Food is the best way to get all your nutrients.  However, in the rushed world that we live in, you may find yourself not taking in all the nutrients that you need from your diet.

If you are not sure what supplements to take, please ask your naturopathic doctor for guidance.  This is specially important if you are currently pregnant, breastfeeding or taking any medication.  You want to make sure the supplement will not interact with what you are currently taking.

If you do know what vitamin or mineral you would like to take then keep the following tips in mind before making your choice:

–       Choose a hypoallergenic product – one that does not contain wheat, dairy, starch, yeast, gluten, corn, soy, sodium, sugar, artificial colouring, or flavouring.

–       Choose one with the least amount of fillers, binders, coating agents or lubricants.  These are usually written under “Non-Medicinal Ingredients”.

–       Check to make sure the product is not expired.  Some products sit on shelves for a long time before being sold.

–       If you are buying a Multivitamin or a Calcium supplement – choose one that has calcium citrate, chelate or ascorbate form.  Avoid the calcium carbonate because it is harder to break down and therefore absorb.

–       If you are buying a Calcium supplement – choose one that also has magnesium, vitamin D3 and ideally boron in it.  They all act in synergy with each other for the health of our bones.

–       If you are buying a multivitamin or magnesium supplement – choose one that has magnesium bisglycenate because it is absorbed better than the citrate.  Magnesium citrate is usually used more for constipation because it is not absorbed well into the blood stream.

–       If you are buying a multivitamin or B complex – choose one that has is activated.  This means that it has some methyl groups attached to the vitamins for example the vitamin B12 will be in the form of methylcobalamine OR the folic acid will be in the form of L-mehtylfolate (5-MTHF).

–       You will know that you are absorbing your multivitamin or b complex when your urine becomes fluorescent yellow an hour after taking it.

 

If you don’t know what supplements you should be taking, call us for a mineral evaluation through hair mineral analysis test.  It is an easy and convenient method of assessing what supplements you should be taking.

We are happy to help – 905-239-3900.