5 Supplements EVERYONE Should Take

A day late- but here we go on the Top 5 Supplements everyone should be taking. Keep in mind this advice comes from a holistic nutritionist Christa Orecchio ( www.thewholejourney.net) who was a guest speaker at my boot camp, so this is her qualified advice- not my own!
1. Probiotics. These should be taken away from food. These support your digestive system, skyrocket your immune system, eliminate toxins & can help with depression.
I've actually taken these before- when I was on antibiotics to help replace the good bacteria that is killed during an antibiotic treatment. The thing about depression- basically she explained that seretonin which is a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, 80% of that chemical is developed in your intestional system. SO- theory being that if the probiotics help regulate and clean that system it can function properly & lead to increased seretonin production= more happiness!
Downside? These can be fairly expensive if you are taking them every day and often have to be refrigerated.
2. Digestive Enzymes. These should be taken before you eat. These help with better absorbtion & assimilation of the food. This is especially important to be taken with "cooked" food to help your body get all the nutrients possible. Christa talked a little bit about how foods have become less and less filled with the powerful vitamens & minerals, so it is important to help your system absorb all it can. For example, to get the same amount of vitamin D (I think it was D...) from an apple today you would actually have to eat 3 apples to equal the nutrients that one apple would have filled in 1940. It's because of overfarming of soil etc... I'm not going to go into that but bottom line- digestive enzymes help & you should also purchase local produce (not from big national chains) when possible, the soil is more likely to be less treated & the produce should have more nutrients.
3. Greens Powder. This can be taken any time. This powder is a mix of different healthy "greens", kelp, wheatgrass, spirulina. This helps with body "cleanup" and cellular detox.
4. Fish Oil or Cod Liver Oil (get one that says moleculerly distilled). This regulates swelling & inflamation of the body which is great especially when you are working out. It also helps with cardiovascular health & blood sugar balance.
5. Calcium/Magnesium Blend. (Purchase it in ionized form). This should be taken at night to help rebuild your muscles. And that's all I remember :) Ok- I got a little lazy at the end of class and wasn't taking as thorough of notes!! Sorry!
So- those are her top 5 most important. I'd recommend either googling them for more info &/or talking to a doctor about how you can benefit.
I'm going to start off with the Fish Oil & the Probiotics & then start adding in others. I wanted to write more about the AMAZING & healthy dinner Chris made me last night (and I had leftovers for lunch today) but that will have to wait for another day, this post is really long!
Chel
Oh and PS. Christa was not a huge fan of regular vitamins, like One A Day formulas. She said the reason they turn your pee super yellow is because they are not being absorbed in your body, so basically they go right through you without doing much good.