not taking the full dose spirulina as I'm trying to determine tolerance ATM...
A is one of those I think you can get too much of, so I'd watch the stuff from Dr. Berg on it...
Personally, I'd add in the K2 now, as it can help clear up any clutter left by those megadoses...(supposedly, anyway)...and help absorb stuff hanging out, too... And even if you don't have to do the large doses, you'll probably go on a maintenance dose anyway...so anytime I take D3 now, I always take K2.1 -
tcunbeliever wrote: »light therapy lamp?
I just got mine last week...was lucky as the VA provided it to me. I did buy the stand an a carry case. I was always able to access one at the HAWC (health and wellness center) when I was active duty...so nice to have one of my own now. I spend a lot of time outside. Winter is usually in FL, but this year am in KS so taking proactive measures to offset SAD as the days get shorter.1
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