WHAT I TAKE EVERYDAY
Vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplements are very important to take since it is impossible to get enough nutrients from the foods we eat. I am not advocating that you get all your nutrients from supplements. Eating nutrient dense foods, like fruits and vegetables, offer more than just vitamins and minerals. In most cases fresh fruits and vegetables also provide plant fiber and that fiber is important for not just digestion but also normal blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
Though a vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplement regimen will be different for different people, a basic all in one Daily Multivitamin and Mineral supplement should be used as a foundation to any regimen. When taking a Daily Multi, make sure the dosages are more than the RDAs (Recommended Daily Allowances). When it comes to the RDAs they don’t provide enough of the nutrients to promote overall health and protection. The RDAs provide only just enough to keep you from slipping into malnutrition.
YOUR BODY IS LIKE YOUR CAR
Think of your body as a car and the important inner organs as the engine of your car. Now picture your engine’s oil dipstick. When you look at an engine oil dipstick there are two lines. The top line is the “Full” line and the lower line is the “Add” line. If you were to check your engine oil and the oil level is below the “Add” line, you or your mechanic would add enough oil to reach the “Full” line.
When following the RDA amounts it would be like adding just enough oil to reach the “Add” line. However when you take a Daily Multi with higher doses it would be like adding enough oil to your engine to reach the “Full” line. Most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants at higher doses than the RDAs or DV (Daily Values) are not only effective but very safe.
The picture above is from the back of the Dr. Whitaker Forward Plus Daily Regimen Multivitamin supplement that I take twice a day. I prefer to take my Daily Multi in a powdered form that I can mix in with juice or water. Mainly because whenever you can drink your nutrients, the quicker those nutrients will be utilized by the body. This is also true for those who juice their fresh fruits and vegetables. I also take the Forward Plus in pill form which is convenient for when I travel because they come in individual packets, which makes it easier to carry. You can order it below because it is not available in any store, only online, just click on the picture. It is the highest quality multiple vitamin I have ever taken and I will NEVER take anything else! You really can feel the difference after taking this for 2-4 weeks.
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However I do take certain supplements in pill form and when I do they are almost always in either a capsule or a gel cap. I try to avoid tablets because your body doesn’t absorb as much from tablets as it does from capsules and gel caps. The key to good health from the vitamin supplements that you take is to make sure your body can absorb the nutrients they contain. Capsules and gel caps will be absorbed by the body more efficiently than a tablet.
ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS I TAKE
The picture below shows the eight extra antioxidant supplements I take in addition to my Daily Multi. I take the two purple capsules once a day. These are a supplement with nutrients for maintaining healthy eyesight. I take one larger white capsule of GABA (Gamma-amino butyric acid) an amino acid that helps to relieve stress. Since stress will weaken your immune system GABA helps to remove that stress. I take one GABA once a day. I also take one small soft gel cap of vitamin D3 once a day. As I have mentioned elsewhere on this site, vitamin D3 is my flu shot alternative. The last supplement that I take once a day is a phytonutrient supplement of Sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is from broccoli and it helps to strengthen the immune system by killing free radical cells. It is also known as a great preventer of certain types of cancer. Sulforaphane is the main reason why broccoli has been reported as a vegetable that helps to fight off cancer.
Then I take three other supplements twice a day. I take the large golden gel cap of Omega-3 EPA/DHA Fish Oil one in the morning and one at night. The health benefits of Omega-3 Fish Oil are almost as extensive as vitamin D3. Fish Oil is another natural nutrient that strengthens the immune system. The small orange gel cap I also take twice a day, one in the morning and one at mid-day. This gel cap contains another potent antioxidant known as CoQ10. CoQ10 is vital for overall energy production in the cells of our bodies. It has been referred to as the Spark Plug for the engines within our cells. CoQ10 strengthens the immune system and also the heart muscle. People who have congestive heart failure are seriously lacking in CoQ10 because without CoQ10, your heart would stop beating.
Finally the last antioxidant that I take twice a day, one in the morning and one at night is the small white capsule of ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid). When it comes to antioxidants ALA is King! Most vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and antioxidants are either water-soluble or fat-soluble, meaning they either work in the liquid or tissue areas of the body. Alpha Lipoic Acid is both water and fat soluble which means it can work its antioxidant powers throughout the body. Fortunately for me I have a board certified MD who believes in natural care and wellness. Even though I already knew about the benefits of Alpha Lipoic Acid from the Dr. Whitaker Newsletters that I subscribe to, he further educated me as to why EVERYONE regardless of health conditions should take ALA daily. I love my doctor and if you want to find a certified doctor in your area check out my How to Find a Doctor page.
Like Vitamin D3, CoQ10 and Fish Oil, ALA has many benefits to overall health. It doesn’t just boost the strength of your immune system to protect you from the flu and other cold viruses but it also kills free radical cells. As is true with many antioxidants making your immune system strong is just a drop in the bucket compared to all of the other health benefits that they provide for overall health and well being. As I said on my Home Page, I have been doing this for 27 years and it hasn’t failed me yet.
If you have any questions about any of the supplements that I take, or any supplements in general, please leave your questions below in the comments section and I will be glad to answer you back.
My husband has much of the same interest in supplements that you do. I’ve been trying to take them myself, but I find it really difficult to remember to take them each day, particularly the ones that you have to take multiple times each day. Have you noticed a difference from when you didn’t take supplements compared to when you did?
If I miss a day or two between supplements that I should take everyday and/or multiple times a day, I do not notice that much of a difference. One thing to remember that will make it easier to take supplements, always try to take them before, during or after you eat. You never forget to eat, right? Just make sure to have them available when it comes time to eat, this way it will be easier to remember. If you should forget to take it when you should, just take what you can. Unlike medication you cannot seriously hurt or kill yourself if you should either miss taking them or take one too many.
Hi Robert,
Yes I am aware of the D3 as my wife takes it each day as well to help keep the immune system working, and agree with what you say.
As for myself I make sure every day I have to take 1 caplet of 1000mg Vitamin C- the time release. I am not sure if you may or may not be aware but if you have degenerative discs in your back (I do at my L4-L5 section) due to years of wear and tear through my work and playing sports, taking the caplet benefits that tender area. Vitamin C stores in your bones and it helps maintain strength there, so make sure it is the time release as it consistently stores there whereas just taking the regular C it will dissipate quicker.
Keep up the good posts, all the best.
Michael
Yes I know about the benefits of Vitamin C but D3 is more powerful because not every cell of the body has receptors for vitamin C but they do for vitamin D3. Both vitamins are very beneficial and needed for overall good health and healing.
I had often heard that a great many supplements don’t get properly absorbed into the blood and therefore render themselves useless. This was also the case with standard multivitamins. I WAS doing a multi everyday for quite awhile then slowly stopped. I DO take Vitamin D everyday though. I also believe that I have a well-rounded diet, which is what I had always heard was the only really good way of getting the proper nutrients consistently. My doctor has never recommended anything beyond a multivitamin.
I believe there are a lot of things in our world today that have too many different schools of thought, and for as many of those who make claims on one-side, there are just as many claims on the opposing side. A great example of this is Global Warming/Climate Change.
Multivitamins are only good as “supplements” to a SAD (Standard American Diet) and any other diet that isn’t mostly fruits, vegetables, legumes, herbs, and grains. When you do take a multivitamin or any type of vitamin, it must be in a capsule or gel cap form. Do NOT take anything in a tablet form because the body cannot absorb most of it. In order for the multivitamin & mineral supplement to be effective it has to have more than the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). The RDAs are not designed to promote health. They are designed to keep you from going into malnutrition. The RDAs are like keeping the oil in your car engine at the add oil line on the dipstick. Taking a multivitamin & mineral supplement with a higher dose than the RDAs is like adding the engine oil to the full line on the dipstick.
Love this site… I was just wondering, you said you take the daily multi vitamin in powder form. Do you know where can I get this in a powder form? Anything I take, I try to take in powder form if it is available, only because I have a hard time swallowing pills.
Thanks, and keep up the good work, it’s great. Kimberly
It was Dr. Whitaker Forward Plus multivitamin & nutrient powder. Unfortunately they do not make it anymore.