Basic Supplement Choices

Supplements - The Basics

So many people ask us what supplements to take. And so many people come into our clinic with bags of nutritional supplements, including many dietary supplements they don't really need. This page has a focus on the beginner and the recommendations I make here for nutritional supplementation are for you to first concentrate on getting your diet right. There is little point taking supplements if you don't eat the right proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as making the right basic beverage choices.

 

Lesson 1: Take a multivitamin every day

The Naturopaths Basic Nutrition Plan

Proteins Carbohydrates Fats Beverages Health on a Budget Supplements Super Foods Lifestyle choices

It has always been my goal to limit the amount of dietary supplements our patients take. I believe you can obtain most of the nutrition you need from wholesome food, providing you eat a wholesome diet that is! There are some exceptions to this however, but it is generally not necessary that someone would really benefit from a couple of plastics bags of supplements that many people take.  However, if you're looking for an all-inclusive insurance policy, I know one of the best and most comprehensive high quality multivitamins on the market, made from the finest raw materials available.

Take a quality multi-vitamin each and every day. But STOP - don't just take any multi, make sure you are taking in a natural product which is not synthetically based. Many supplements are based on synthetic vitamins and minerals and are mass produced and churned out to a population who are unsure of their quality. That's why we don't stock just any old retail variety supplements.
Our customers enjoy a higher quality multivitamin and mineral formulation than you will find on websites generally. If you wish to become a member and be eligible for great discounts and special offers, please contact us today.

Lesson 2: Take an Omega 3 supplement every day

I personally take and recommend only ONE Omega3, and it just so happens to be 100% New Zealand sourced and manufactured. Clean, fresh oil made from fish caught in a sustainable manner in the cleanest ocean remaining - the Southern Ocean. Don't be fooled anymore, after reading this page you will understand the difference between the "good, bad and ugly" when it comes to the dirty business of recommending and selling Omega 3 fish oil.

HokiMega3 is a premium quality concentrated DHA & EPA. And by concentrating the fish oil in this unique New Zealand product, we have obtained a total Omega 3 content of 40%. This is made up of at least 10% EPA and at least 27% DHA, more than twice the DHA of the vast majority of products on the market. You can order Hoki Omega 3 here.

 

Lesson 3: Make sure you get enough Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiencies are quite common today. There has been a renewed interest in Vitamin D, and the interesting thing I find about Vitamin D is the amount of attention it has been given only the past few years or so and this is because of its connection with immunity and in particular with cancer. An increased cancer risk has been now positively linked with Vitamin D deficiency, and there is ample cancer in Australia and New Zealand for you to pay particular attention to this kind of research.

You would think because of the high sunlight levels in Australia and New Zealand that deficiencies of this vitamin would be uncommon, but this is clearly not the case. If a person lacks vitamin D, they have not only a higher chance of getting rickets and having soft bones, but are also more likely to get cancer and have an increased tendency to develop any one of several chronic diseases. Why do you potentially lack this crucial vitamin? Because you spend a lot of time indoors, your diet is probably lacking in food sources rich in Vitamin D (organ meats like liver and other sources such as fish), and if you do go outdoors you will probably "cover up" or wear a sunscreen.
Please go to our Vitamin D page to learn a lot more about this most important vitamin.