Vitamins are important, too!

I work for a vitamin company, and I like it. I like it a lot actually, because I get to help people become healthier and get to hear these amazing stories about how vitamins saved them from a life of drugs with horrible side effects and so on and so forth. So I thought I would toss out the top few supplements I think everyone should be on, whether they're fat, thin, old, young, whatever.


Not that I'm endorsing LEF's products, but let's face it, you're going to hear about them cuz that's what I deal with for at least 8 hours a day, five days a week. So smile, read about it, and make an educated decision.


Daily Vitamin - a daily vitamin is the foundation to healthy supplementation. It gives you a good base with the general A's, B's, C's, D,s, some antioxidants, calcium, the regular junk your body needs. There are two typical ways to take your daily vitamin, the majority of companies have a tablet or two, like LEF's Two-Per-Day. Then there are your more comprehensive daily vitamins, which are the same A's, B's, C's, etc., multiplied a few times, along with a much larger selection of antioxidants, minerals, and other ingredients to help optimize your body. These vitamins typically have several capsules/tablets. The LE Mix, for example, is 14 capsules. I personally take the Two-Per-Day, but when I'm in middle age territory (about another 13 years) I'll switch over to something more comprehensive.


Fish Oil - Fish oil, or your omega-3 fatty acids in general, are extremely beneficial to the body in several ways, and are also very cheap. Fish Oil is excellent for the brain, the cardiovascular system, the liver, the prostate, skin, hair, nails, and has some really good results when it's used as an aid to regulate cholesterol/triglyceride levels. Confused about what to take? See if the brand you're taking/considering has been rated by IFOS, or International Fish Oil Standards. They have a star ranking of 1-5 and is a completely non-biased organization. Also, if you're worried about the mercury content, try to get something molecularily distilled, like LE's Super Omega 3.


CoQ10 - CoQ10 (also known as CoEnzyme Q 10) is an extremely powerful and potent antioxidant that especially helps the cardiovasular system. Its function is to assist the cells' mitochondria to produce cellular energy (ATP) so the cells can repair themselves from damage. CoQ10 has a tendency to perform best within the heart, mainly because the heart is such a dense muscle. One thing to beware, CoQ10 comes in two forms, (the older) Ubiquinone and (the newer) Ubiquinol. Ubiquinone CoQ10 is a very low absorbing form is CoQ10, and the formula that the majority of companies carry, especially those who sell in stores like WalMart, Walgreens, GNC, etc. The Ubiquinol form is broken down from the Ubiquinone form, and is therefore the much more absorbable, bio-available form, up to 66% higher than the Ubiquinone form. Most companies do not carry this form as it is generally more expensive to purchase and produce, but it's still out there. An example, of course, is LE's Super Ubiquinol CoQ10.


Resveratrol/Antioxidants - When it comes to maintaining your health, antioxidants are a very important part of anyone's diet or supplementary regimen. They help protect your cells and tissues, they help your body repair itself, and they also fight free radicals, therefore slowing the aging process dramatically. Antioxidants are in all sorts of fruits and vegetables, especially dark-coloured berries like blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. The problem with getting antioxidants in this way is that you would need to eat a LOT of these fruits and vegetables in order to get your daily recommended value of each, which would be a lot of calories and sugar. Most vitamin companies now have different forms of antioxidants, the most popular one being Resveratrol, which is found in the skins of Red Grapes, also notorious for being in Red Wine. I have personally tried all sorts of antioxidants throughout the past six months, but I've been continuously using Optimized Resveratrol, which is 250 mg of Resveratrol and 60 mg of Quercetin, which is an excellent antioxidant that helps recycle any unused Resveratrol in your body. Resveratrol is extremely good for the cardiovascular system too, so paired with CoQ10 and Fish Oil, you'll get a myriad of great cardiovascular benefits.


Calcium/Vitamin D - Calcium isn't just for women, although women are more prone to Osteopenia/Osteoporosis. But people are not getting enough calcium in their diets, especially with the increased rate of fast food that people have eaten since the 70s. On average, people should get around 1200 mg of Calcium a day, preferably broken up into smaller doses throughout the day. Vitamin D, as well, has been linked to better bone density and improved immunity, and should be supplemented with 1000 IUs a day. LEF's Bone Restore has both of these necessary vitamins, along with Magnesium, Zinc, Boron, Manganese, and Silicon, all good for optimal bone strength and density.

So there's my list of Top Five Supplements. These will give you a good balance and a great foundation to start with.