Top Three Supplements We Need

With aging we have to realize and accept that we are breaking down and preparing to leave this world. It stinks but with acceptance comes the knowledge that we need to be taking steps to make our process easier and allow us to enjoy our lives and experiences. 

With aging our digestion slows and we find that we have more food sensitivities because of this we sometimes need supplements to help keep us moving and feeling better. Today I want to address the top three, in my book. My hope would be that we could get these through our food but we all find ourselves falling short of a less than ideal diet. I don't want to discuss which diet is best, I want to discuss what our bodies NEED. 

Collagen

In the Greek language it is literally translated 'glue'. With 16 different types of collagen in our bodies it is found in all our connective tissues, bones, skin, joints, and organs. With aging our bodies are creating less and a lower quality than when we were in our 20s and our modern diet we are consuming less and less within our food. Naturally collagen is found in the skin of chicken and pork, bones and connective tissue of all animals, and clear gelatin. While we can consume more connective tissue of animals we circle back to slowing digestion as we age, when we eat the above the proteins break down into amino acids and then reassemble as a number of nutrients. We aren't getting what we need from the food we eat because as we age we aren't able to consume enough collagen at the rate it is breaking down, in comes the need for a supplement.

Supplements are already bio available to use as collagen builders. Collagen powders are typically tasteless so it is easy to add them to a variety of meals. I recommend using a high quality collagen supplement with few fillers. Types I, II, III, IV are the four primary collagen types, taking a supplement that has all four types is optimum, unless you are recovering from a surgery then it is helpful to be more specific. 

2017 study showed the use of collagen supplements to protect your joints from osteoarthritis and increased damage from osteoarthritis. Another study in 2019 showed an increase in muscle mass in older men. More and more studies are trickling out about the usefulness of a quality collagen supplement. 

Magnesium

If you are one of my clients we have talked about magnesium because it is the 4th most abundant mineral in our body! Low magnesium is linked to depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, muscle weakness, dementia...wow...when we look at the prevalence of the above conditions in our society it makes you wonder if we are a nation of magnesium deficiencies. 

Few people hit the daily recommendations through food. We need to be consuming, on a daily basis, high amounts of greens, salmon, avocados, tofu, almonds, etc.  But, as discussed earlier, our digestion is slowing and our absorption isn't as good as it once was. It just becomes too hard to take in what we need as we age with food alone. I am not dismissing a good, healthy diet but reality is as we age we need to eat less to maintain a healthy weight, we develop more food sensitivities, and our digestion itself is slowing down so we need some supplements.

There are so many TYPES of magnesium and each is a little different offering something different to the body. I recommend using a magnesium complex that has magnesium gluconate and magnesium glycinate in it. Be cautious of any supplement using magnesium carbonate or citrate, both act as a diuretic. Take your magnesium supplement before bed, magnesium has also been showed to help with quality of sleep. 

B Complex

The B complex I am talking about contains 8 B vitamins. This is the only vitamin that you should be able to get through your food on a daily basis but, again, with slowing digestion make sure your doctors are testing for deficiencies. B vitamins are found in dairy, fish, greens, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts...so, if you are eating healthy you should be able to get enough to keep your energy levels up and help with brain function. If you find yourself struggling with energy or fogginess call your physician and have a test done to see where you are at. If you are borderline with a good diet, snag a quality supplement...if you are borderline with a bad diet, eat better! 

That's all for now, I'm off to see clients and just had a few moments...remember to eat well daily, move daily, and laugh daily.