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My Essential Vitamins For Optimal Health

My Essential Vitamins For Optimal Health

I am constantly asked which supplements I take and which supplements are essential to take on a daily basis for optimal health. I believe that certain high quality supplements work really well together to complement a healthy diet and they will help boost your health and wellbeing. There is so much conflicting information about correct supplementation and because not all supplements are created equally, I have written this article to help you make an informed choice.

Shabir’s top six supplements

The supplements outlined below are some of the ones that I take on a daily basis and I explain the reasons why:

Multivitamins and minerals
Krill Oil
Co-Enzyme Q10
Turmeric
Probiotics
Vitamin D

Multivitamins and Minerals

Walk into any supermarket, pharmacy or health store and you will see a vast array of multivitamin/mineral supplements. So with all this choice which one should you buy? Before I go any further, the most frequent question asked is ‘do I require a multivitamin?’ The answer is YES and I am going to briefly explain why this is fundamental to your overall health.

Numerous studies indicate that by the time processed foods reach the table, there could be serious losses in their nutrient content, not just due to cooking the food, but also during manufacture and storage where antioxidant nutrients get oxidised rendering them ineffective. It is for this reason that I believe that a multivitamin/mineral supplement is fundamental for optimal health and should complement a good diet.

So we come back to the hundreds of choices of multivitamin supplements on the shelves! Unfortunately, the vast majority of multivitamins contain synthetic vitamins or semi-synthetic nutrients with some using mega doses that can actually do more harm than good. I normally always recommend ‘food state’ multivitamins because these contain nutrients that are found close enough to their structure in foods, rather than being synthetic in nature, or semi-synthetic, both of which are poorly utilised by the body. The body does get its nutrients from food, so why not take a multinutrient that closely resembles, or is actually chemically identical, to that found in food. I normally recommend a whole-food multinutrient such as Daily Multivitamins One-A-Day. This supplement provides all the vitamins, minerals, green foods, digestive enzymes, fruit extracts and much more all in their most natural state for ease of absorption and hence utilisation by the body.

Krill Oil

I have for some time now been impressed with the data coming out on krill oil. We all know that our bodies cannot manufacture essential fatty acids and so we have to ingest these by way of food. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible for the majority of us to eat two or three portions of oily fish on a daily basis. For those of us who believe that vegetarian sources of essential fatty acids such as flaxseed and hempseeds will be sufficient, think again. Vegetarian sources of essential fatty acids simply do not convert into EPA and DHA in sufficient doses to make a difference. The best way to ensure that we get these essential fatty acids is by way of ingesting supplements of fish oils or krill oil.

Scientific evidence shows us that the most effective way to carry the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA is by way of phospholipids. Fish oils provide these essential fatty acids in a less beneficial form as triglycerides whereas krill oil provides these in a phospholipid form, which delivers these to the body’s cells. Krill oil naturally contains astaxanthin, one of the most powerful antioxidants which helps to protect the body against free radical damage (more on that later) whereas fish oil supplements often have added vitamin E to protect them against turning rancid during storage. Krill oil is beneficial to the body and may help to:

  • Protect the cardiovascular system
  • Promote healthy joint function
  • Provide antioxidant support
  • Support the nervous system
  • Maintain cholesterol levels within the normal range
  • Support the immune system
  • Maintain lipid levels in skin and hence maintain elasticity

Krill Oil is on my list because not only does it deliver the essential fatty acids at a cellular level, but it is most definitely free from mercury and numerous toxins that fish oils may contain. The supplement that I take currently is Neubria’s Krill Oil and I recommend a dosage of two capsules daily.

Co-Enzyme Q10

Ageing is a multi-faceted process and the cells of our bodies have a finite lifespan. Free radical damage is one of the theories of the ageing process which is well documented with antioxidants being the buzz word. These free radicals can damage the tissues of the body and the genetic material in the individual cells. If there was a supplement that limits free radical damage then that could potentially affect the ageing process and to this end I recommend taking Co-enzyme Q10 supplements as another essential supplement.

Levels of Co-Enzyme Q1O decline with age and by the time we reach our forties, levels of this nutrient decline to roughly half what they were at when we are in our twenties. Co-Enzyme Q1O, often abbreviated CoQ10, is a powerful antioxidant but it has numerous other benefits and these include:

  • It is involved in the production of the power-house molecule ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which fuels every single cell of the body ensuring that these have the energy to reproduce and regenerate. 
  • It oxygenates all the muscle and soft tissues of the body helping to enhance energy production. The most important muscle tissue within our bodies is the heart muscle tissue which is why it is of benefit in cardiovascular health.
  • This same oxygenation also helps to prevent the bacteria that live in the pockets of gum tissues from thriving and hence protects against gum disease including gingivitis and bleeding gums.
  • It prevents the oxidation of cholesterol within the bloodstream ensuring that cholesterol does not stick to the arteries and veins.
  • It may help to protect the degeneration of the nervous system. 

Many people take Co-Q10 supplements, and indeed those on cholesterol medications will already know that statin drugs deplete this vital nutrient in the body. Co-enzyme Q10, or ubiquinone, is converted into ubiquinol used for energy and then back into ubiqunone with this reaction occurring thousands of times daily in each cell. Taking Q10 supplements in tablet or capsule form is always compromised since these supplements have to pass through the harsh environment of the stomach which is why I would recommend taking DoSe Liposomal CoQ10 which shields this important nutrient from the acids in the stomach delivering it to every cell in the body.

Turmeric

The active ingredients in turmeric are a group of polyphenols called curcuminoids which display multiple benefits including powerful antioxidant properties, cell protective and importantly, powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation in the body is now the most widely accepted theory of ageing and keeping it at bay is crucial for our longevity.

The most widely studied curcuminoid, curcumin, has also been shown to help protect our cardiovascular and brain tissues. With so many manufacturers releasing turmeric tablets and curcumin supplements, finding the best turmeric curcumin supplement can be difficult to say the least.

I tend to recommend Turmeric Curcumin C3 Complex capsules. This turmeric supplement is obtained from the dried rhizomes of Curcuma longa (Turmeric) and standardized for minimum 95% Curcuminoids. The name Curcumin C3 Complex® has reference to its three main chemical compounds - Curcumin, Demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC)—collectively known as “Curcuminoids”. Curcumin C3 Complex® is a premium and patented form of curcumin and it has the highest absorption of any curcumin on the market (95% absorption of curcuminoids). Because better health benefits come from better bioavailability, Turmeric Curcumin C3 Complex provides more health benefits for your heart, brain, joints, immune and circulation, and beyond.

Probiotics

For centuries, many cultures have recognized the importance of probiotics, even if they were not aware of the term, by including pickled and fermented foods within their diet for intestinal health. We are now exposed greatly to chemical residues in foods and many of us regularly consume prescribed medications, which affect the beneficial bacteria of the gut. Most of us overlook the fact that we regularly consume antibiotics by eating meat and drinking milk from animals raised in farming practices that routinely use drugs for promoting growth of livestock and for preventing disease. Whilst fermented foods may have helped in the past, these simply will not provide sufficient bacteria with today’s chemical exposure, the use of antibiotics, and other factors that destroy the beneficial bacteria within our guts.

Probiotics play a crucial role in immunity. Did you know that over 80 percent of our immunity arises within the gut? Did you know that there are more bacteria in the human body than cells? Astounding facts, but true, these bacteria manufacture vital immune enhancing compounds that ensure the optimal working of the immune system. These bacteria also help to eliminate excess acid in the gut that has seeped through from the stomach, thus keeping inflammation at bay, which is why most people with gastric inflammatory concerns benefit from the use of probiotics and they also help to provide some nutrients, including some B vitamins.

The single biggest challenge facing us is to ensure that we can get sufficient quantities of these beneficial bacteria into the gut since the stomach is highly acidic and destroys the vast majority of these bacteria as they are acid-sensitive. A supplement that I recommend for children above two and adults is Mega Probio. This probiotic supplement contains eight strains of bacteria that are coated enterically with a protein coating protecting them from the harsh acidic environment of the stomach. The supplement is also dairy free which helps many who are sensitive to dairy products.

Vitamin D

Despite all the scientific findings about deficiencies in the adult population, and all the press articles relating these findings, most of us have still chosen to ignore the benefits of vitamin D supplementation as part of our regime. According to the Department of Health, as much as 50 percent of the population is deficient in this vitamin. Contrary to popular belief, Vitamin D is known to support the body’s health systems in a variety of ways and it is not inconceivable that our bodies are deficient in this.

Scientific research has shown that every single cell and tissue within our bodies has Vitamin D receptors and further concludes that every cell requires Vitamin D for its well-being. Even more astounding is the fact that Vitamin D is responsible for the regulation of nearly 2000 genes in the body!

Vitamin D3, the active form of Vitamin D, is required for:

  • Skin health
  • Strong bones and teeth
  • Sugar metabolism
  • Healthy immune system
  • Healthy mood
  • Strong and healthy bones
  • Proper digestion and food absorption

The above list is by no means comprehensive and there are numerous other processes and structures of the body that require high levels of Vitamin D3. It is for this reason that I recommend D3000 Vitamin D Oral Spray by Better You, use one spray from Autumn through to Spring. From Spring till Autumn, I recommend the use of D1000 Vitamin D Oral Spray by Better You, use one spray daily. As most people understand, vitamin D is an oil-soluble vitamin which means there can be challenges absorbing it. Using the D-Lux Sprays avoid the gastric route where absorption can be compromised and instead the Vitamin D3 is absorbed rapidly sublingually straight into the bloodstream.

I strongly feel that the above six supplements will be a great addition to a healthy and well balanced diet and I have chosen very specific supplements to ensure maximum delivery to the body. The manufactures of these supplements have to follow Good Manufacturing Practice, a guidance that outlines all aspects of production and testing that can have an impact on the quality of a supplement.

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