Do you need to take supplements?

[hapahaole]

I've learned that I do not get all the nutrients I need. It could be that I'm not eating a diverse enough of a diet. Which I know I need to work on. However since this is a gradual journey for me I found that supplementing with zinc and vitamin B-vitamin complex have been very beneficial for my skin.

My acne is really starting to clear up a lot. In the past few years I could never explain what caused my acne besides blaming my hormones. However after some research I started taking zinc and spirulina. I couldn't handle spirulina so I stopped and just continued with zinc. The zinc helped my skin a bit but not entirely.

So I started reading up on B vitamins and learned that many vegans/vegetarians are low in B2 since it comes mainly from dairy, meat, and eggs. So last week I bought B-vitamin complex and after a week I can say my face looks much better.

I've also been taking Earthrise Chlorella tablets everyday for about a month now. I'm not sure if it's helping but for now I will continue to take them since my overall complexion is better.

So my question for everyone else is... Do you take supplements? If so, which ones and why?

-K

[Seedy]

I take B12 (both sublingual and in fortified nutritional yeast) and iron since these can get low in vegans. I'll take a vitamin C with the iron just to make sure it gets absorbed (this in addition to lots of greens with lemon juice) I take cranberry capsules to prevent bladder infections and ginger to treat stomach upset. I use a lot of cinnamon and turmeric in cooking. I've been adding E3 Live Renew Me to smoothies to see if the MSM would help me 53 year old joints. In the winter, I take vitamin D, as I live in Michigan and can go weeks in the winter without seeing the sun. In spring and summer I take stinging nettle capsules to treat seasonal allergies. I take a non-animal source of calcium to treat my osteoporosis. When I was younger a combination of a 'cheeseataria' diet and the steroids I took to treat my asthma (which as it turns out was a direct result of my high dairy lifestyle) left me with the bones of a 90 year old. I've added lots of greens to my diet along with some other raw calcium sources like tahini, but feel more comfortable right now adding some additional calcium in pill form. I've got a bone scan coming up and I'll make a decision then whether cut back to all raw sources.
Seedy

[Revvell]

No, I don't.

If you've researched b vitamins then you may have read that they should be taken in conjunction with other b's because you'll throw your system off balance otherwise. Read that many years ago when SAD and thinking isolated nutrients were the answer to my health issues. Things may have changed since.

[hapahaole]

No, I don't.

If you've researched b vitamins then you may have read that they should be taken in conjunction with other b's because you'll throw your system off balance otherwise. Read that many years ago when SAD and thinking isolated nutrients were the answer to my health issues. Things may have changed since.

Ah yes, sorry I meant to say I've been taking a b-complex. I was just researching b2.

[RawSar]

A couple weeks ago I went to see my naturopath where I get tested on my levels for EVERYTHING. My naturopath uses EDS way of testing which is a pain free and most accurate way of testing. I love getting this test done because it tells me what I should be eating more of or if I am SUPER low on something that I dont think food will help catch me I will then take supplements. Otherwise why take supplements if you're not even low ?? I think this will cause some problems by throwing the balance off. I like to experiment and see if food alone can boost the levels up before taking supplements.

I'm low on B12 again. I stopped taking chlorella for 2-3 months. Chlorella has B12 (as well as MANY other nutrients). We'll see if this will help bring it up!
I also take enzymes to help with digestion.

[hapahaole]

A couple weeks ago I went to see my naturopath where I get tested on my levels for EVERYTHING. My naturopath uses EDS way of testing which is a pain free and most accurate way of testing. I love getting this test done because it tells me what I should be eating more of or if I am SUPER low on something that I dont think food will help catch me I will then take supplements. Otherwise why take supplements if you're not even low ?? I think this will cause some problems by throwing the balance off. I like to experiment and see if food alone can boost the levels up before taking supplements.

I'm low on B12 again. I stopped taking chlorella for 2-3 months. Chlorella has B12 (as well as MANY other nutrients). We'll see if this will help bring it up!
I also take enzymes to help with digestion.


I feel like seeing a Naturopath is ideal but they do not take my insurance so I cannot afford to go. My son just had a total blood work up though through his geneticist and we found out that he is low in selenium so I'm now giving him selenium supplements. I'm hoping our new insurance in a few months covers a Naturopath as I'd love to have an accurate reading on everything.

[RawSar]

I feel like seeing a Naturopath is ideal but they do not take my insurance so I cannot afford to go. My son just had a total blood work up though through his geneticist and we found out that he is low in selenium so I'm now giving him selenium supplements. I'm hoping our new insurance in a few months covers a Naturopath as I'd love to have an accurate reading on everything.

I abosolutely love going to see my naturopath. Its definitely helping me stay proactive with my health!
I really hope your insurance will cover it!!

Brazilian nuts are very high in selenium. But I'm sure you knew that :)

[hapahaole]

I abosolutely love going to see my naturopath. Its definitely helping me stay proactive with my health!
I really hope your insurance will cover it!!

Brazilian nuts are very high in selenium. But I'm sure you knew that :)

Ah, my son has Phenylketonuria (PKU) so he cannot eat nuts.

[RawKnitster]

I take supplements in the form of food powders. Green food powder (like Alissa's), chlorella, spirulina, wheat grass powder, and kelp powder. For the B series I use nutritional yeast in recipes, salads, and kale chips. I started using the green food powder to supplement iron and calcium, but it is loaded with lots of other nutrients, too. I feel stronger and have more energy with it in my daily green smoothie. :)