Supplements on Keto?
vidaliababy
Posts: 15 Member
What supplements do you guys take while on keto? As of right now I take b-12, magnesium, and a multivitamin.... what do you guys recommend/take and why?
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I take a regular multivitimin, calcium, and extra b-12. The multi & calcium are 'just cuz' I suppose.
The b-12 I take as I was diagnosed as 'low' for that and the doc said I needed more of it. (That was long before I started LCHF though. Getting it re-tested next month.)2 -
Calcium is one of those they say not to take unless specifically under doctor advice. Make sure you take it at night and alone, according to Dr. Berg. And you must take D3/K2 to balance it in the AM... Otherwise it's just arterial clutter - and "ain't nobody got time for 'dat." Just FYI, @Steph_Maks - I personally would suggest researching this one if you want to continue it.
D3/K2, B-Super Complex with extra B12 if needed, and Magnesium are the standard ones most folks can benefit from.
Pretty much anything else I take is related to a condition support or specific deficiency. I can go find my list (posted in a blog a while back, so not too hard to fine) if you're curious.
Oh, and I do take aminos for mood support and craving eliminations, etc.5 -
Another note - B12 should be taken along side a B-Complex or multi with a wide spectrum of B vitamins, or it will gradually deplete all the other B vitamins.6
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I'm like Knit, I take a wide array for several things. So many....I'd say the magnesium is essential for this woe. And a good quality multi.3
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I take only 100mg of magnesium and 1/2 dose of a multi vitamin. 1 year in, so far so good.
I eat a wide variety of foods: fats, eggs, dairy, fish, beef, chicken, pork, a few berries and a wide array of keto friendly vegetables.3 -
Eating low carb real foods provides a pretty nutritionally complete diet but you can use this resource to learn which foods give the most bang for your carb buck. Lol
https://optimisingnutrition.com/2015/04/06/optimal-foods-for-blood-sugar-regulation-and-nutritoinal-ketosis/
This chart compares overall how low carb foods do against all foods. So you generally increase overall nutrition just by concentrating on low carb real food sources.
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Thanks guys!2
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I take the following currently (note, I'm also an athlete):
-Magnesium to help improve sleep quality and recovery (daily)
-Zinc to help improve sleep quality and recovery (daily)
-Brain Octane Oil to help increase ketones (daily)
-Boku Super Greens to help fill any nutritional gaps (almost daily)
-Boku Protein to help increase protein intake when needed (few times a week)2 -
Right now I'm taking Magnesium, Turmeric on the regular.2
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I take the following currently (note, I'm also an athlete):
-Magnesium to help improve sleep quality and recovery (daily)
-Zinc to help improve sleep quality and recovery (daily)
-Brain Octane Oil to help increase ketones (daily)
-Boku Super Greens to help fill any nutritional gaps (almost daily)
-Boku Protein to help increase protein intake when needed (few times a week)
@esjones12 - I recently (October) starting taking Zinc for thyroid support. How does it help with sleep and recovery? Also, I'm taking a chelated bisglycinate... I seem to gravitate towards chelated meds... I've found for me they seem to work better. I'm wondering if there is anything to that? So, what dose do you take of the zinc?1 -
KetoMCT oil (experimenting to see which I like best)
Magnesium (I take Natural Calm at night before bed)
ZMA on occasion
Potassium (workout hard and sweat a lot, take it a couple times a day to keep up with electrolytes)
BCAA (branched chain amino acids) 1-2 times a day. Definitely at least 1 time for my morning fasted cardio.1 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »I take the following currently (note, I'm also an athlete):
-Magnesium to help improve sleep quality and recovery (daily)
-Zinc to help improve sleep quality and recovery (daily)
-Brain Octane Oil to help increase ketones (daily)
-Boku Super Greens to help fill any nutritional gaps (almost daily)
-Boku Protein to help increase protein intake when needed (few times a week)
@esjones12 - I recently (October) starting taking Zinc for thyroid support. How does it help with sleep and recovery? Also, I'm taking a chelated bisglycinate... I seem to gravitate towards chelated meds... I've found for me they seem to work better. I'm wondering if there is anything to that? So, what dose do you take of the zinc?
@KnitOrMiss - to be more specific I take Zinc Amino Acid Chelate (80mg) and Magnesium Chelate (100mg). They are common deficiencies that are increased by heavy training. I know magnesium is known to help with muscle recovery. It's possible that I've been mistaken on the tie-in to aiding with sleep, it was quite a few months ago since I was told to start taking them by my boyfriend/coach! I'd have to ask him and/or Google for more info.1 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Eating low carb real foods provides a pretty nutritionally complete diet but you can use this resource to learn which foods give the most bang for your carb buck. Lol
https://optimisingnutrition.com/2015/04/06/optimal-foods-for-blood-sugar-regulation-and-nutritoinal-ketosis/
This chart compares overall how low carb foods do against all foods. So you generally increase overall nutrition just by concentrating on low carb real food sources.
This right here. Unless you have a metabolic issue which requires supplements, eating REAL food will generally get you what you need.
I do understand many here, including me, do have metabolic issues which may require supplementation, but that will be very individual. I found out I do not metabolize some B vitamins very well and need to supplement in order to get my body to hold on to enough.
I also have high BG, so looking into things like what are in this study may be appropriate:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662109/
I think it can cause more harm than good if you just start taking supplements without proper understanding of what you individually need. Some vitamins and minerals can be toxic if the amounts get too high. Some can cause other problems. For years, women were told to take calcium to stop osteoporosis. However without proper vitamin D, that calcium is not used for bones and that excess can lead to kidney stones. If you have ever had a kidney stone, you know they totally suck.
I think the $160 I spent last year to have my doctor run a crapload of blood tests to see exactly where I am in regard to all this was some of the best money I could have spent and WAY cheaper than the diabetes medication would have ended up being had I not gotten the information I needed to supplement what I need and only what I need. I wish insurance would have covered that blood work, and maybe one day they will get their heads out of their....uh, anyway, maybe one day they will actually start covering things that truly help instead of just the medication that only treat the symptoms and not the causes.2 -
cstehansen wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Eating low carb real foods provides a pretty nutritionally complete diet but you can use this resource to learn which foods give the most bang for your carb buck. Lol
https://optimisingnutrition.com/2015/04/06/optimal-foods-for-blood-sugar-regulation-and-nutritoinal-ketosis/
This chart compares overall how low carb foods do against all foods. So you generally increase overall nutrition just by concentrating on low carb real food sources.
This right here. Unless you have a metabolic issue which requires supplements, eating REAL food will generally get you what you need.
I do understand many here, including me, do have metabolic issues which may require supplementation, but that will be very individual. I found out I do not metabolize some B vitamins very well and need to supplement in order to get my body to hold on to enough.
I also have high BG, so looking into things like what are in this study may be appropriate:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662109/
I think it can cause more harm than good if you just start taking supplements without proper understanding of what you individually need. Some vitamins and minerals can be toxic if the amounts get too high. Some can cause other problems. For years, women were told to take calcium to stop osteoporosis. However without proper vitamin D, that calcium is not used for bones and that excess can lead to kidney stones. If you have ever had a kidney stone, you know they totally suck.
I think the $160 I spent last year to have my doctor run a crapload of blood tests to see exactly where I am in regard to all this was some of the best money I could have spent and WAY cheaper than the diabetes medication would have ended up being had I not gotten the information I needed to supplement what I need and only what I need. I wish insurance would have covered that blood work, and maybe one day they will get their heads out of their....uh, anyway, maybe one day they will actually start covering things that truly help instead of just the medication that only treat the symptoms and not the causes.
Without proper vitamin D and K2 - the D can help the calcium to absorb, but without the K2, it will literally sit about and clutter up your arteries, so D is the party bus for calcium, but K2 is like the driver with GPS making sure it knows WHERE to go, and first, etc. Potassium and magnesium are like the the passport to get the bus through the checkpoint, etc. Boron and Zinc help strengthen the cell walls to keep the calcium inside where it's needed...
But recent studies show that if you're taking D and Calcium without K2 (specifically for M7), it's a HUGE, HUGE risk...2 -
I take lots of supplements:
-GNC Whole Body Vitapak (includes a lot of things)
-Fish oil
-Magnesium citrate
-Glucosamine + MSM (I'm a runner)
-Co-Q10 (I take a statin)
-L-Carnitine
-Occasional post-exercise BCAA's1 -
@midwesterner85 - I've heard lots of great things about L-Carnitine - but it's crazy expensive. What does it do for you?1
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »@midwesterner85 - I've heard lots of great things about L-Carnitine - but it's crazy expensive. What does it do for you?
This is something we can make ourselves (therefore classified as a non-essential amino acid), and it is mostly beneficial as a transporter. In short, it increases bio-availability of glucose and fat (long-chain fatty acids, that is) by helping move it to muscles. As a result, it should improve athletic performance and prevent 'bonking' whether running on glucose or fat. This is especially helpful since I'm fat adapted... those who primarily use glucose still need to find a way to ingest or create glucose as this only works on the energy use side.
Additionally, it helps reduce insulin resistance as a result of the glucose shuttling capability: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10067662
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@KnitOrMiss...so are you saying I should take my calcium (Citracal with D3) @ night alone, and then my D3 with K2 in the morning (have to get some K2)? That said, do I need to change to Citracal WITHOUT D3?
I've had osteoporosis since 2007, with an L4-5 compression fracture, and have been taking Citracal with D3 plus extra D3 together for years. I have a new endo, and I see him next month, so I want to be prepared and compare what he has to say to what I see/read here and from MD/nutritional studies I view or read.
Then, if the above is correct, when do I take my Mag Calm? I used to take that last thing at night to help me sleep (which is usually around 2am) after taking my calcium/D3 around 10pm. Any suggestions?
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@Bayluvr - I'll be the first to admit that I haven't researched this specifically, especially considering the osteoporosis aspect, but my understanding is that most of us do not become calcium deficient due to a lack of calcium - it's because we can't absorb it or get it where it needs to go, etc. My understanding was that calcium, by itself, no D3, if it HAD to be taken, should be taken alone, at night, 12 hours away from D3 and all that. Taking it WITH D3 causes too much to be absorbed without somewhere to move it to... D3 shouldn't be taken at night because it is the sunshine vitamin and can throw off your circadian rhythms... D3 should NEVER be taken without K2, to my understanding, because of this routing/absorption/dumping issue...
I think that if you want to read an interesting story about reversing osteoporosis, look up Mira (and Jayson) Calton. That's how they met. Through nutritional therapy and elimination dieting, they restored her health. The main book I read up on was "The Micronutrient Miracle" though they have a few others. Most are available in discount booksellers (mainstream, too), or on loan from PDF library access, etc.
Honestly, as long as you don't take thyroid medication (calcium interferes with absorption), and you make sure the numbers match up (I think it is 10,000 IU D3 to 50 mcg K2, M7 form - dunno how calcium factors in), I would take the Citrical with D3, the D3/K2 all at the same time in the morning, with fatty foods, as D is fat soluble. I would keep your mag calm at night for sleeping...
My LONG TERM honest opinion is that until you get updated testing on your condition and do some research, I personally would probably drop the citrical until you get comfortable with the information to make sure you're taking all your supplements properly. There is more harm to be done with the citrical if taken incorrectly than help to be had from it potentially incorrectly... That all being said, I personally would also get one of those $50 heart/artery/whatever scans to make sure you don't have existing blockage. Mega-doses of D3/K2 (IN BALANCE) along side polyphenols - are supposed to be able to help reverse some of this situation.
Again, please consider this only to by my personal opinion, what I would do for myself, in a similar situation. Please please do your own research and get comfortable with the information before making any major changes/decisions. I think it was Dr. Berg who talked about the calcium thing...or perhaps it was Dr. Hyman.... If I run across the links and such again, I will definitely post it, but knowing how much of arterial clutter is from us taking things incorrectly, the whole idea of taking calcium when we aren't absorbing/routing it well scares me.2 -
I don't know if Chris Masterjohn PhD covers it specifically in his Vitamin K2 Primer, but I would imagine so... He wasn't my first resource on the subject, but his is one of my favorites.
https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2016/12/09/the-ultimate-vitamin-k2-resource/
https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2016/12/29/updates-ultimate-vitamin-k2-resource/?_sf_s=vitamin+k3 -
BCAA's before workouts (I always workout fasted)
Vitamin D3/K2 - family history of low levels of D
CoQ10 - I'm currently on a statin so this is to balance out the statin
Men's mix with boron, zinc, NOs, etc
Fish oil
Was taking magnesium for awhile, but quit because I cannot find a level that does not give me severe gas issues. Don't know if this means that I get enough naturally or just that my insides don't want me to take it this way.1 -
@ccdragon - have you tried different FORMS of magnesium? There are SOOO many!
https://forum.bulletproof.com/discussion/2078/bulletproof-magnesium-thread1 -
Thanks @KnitOrMiss - I will have to check into some alternate forms.1
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supplements, ugh, always makes me feel like a drug addict to list them out...
msm + magnesium + boron (carpal tunnel)
dim + raspberry (perimenopause)
C + IX + B complex (low iron & vegetarian)
thyroid activator + thyroid support (hashimotos)
pychnogenol + calcium + nervous fatigue (general health)
going to add amino acids because I cannot for the life of me seem to eat enough protein and I'm tired of this recurring shoulder injury, hoping that will get it totally healed1 -
@KnitOrMiss-thank you very much for your input. I am on many supplements due to having Roux-en-y gastric bypass 17yrs ago. Add to that Graves disease and 2 rounds of thyroid cancer (last was 2013) followed by hypothyroidism. I will be on thyroid hormone for the rest of my life!
Then there's the osteoporosis meds which you can't take with other meds...I'm completely frazzled at the end of the day from trying to keep up with everything, lol.
What I'll do is take everything to the new Endo next month, and he can tell me what he thinks I should do. My meds have always been monitored between my PCP, gastroenterologist, and endocrinologist. The new endo will manage everything.
Got the jump on the heart/vascular thing when I went to the ER a couple months ago with vague chest pains. Everything checks out A-OK, including labs, echo, and stress test.
I will take your advice and do my own research before I see him. Thanks for the links...lots to work on this weekend
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@KnitOrMiss ...watched the presentation by Dr. Berg today...SCARY STUFF! I've been taking this calcium/D3 so long, but I will not be continuing it. He's also against the bisphosphonates (I take Fosamax) and I will be stopping that too as I never felt comfortable with it, it has not altered the progression of my osteoporosis, and it makes my shoulder joints ache. I'll present all of this to my new endo, as well as notify my PCP beforehand. I did order Life Extension Super K with advanced K2 (M4 and M7) and already have D3.
Lots more research to do. Thanks for your input and observations.4 -
Any supplement that indicates it may lower my CRP levels (C-Reactive Protein) I take a triple dosage.
The last addition was Pycnogenol. Below it the post I made tonight of my research on Pycnogenol today.
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10525994/anyone-with-hashis-or-any-auto-immune-condition/p31 -
@Sunny_Bunny_
Thanks for chart , never saw before.
OP --- you're getting great responses, I take D3, K2,
magnesium, omegas, PRE-natals, Geritol and Centrum Silver. Sometimes also CoQ10.
Most days I keep the carbs right around 50 grams. 3 -
@KnitOrMiss ...watched the presentation by Dr. Berg today...SCARY STUFF! I've been taking this calcium/D3 so long, but I will not be continuing it. He's also against the bisphosphonates (I take Fosamax) and I will be stopping that too as I never felt comfortable with it, it has not altered the progression of my osteoporosis, and it makes my shoulder joints ache. I'll present all of this to my new endo, as well as notify my PCP beforehand. I did order Life Extension Super K with advanced K2 (M4 and M7) and already have D3.
Lots more research to do. Thanks for your input and observations.
@Bayluvr - I'm sorry the presentation scared you as much as it did me, but I'm glad that it supports your own personal bent in how you felt about the treatment!!!! Trust your instincts, right?!?! I hope you do great from here, and that your new Endo and your existing PCP can work together now to make your progress improve all around!1 -
@KnitOrMiss...No problem at all. I needed to be scared enough to switch things around. I'm just glad I found out before I suffered any really ill effects. Who knew?
Thanks for the well wishes, and I'll make sure they get it together 1
