The supplement industry is thriving. It is on pace to become a $60 Billion industry by 2021. There's all types of claims about loosing weight, increasing energy, and just being a better damn person. How do you know what the hell is true? Or how do you know what the hell is true for you?
Some argue that there is no need to supplement - that you get enough vitamins from your food. This could be true if you eat home grown organic foods, grass-fed meats, clean water, and have very little stress...but this is not realistic. We are all deficient in some aspect of vitamins/minerals/neurotransmitters that our body needs to thrive. Below is a list of supplements that I have taken and my personal experience from these.
Turmeric - This is a spice commonly used for coloring but actually is one of the cheapest anti-inflammatory foods you can find. It's hard to quantify exactly - unless you are getting tested regularly that you have decreased inflammation markers. One test is to look at puffiness around the face and fingers. Frankly I just feel better when I have turmeric in my diet. Turmeric is a naturally occuring spice so if you are sketched out by taking pills, some of the best supplements are actually just spices.
When in doubt about supplements spices like turmeric, cinnamon, rosemary, oregeno can do wonders for your health and make your food taste better.
Vitamin D3 - Vitamin D, particularly Vitamin D3, the bioactive form of Vitamin D and found in sunlight. D3 can help improve mood, improve skin health, and overall cell function. Most of us are deficient because we spend so much time indoors and clothed when outside....especially those living further from the equator. For me I can notice a difference in how I feel if I do not take it and am indoors all day. Vitamin D is reversely related to melatonin so best to take in the AM to not interfere with sleep.
GABA is neurotransmitter your brain naturally makes. If you are anxious or worry a lot you may be deficient in GABA. For me when I take GABA I become very calm and focused and feel very clear headed for hours. Caution: if you take too much or already have normal GABA levels, GABA will make you very tired so please be careful before going for a drive. Test it to see how you respond.
5-HTP is a natural precursor to the happiness neurotransmitter seratonin. This can be extremely helpful if you are deficient in seratonin. If you suffer from a biochemical form of depression this may be an avenue to try before exploring pharmacueticals which have a whole host of side effects. Also in my experience this has helped to reduce cravings for comfort foods/carbs. Comfort foods are typically high in carbs and tryptophan. The "T" in 5-HTP stands for tryptophan.
Cravings are your body telling you it needs something.
If you need more seratonin your body could be craving comfort foods to try to get it. Supplementing with 5-HTP, you can get the benefits of the increased mood without the negative affects that certain comfort foods have on your blood sugar.
Gluthathione - This is the master antioxidant in the body. This is what the liver makes to deal with all the garbage we are exposed to. Typically within 20 minutes of taking it I feel a slight increase in mental clarity. Detox is huge if you are trying to loose weight. Fat cells store toxins. If you are shedding fat your body has to deal with those toxins. Something like gluthathione can be extremely useful. Just be careful about the brand you take. Depending on the form you stomach acid can break it down before it does anything. Don't take it every day because you can stop your liver from producing it naturally. (Think the classic steroids and testosterone your balls example)
One extra one for a bit of controversy...nicotine.
Nicotene is a smart drug. To be clear. Nicotine is only one element of cigarettes. It is not the same as tobacco just as caffiene is not the same as coffee. There are thousands of other chemicals in those tobacco products that make smoking terrible for you. For me, taking 1mg of nicotine with a cup of coffee gives an insane amount of mental clarity. It helps the ability to focus for hours and increases mood. There may be a reason why some of the best music and books of the last century were written by artists strung out on coffee and cigarettes....well and maybe some other things.
-Dylan
