nutrition
By Laura Berger
Supplements, Minerals, Elixers, Oh My! Vitamin shopping can be a pill – here's what you need to know
Laura Berger is a Westerville dietitian with a knack for cooking and a passion for helping others reach their own health goals, too. This issue, we asked her questions about supplements, vitamins and elixirs. We’re hungry for answers and Berger is serving them up hot! Do you believe in supplements? If so, what do you take? I believe in the right types of supplements being used for the right reasons. The options are overwhelming when it comes to brands, nutrients, and herbal support. While many compounds are well studied and considered safe, consumers find themselves blindly purchasing the economy size fish oil at Costco because they think they should. Vitamins must be processed and extracted correctly or stabilized to be effective, so with many cheap brands you
may be getting no benefit at all or worse doing harm. There have been studies where the vitamins off the grocery shelves are analyzed and found to contain only a fraction of what they claim, so it is important to go with brands that are reputable, have been around for a while, are research based, and practice GMP; if the company sounds gimmicky or too good to be true, it probably is. All the supplements I take are from medical grade companies, meaning they are quality tested, research based, and the forms of the vitamins are bioactive; here is my daily regimen: Probiotic, 20-40billion CFU (with prebiotic), Cod Liver Oil (contains omega 3’s, A, and D), Multivitamin, Vitamin D, Magnesium glycinate, and a bone supplement which contains calcium from hydroxyapatite, D, Magnesium, Vitamin K2, Boron, and calcium collagen chelate. We also have both a plant-based protein powder and collagen protein powder we use for shakes.
Is it possible to be too obsessed with vitamins and supplements? I think the biggest risk of “obsession” comes when thinking that the supplements are going to save your health without making a solid effort to improve diet quality. Supplements are just that: supplemental; meaning, they help support body functions and cover deficiencies, but can never take the place of a balanced diet with whole food ingredients and low amounts of processed foods and additives. Turmeric? Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory. I often recommend this if someone is having inflammatory issues, autoimmunity, or joint pain. It has also been studied for its anti-cancer properties. Curcumin is a fat-soluble nutrient, meaning you need to consume it with a meal containing fat; it is also best if the supplement contains Black Pepper Extract because it aids in absorption. Most chronic diseases are rooted in inflam-
