Essential supplements: Which ones do you take?

[Kak]

In the past I have been the guy that calls supplements “snake oil” a bunch of too good to be true BS... I couldn’t have been more wrong about fish oil...

Evidently I had a deficiency in omega 3s because I started taking fish oil a few months ago and it has, without a doubt in my mind, given me energy and mental clarity.

Speaking of mental clarity, I have only just realized how badly eating poorly effects me. As someone who used to get brain fog. Eating clean helped, fish oil blew my doors off and gave me an adderal like mental clarity.

What do you guys take? What have you noticed? My interest in general performance is piqued.

@GPM recommends Krill Oil over fish oil for several reasons so I’m trying that today.

 

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[Kak]

I also take a gulp of Apple Cider Vinegar every day. Tastes like crap, but it does wonders to keep you from ever feeling bloated.

 

[Danny Sullivan]

Hey Kak,

i have no experiences with fish-oil but i'm taking in 20g of flaxseeds and sesame seeds every day for omega 3 & 6 with no noticeable effects.

I also take B12 1.000IU every 2-3 days, which where a major game changer. It felt like i've been behind a wall of fog all day before, compared to after taking it for 1 week. You feel more awake and all tasks throughout the day just come easier. Just my experiences. This wears off after you've taken if for while though - or it's just the new standard who knows.

 

[Danny Sullivan]

I also take a gulp of Apple Cider Vinegar every day. Tastes like crap, but it does wonders to keep you from ever feeling bloated.

Can't you dilute this with a glass of water or does this dilute the effect too?

 

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[stevenknow]

Evidently I had a deficiency in omega 3s because I started taking fish oil a few months ago and it has, without a doubt in my mind, given me energy and mental clarity.

Just incase someone stumbles onto this thread thinking that Omega 3 from Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds and other Plant Sources are the same as Omega 3 from Fish Sources.

Sadly, it is not

The type of Omega 3s coming from Plant Sources (ALA) isnt the same as the Omega 3s coming from Fish Sources (EPA & DHA)

I should however mention that your body naturally converts Plant Based Omega 3 (ALA) into the ones you get from Fish Sources, however only a very small percentage gets converted

 

[stevenknow]

I also take a gulp of Apple Cider Vinegar every day.

I've read that Apple Cider Vinegar are also great before meals, it does something which allows your body to absorb more nutrients from the food that you're eating

Just wondering, how much Apple Cider Vinegar do you take daily?

I take about a shot glass worth of AVC a day but I'm not sure whether that may be too less to have any positive impact

 

[MJoo]

My spouse and 4 children uses two 100% plant-based supplements. A multi-vitamine and a glyconutritional product. Have seen indeed bizar results with people getting their health back using products so we are taking them to prevent and to get most out of life.

 

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[Niptuck MD]

grape seed extract, bcaas, glutamine, vitamin D3 and CoQ10.

 

[ljean]

I take a multi, fish oil, turmeric, & occasionally glucosamine. I've taken them all for so long I dont know what they do for me if anything.

 

[Kak]

Can't you dilute this with a glass of water or does this dilute the effect too?

You can, but it's gross, so I’d rather just slam it.

 

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[Rhino]

Don’t know if this counts as a supplement as such, but I’ve been drinking kefir everyday for the last 9 months or so and I’ve definitely noticed some positive benefits. Firstly, I’ve lost weight, not that I’ve ever been overweight, but my body fat has noticeably decreased.

Secondly. It’s really good for your stomach, if you’ve ever got any stomach issues just drink some kefir and it just goes away instantly. Last week I went to a friends wedding and drank way too much as is usual at these kind of events. In the morning my stomach felt like a void, like there wasn’t enough grease in the world that could fill it. Usually for me this feeling lasts most the day, but when I got home, I drank some kefir and I instantly felt normal again.

Also I’ve not been Ill once since I started drinking the stuff, that’s despite everyone at my work and in my house being sick during that time.

The only problem most people have with it is that it literally is and tastes like fizzy sour milk.

 

[Rob Tennant]

High quality fish oil supps are good. I don't eat much fish so I do take fish oil.

I let my blood test results warrant the usage of supps, and only if I can't economically/reasonably bring up the deficiency thru real food. I would highly suggest people get a thorough blood test and go from there.. Its expensive but worth it if you can do.

Then in a month or so, after trying to bring up your deficiencies thru real food (preferable) or supps, re-test your deficient areas only (much cheaper) to confirm what you've done has worked. How do you know what to supplement if you don't know your deficient areas?

 

[CROJosh]

Used to take 10-12. D3, krill oil, magnesium, ala, curcumin, coq10, green tea, l-carnitine, l-theanine, berberine, creatine, ginseng and others depending on the recommendation. Had a bad panel and got a little nutso for a couple of years. Went from that - a labdoor-reading, examine. com report-buying, pubmed-addicted supplement junkie - to not taking any.

I'm not anti-supplement, in fact after taking fish oil 2 years ago to lower my triglycerides it absolutely worked. I made no other changes to my diet and went from high to normal in 6 months. So I may take something again in the future if I'm deficient but my labs have never been better and I'm spending, no joke, about $600 less per month on food and supplements.

 

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[Argue]

I used to take fish oil but stopped because I didn’t feel any effect.

The only thing that gives me a boost is coffee or beer. Not healthy choices tho.

 

[Tommo]

You can but it's gross still so id rather just slam it.

Kak, I read somewhere that drinking it straight can damage your throat so I always have it in a glass of water. For the last 3 years I have taken a supplement called Green Supreme by San. It's is full of veggies and my wife who had all sorts of stomach issues felt better soon after joining me in taking it every day. It is also suitable for Vegans. It helps me in my busy lifestyle and I can't imagine not using it.
PS I don't have any affiliation with the company but maybe I should.

 

[Kak]

Hey Kak,

i have no experiences with fish-oil but i'm taking in 20g of flaxseeds and sesame seeds every day for omega 3 & 6 with no noticeable effects.

I also take B12 1.000IU every 2-3 days, which where a major game changer. It felt like i've been behind a wall of fog all day before, compared to after taking it for 1 week. You feel more awake and all tasks throughout the day just come easier. Just my experiences. This wears off after you've taken if for while though - or it's just the new standard who knows.

They say the fish or krill based oil for omega 3 is way more potent than plant based. I’m not an expert, but someone told me that.

 

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[Kak]

Kak, I read somewhere that drinking it straight can damage your throat so I always have it in a glass of water. For the last 3 years I have taken a supplement called Green Supreme by San. It's is full of veggies and my wife who had all sorts of stomach issues felt better soon after joining me in taking it every day. It is also suitable for Vegans. It helps me in my busy lifestyle and I can't imagine not using it.
PS I don't have any affiliation with the company but maybe I should.

Yeah I chase it hard with something... usually water... sometimes tea or juice.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Liquid Aloe.
Methylated B-12. (Methylcobalamin)
Liquid Caprylic Acid
Plant-based protein powder (on gym days or when protein is lacking)
Glutathione

 

[WJS]

Had my blood test recently and the doc advised me to take fish oil to balance out the HDL and LDL (good and bad cholesterol). The effect was almost immediate as I feel more energetic and alert.

Aside from fish oil, I've also been taking spirulina and chlorella. These two have been dubbed the "superfood" by many people. I take them mainly to counter the lack of vegetable intake as most food you buy nowadays has way too much meat and fat but not enough portion of vegetable.

 

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[Xeon]

I take vitamin tablets x2 daily, made up of Vitamic C, Garlic Extract and Propolis.

Used to take Dr. Formulas's DHT-blocker pills to prevent/delay hair loss, but I need the $ for my hustle, so stopped that.

 

[Timmy C]

Protein and creatine.

Keep in mind if you diet inn't on point supplements wont help you.

 

[SquatchMan]

I take a standard multivitamin. I probably should work on improving my somewhat crappy diet of rice, vegetables, eggs, and pork.

I take vitamin tablets x2 daily, made up of Vitamic C, Garlic Extract and Propolis.

Used to take Dr. Formulas's DHT-blocker pills to prevent/delay hair loss, but I need the $ for my hustle, so stopped that.

DHT blockers can have some nasty side effects too. I used minoxidil, but that gave me dandruff. Now I just shave my head.

 

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[DVU]

Multivitamin
Magnesium
Creatine

The biggest thing I recently "discovered" was eating light meals in the morning.

I used to down 5 eggs, ham, bread, and then I would be sleepy and felt like someone beat me up.

Now I eat oatmeal and just mix up some peanut butter with it for better taste. I feel full after but not so full I'm tired.

I highly recommend people try it. It has completely changed how I work in the morning.

 

[MidwestLandlord]

D3
Zinc
Liquid fish oil (omega 3's)
Theanine
Apple cider vinegar
Metamucil
Beef liver

I mix protein powder, apple cider vinegar, Metamucil, and liquid fish oil into a shake every night.

With the apple cider vinegar, I drink the high quality glass bottled stuff that contains the mother. But I also buy the crap that comes in a gallon jug and soak my feet in it (undiluted) twice a month or so. Makes my feet feel like a million bucks!

 

[Alex Nolte]

What I take daily and highly recommend to everybody else:

• 3g of EPA/DHA out of fish oil capsules
• 4000 IU vitamin D3 (anything up to 10k is safe, but 4k is usually enough, if your living in a very sunny area then even less)
  
• 200mcg vitamin K2

What I take to boost my performance in the gym

• 5g of creatine monohydrate (daily)
• 250mg caffeine + 250mg l-theanine (pre workout, can also be used for hustling)
  

Benefits of each:
fish oil: bone & joint health, cognitive function & brain health, cardiovascular health, liver health, antiinflammatory effect
vitamin D: general health, antiinflammatory effect, immunity, bone & joint health, cognitive function & brain health, insulin sensivity, cardiovascular health, libido
vitamin k2: bone health, cardiovascular health, works synergistically with vitamin d (so the effects of each are improved), makes sure that calcium gets to all the right places in your body and therefore prevents arterial calcification

creatine: more power in things like sprinting or strength training
caffeine + theanine: alertness, clarity, calm focus (theanine prevents the caffeine "shakiness" from occuring)

 

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[Boo]

The only real way to do this is to get a full blood panel with all of your vitamins and mineral levels and then ask for a copy. They'll probably tell you that you're within normal ranges, but those ranges are so freaking low it's ridiculous. They basically just mean that you're not deficient to the point of developing serious health problems like scurvy, but that doesn't mean that you're anywhere near optimal.

If you're not going to do that, most people eating a Western diet can safely supplement:

Vitamin D3 - most of us don't get out enough in the sun. I take 5000 IU per day and sit at upper normal levels even though I spend less than a few minutes in direct sun daily.

Omega-3 Fish Oil or Krill Oil - Western diet is far too high in Omega-6 and way too low in Omega-3, you can balance this by eating less wheat products and taking fish oil. I take 4 tablets of 1000mg each day, coming to 1760mg of EPA and 1120mg of DHA.

Multi-vitamin - Some major studies show that they don't work, those studies are bogus. The main two cited were short term and they evaluated effectiveness by asking people over the phone whether they felt better and another commonly cited study said they don't work because they didn't improve the condition of people already suffering from fatal conditions.... Multi-vitamins work and they are so cheap that you have no reason not to take one.

B12 - I'm a little more reluctant to suggest that everybody supplement B12 but most people can take a low dose supplement.


For me, I noticed a reasonable difference from taking these three. My brain fog reduced, less depression and slightly more energy. But the biggest change came from doing cardio for 30 minutes daily, game changer.

 

[The EL Maven]

Great idea for a thread. What I currently take shouldn't be taken as what I'll always take...

Everyday I take a min of 720 mg of Omega-3.
Everyday I take a min of 3g of Absorbic Acid powder.
I'm mostly off of working out for the summer, I supplement creatine when I'm more active.
Currently looking for the right mix for Magnesium (I take some form every day), I've begun mixing magnesium carbonate with absorbic acid, this seems to be good but I'm not decided.
As of this week, I'm taking mk-7 every other day because my calcium intake is really high.
Every night I take a lot of melotonin, but I'm still refining my bedtime regimen.
I take Vitamin B-12 as needed (if I feel groggy, tired, etc) and this was my GO TO choice when pulling all night poker sessions back in those days, caffeine had nothing on Vitamin B.

I started on Omega-3 a few years ago when I suddenly became intolerant of nuts and seeds of every type. I surmised that my Omega-6 to 3 ratio got out of whack and I began to supplement. This intolerance seems to have abated, this could be from ceasing those foods mostly or through supplementing or both. Either way, there's a clear benefit to continuing.

Vitamin C is, in my opinion, the king of supplements. Do a little research on it, it's easy since it's perhaps the most studied and used of them all... the summary is that humans (and guinea pigs) have a mutated gene that normally makes abscorbate in the body. All other mammals make their own using glucose (my theory is this gene mutated and allowed us to starve better). When those mammals make their own (which is all the time) their blood ratios are off the charts compared to our RDA standards. My 3g per day is nothing compared to what is observed in the animal kingdom. I personally believe that this mutation has caused humans to become chronically under nourished in vitamin C, and therefore is a tangential cause for countless illnesses and diseases - and if my belief is correct, it would explain the obscene results that have been documented over the last several decades of high dose vitamin C use.

Anyway - I'm always looking to learn more and will read through everyone's comments in here in the past and future.

TIA!!

 

[Raoul Duke]

Apple Cider Vinegar

[News] Apple Cider Vinegar Helps Fight Body Fat (+ more)

 

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[GPM]

I used to take fish oil but stopped because I didn’t feel any effect.

Go read a little bit about myelin and then see if you change your mind and start taking them again!

 

[Alex Nolte]

I used to take fish oil but stopped because I didn’t feel any effect.

Do you remember how much you took? The amount of EPA and DHA is very important and if you take too little you‘re likely to not have much if any benefit. Moreover some effects of fish oil, like the benefits it has on the cardiovascular system, are rather long term benefits that you don‘t directly feel but are proven to occur!