Inside Scoop: Learn how to find out how to choose a supplement wisely, and the overall best supplements for women. 

Do you feel tired? There’s a supplement for that.

Oh… you’re bloated? Well, there’s a supplement for that as well.

Are you feeling stressed? Umm obviously, and, there’s definitely a supplement for that!

But, the questions that so many of us women have are:

Do I really need to be spending money on supplements? And, what supplement is going to be right for me?

It might be surprising to hear that a lot of nutrition experts will recommend supplementation as a last resort, or only as a temporary support on a path to healing. And, supplementation isn’t black and white.

THE BEST SUPPLEMENTS FOR WOMEN & WHEN TO TAKE THEM

Here’s the thing, symptoms are usually a result of an underlying cause.

You’re tired because you’re not sleeping at night due to stress. You’re stressed but you can’t find the time to break. You’re bloated but you’re eating foods that irritate your digestive system.

These underlying causes are what we, as nutritionists, search for so that we can address and deal with them in a natural and food-based way, that’s why we usually say supplementation is a last resort, and if that, a temporary fix.

So, you might not need to supplement if you can find ways to manage your symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes. But, if your diet and lifestyle is pretty healthy, and you’re still experiencing symptoms, then yes, supplementation can definitely help with your overall health and well being.

Download our Free 2018 Supplement Guide below, which directly matches your symptoms to the highest quality, and best-sourced supplements out there.

This brings us to our next point.

Female biology and anatomy is pretty crazy if you ask us. It seems like hormones rule the internal world, and slight imbalances can cause all systems break down without so much as a warning (especially if you have had kids, or are getting close to menopause). So, there are definitely vitamins and supplements that support the female needs, and are often times warranted.

Just as there are supplements women may need for overall health, there are also supplements that aren’t necessarily needed. It’s really important to fizzle out the noise and get down to the nitty gritty of what supplements are actually going to be useful to you based on your own individual symptoms. This way you can save your money, and actually reap the benefits.

THE ONE SUPPLEMENT YOU PROBABLY DON’T NEED

Are you considering a multi-vitamin or have been recommended a multi-vitamin? Are multi-vitamins a waste of money?

Sorry to say, in a lot of cases, yes, and here’s why.

Multi-vitamins contain a plethora of different vitamins and minerals that the body needs to be healthy. But, one of our biggest concerns with multi-vitamins is that they’re not particularly effective (compared to other methods) due to the fact that they contain BOTH vitamins and minerals.

Here’s why

Some vitamins and minerals compete for absorption so when you take them in a multivitamin form you absorb less than when you take them on their own. Not only that, but there are certain vitamins and minerals that are already abundant in our bodies, so when you supplement with them without a deficiency you can run the risk of overdosing.

When it comes to overall health and well-being instead of recommending a multi-vitamin to our clients, we usually recommend something more whole food based, like Genuine Health’s Fermented Blend. A blend like this tends to compile different dried whole food nutrients, and since most of them are powders, it makes it much easier for your body to absorb.

WHEN TO CONSIDER A MULTI-VITAMIN

We’re not saying that you should avoid multi-vitamins, rather, we want to ask you: what are your symptoms and what are you trying to accomplish by taking a multi-vitamin?

Chronic illnesses, autoimmune diseases, severe gastrointestinal issues, pregnancy and breastfeeding, these are just some health issues where supplementing with a multi may be warranted.

HOW TO FIND OUT WHAT SUPPLEMENT IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

First, check out Nutrition Experts Top Tips For Choosing A Supplement Wisely, an article that we, alongside Leesa Klich published for Healthy Perspectives Magazine.

There are so many things to consider when buying a supplement, for example:

• Is the product actually licensed in your country?
• What does the warning and contraindication label say?
• What supplement form are you taking?
• Are there scientific studies that support the claims?
• What are the storage requirements?
• How much/ dosage do you need?
• What are the best brands on the market?
• Does price point actually equal quality?

You see how there are a lot of moving parts to supplementation, and it’s never black and white?

HOW TO MATCH YOUR SYMPTOMS WITH THE RIGHT SUPPLEMENT

Before going out and spending money on hair, skin and nail gummies, you might want to consider your overall health and well-being, or have a chat with a healthcare professional to find out the underlying cause of why your nails are brittle or you have skin issues.

For example, if you have brittle nails, your hair skin and nail supplement might be a waste of money if you have low iron levels. Your health care provider might be able to assess symptoms such as low energy, pallor skin, brittle nails and recommend that you get your iron levels tested. In which case, supplementing with iron would be much more effective than the gummy bears, which don’t contain any iron at all.

The Top Symptoms That Bring People To Supplement

We usually see clients ask about supplementation for these top reasons:

• Fatigue
• Mood swings
• Anxiety/ stress
• Bloat/ digestive issues
• Overall health and well-bing
• Hair, skin, nails
• Hormonal imbalances
• Mental clarity/ brain fog
• Allergies/ Inflammation
• Pain, joint, muscle health
• Exercise
• Immunity (colds, infections)
• Weight loss*

But, like we said it’s not a clear black and white picture for what supplement you might need based on your symptoms. This is why we recommend our 2018 Supplement Guide, where we get into more specific details, and break down the exact uses for each recommended supplement in the guide.

Another example of how to find the best supplement to take:

Low energy could be coming from many different imbalances in your life. If you’re not digesting food properly because you have a compromised gastrointestinal system, you may not be absorbing your B vitamins, so supplementation COULD be recommended there.

But some B vitamins need each other in unity in order to avoid imbalances, so here a B complex may be beneficial. As nutritionists, we might not just stop at B vitamins to address your low energy levels.

Dietary work and reduction of processed food, improving gut health, or reducing stress load are just a few recommendations we may have, alongside supplement recommendations that support the overall bigger picture. That’s why this guide can help narrow down the allocation of your supplement dollars.

WHY WE DON’T RECOMMEND WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS

A reason why we put the star beside weight loss supplements is because they often outrank the list when it comes to what people want and what they spend their money on. But, as nutritionists it’s something we wouldn’t recommend.

Why?

Most of the weight loss specific supplements on the market are loaded with stimulating herbs, are poorly manufactured, have no scientific evidence to support their claims, and in our personal opinion, never really do the job.

Weight loss supplements kind of fall into the whole ‘do diets work’ category. You might temporarily lose weight, or it might work with your body’s fat burning abilities in some way or another, but you can’t be on them forever, so what happens when you choose to just take a pill instead of changing your diet, and then you stop taking that pill?

If no dietary or lifestyle changes are made to support weight loss, you probably won’t keep the weight off. Weight loss should come from a food and exercise approach, rather than a magic pill to fix it all approach. It’s best to avoid the pill and weight loss noise and work on your diet and lifestyle instead.

OUR TAKEAWAY

At the end of the day, should you be supplementing? Well, that depends on your individual needs. As always, we would recommend addressing your current diet and lifestyle, making small changes, exercising, reducing stress load, managing your diet to support your symptoms, and increasing nutrient dense whole foods.

But, if you are in a position where you feel like supplementation is necessary, definitely check in on your list of symptoms and find high quality supplement that matches your own individual needs.

Don’t forget, you can find out how to do all of that by downloading your Complete Supplement Guide below.

If you have any questions about supplementation or our supplement guide, don’t hesitate to email us at hello@naughtynutrition.co