The Four Pillars to a Healthy Body

After reading all of my other blogs, a question may come to your mind - 

Are there any supplements that you should be taking? Yes! Four to be exact: Multivitamin, Fish Oils, Digestive Enzyme, and Vitamin D.

Why a multivitamin? How many of us are making sure that we are covered with the spectrum of vitamins and minerals with food? My guess is not many. I find that we are creatures of habit and generally eat the same things on a daily basis, so unless you are eating a variety of vegetables and fruits every day, as well as a variety of protein sources, it is hard to make sure that you are getting all your vitamins. This is where the multivitamin comes in! You want to cover you bases on every vitamin, so taking a good multi is essential. A good multi will have the vitamins from organic (found in nature) compounds, so make sure that you look for one that doesn't have any synthetic vitamins in it. Also, a lot of people have trouble with big multivitamin pills, so what to do then? I recommend Shakeology. Because it comes from all natural sources, it has a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals, and it has a digestive enzyme in it, so that takes another supplement that I recommend out of pill form. Plus, it tastes good. Learn more about Shakeology here.

Fish Oils, my second favorite supplement. Why do you want to take fish oils? There are many, many reasons to take fish oils. My biggest reason is that our diets are way out of whack when it comes to the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6. We should have a ratio of 1 to 1 but unfortunately with the Standard American Diet (SAD) we get a ratio of 1 to 30. Why is this a bad thing? Well, once Omega 6 gets beyond the ratio of 1 to 1 it starts causing inflammation in the body, and inflammation can be traced as the cause of many health issues: cancer,back pain, heart attack, IBS, arthritis, migraines, etc... The list could go on and on. Taking a good cold water fish oil is one of the best ways to try and get the ratio back down to 1 to 1. Of course, another way is to move to the forest and hunt and gather your food. How much to take depends on how your high diet is in Omega 6. Here is a nice list of foods that are high in Omega 6. Some of them might surprise you.

What does a digestive enzyme do for you? Unfortunately, we live in a time when stress is abundant, where we do tend to get sick and take antibiotics, and where many processed foods aid in the growth of unhealthy bacteria and yeast forms while killing off the healthy bacteria. All of these can cause digestive issues, and can affect your immune system. Many people whose diets include daily doses of yogurt or acidophilus are able to maintain healthy gut flora, but these sources aren’t always reliable (pasteurizing and added sugars can reduce their effectiveness), and not everyone can tolerate dairy that well. A digestive enzyme supports your immune system and aids in digestion and regularity.

And of course, Vitamin D: my favorite vitamin. Actually, I use vitamin loosely because research has shown that it closer to a hormone than a vitamin. We used to get our "D" from the sun but we have become so scared of the sun that we layer ourselves with clothing; we stay indoors and put layers of sun screen on. What makes Vitamin D my favorite? Vitamin D regulates the levels of calcium and phosphate in the bloodstream, and it promotes the mineralization and growth of bones, working together with calcium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin K2. It plays an immense role in the immune response, activating the destroyer T-cells for defense against infections and attacking bacteria. It helps the expression of genes that regulate cell production suggesting a potential role in cancer occurrence, and it reduces chronic systemic inflammation. Why it is one of the most chronically deficient vitamins in America? Unbelievable!

No matter how you do it, make sure you’re getting these four supplements in your daily routine. Your body will thank you!