Which Dietary Supplements Do I Need

- An Overview

To answer the question, which dietary supplements do I need, you need to understand that dietary supplements only work when we are deficient in the vitamins, minerals, or enzymes that we are supplementing with.

Having said that, unless you are very careful with your diet, do not smoke, and only eat organic food, it is a good idea to supplement with a good multi vitamin. Some people prefer liquid multi vitamins, and these are absorbed more easily, but they are also more expensive - and less convenient.

As well as a good multi vitamin, most people do not get enough calcium. And there is not enough calcium in regular multi vitamins for those to be adequate. Calcium is a very bulky mineral. This article has more information on one a day vitamins, including links to recommended daily allowance vitamin tables for men, and women, with separate tables for women who are pregnant and breastfeeding.

There are a number of vitamins and supplements that I think are worthy of a mention. These include coconut oil, green barley, wheat grass and spirulina, zell oxygen and serrapeptase.

Which dietary supplements do i need - The green foods

I am a big fan of green food supplemnts like green barley, wheat grass and spirulina. They are very nutrient rich, and have the following benefits:

Studies of cereal grasses (wheat grass, green barley, alfalfa - not the sprouts though!) have been published that show

• the growth of lactobacilli and other intestinal flora on the plant (1948)
• that it promotes the healing of peptic ulcers (1950)
• possible cancer preventative properties (1979)
• inhibition of cancer causing effects (1980)
• lowering of serum cholesterol (1984)

Chlorophyll has been shown to

• reduce inflammation and pain (1940)
• heal wounds (1949)
• encourage bowel regularity (1950)
• encourage cell proliferation and tissue repair (1955)

However, there are a lot of products out there that are made using dubious manufacturing processes (dubious in the sense of not delivering the potential of the product). For more information on green barley and cereal grasses like wheat grass, see that linked arricle.

Which dietary supplements do i need - Coconut Oil

This is an excellent article on cocnout oil. Briefly, the benefits of coconut oil include:

• great for the skin, helping prevent wrinkles
• it doesn't form trans fatty acids when cooking
• some people have lost weight on it. This is believed to be due to its regulating effect on the thyroid gland
• it lowers cholesterol to normal by promoting its conversion into pregnenolone when used with a balanced diet
• it possibly supports clot removal and immune function
• it doesn't have the toxic effects of unsaturated oils, discussed in the above article

Which dietary supplements do i need - Other Supplements

This article is on high blood pressure herbs.

If you are pregnant, see this herb pregnancy guide.

If you are suffering from depression and anxiety, are not taking any prescribed medications, and want a natural approach, I highly recommend 5htp and st johns wort. This article covers st johns wort as a herb depression treatment.

This site has great information on zell oxygen and serrapeptase. This particular linked page is organised with information of different conditions, so select what is most appropriate to you.