Supplementation 101: How to approach to supplements and organizing a routine

Since I officially entered the health and wellness space back in 2020, I’ve noticed a huge push on social media and even amongst my own inner circle on taking supplements. I’m not even talking about the silly little multivitamin gummies or chewable. I’m referring to the widely felt feeling of “I need to be doing more for my health” and the immediate call out for supplements. I want to be clear that supplements cannot replace a healthy balanced diet and anyone who tells you that isn’t being honest with you and is likely selling you something that won’t give you the results you’re looking for.  

Don’t get me wrong: I do have a love for supplements. What I like about supplements is that they allow us to go beyond our diet if we are looking for a boost in any vitamin or mineral and to prevent or manage symptoms associated with a variety of concerns and diagnoses. Simply put, they allow us to ~supplement~ our diet to increase our daily intake of vitamins and minerals that help keep our bodily functions stay in harmony.  

However, they’re not the only way to keep our bodily functions in harmony. In fact, they aren’t always even necessary and can sometimes be harmful. You’ve likely seen on a supplement’s packaging something warning you about the potential side effects or dangers of taking that particular supplement, but you’ll likely never see a supplement company acknowledge that they aren’t necessary. There are many components to consider when thinking about building a supplement plan and I’m here to help! 

In this blog, I’ll discuss supplements in general, why someone might and might not take them, when to consider taking them, what to watch out for, and some places to start if you are ready to start considering supplementation in your daily nutrition intake routine. While supplements are not substitutes for a healthy diet, there is a place for them to fill nutritional gaps where food sources aren’t able to do so or where lifestyle restraints make it difficult for you to obtain these intake goals through food. 

But First, Bloodwork  

The first step when thinking about implementing supplements into your diet is starting with getting your blood work done. Bloodwork is so important in helping you and anyone else on your healthcare team understand what’s going on in your body and what your body may or may not be getting enough of and needing at any given phase of life. Blood tests give us data about our health that can’t be seen from the outside and sometimes even give us data on health and nutrition related conditions that aren’t being presented through any symptoms. I recommend getting bloodwork done yearly, if possible. 

 In addition to getting bloodwork done before starting new supplements, it’s important to get bloodwork done regularly after you begin supplementation. Typically, it is recommended getting bloodwork done every 6 months-1 year when looking at reassessing for nutritional status after starting any given supplement especially when that supplement has potential for toxicity or adverse side effects associated with it. Reassessing bloodwork is also important to see if you need to switch things up, change dosages, or if you’ve been able to fix imbalances and deficiencies and no longer require supplementation and can rely on nutrition to be your main source of intake.  

The Good: How supplements can be helpful 

Supplements can play a key role in improving symptoms and any deficiencies or insufficiencies you may have. When taken correctly and consistently, supplements have the ability to have a positive impact on most blood values. As a nutrition expert, of course I want to encourage all my clients to use food to increase daily intake of vitamins and minerals, but as a realist I know that that isn’t always possible or accessible to everyone. Being from the Midwest, I know firsthand that the fruits and vegetables that contain high amounts of the vitamins and minerals that Midwesterners are deficient in aren’t always available to us. It can be difficult to find access to organic foods deep in the winter months in the Midwest so, for me, supplementation has played a huge role in healing deficiencies and symptoms that I’ve dealt with in the past.  

Another reason why supplementation can be helpful is because getting vitamin and mineral content from some foods means that you would need to consume an incredible amount of any given food item containing that nutrient. There are so many options for food sources of all different vitamins and minerals but it’s important to consider that there are good sources and great sources of any vitamin or mineral and when using food for supplementation. Depending on your need or intake requirement for the vitamin or mineral, you can use this information to make the best choice when choosing which source to reach for when using food as a way to supplement.  

For example, Vitamin D can be found in many different foods from fatty fish to egg yolks to vitamin D fortified foods. Although Vitamin D can be found in a range of foods, fatty fish like salmon is a great source of Vitamin D as opposed to the others. Researchers have found that wild-caught salmon has even more Vitamin D than farm raised salmon, although other factors like location of where the salmon was caught, and the time of year can cause the amount of Vitamin D to vary as well. One study found that wild-caught salmon ranged from 556-924 IU of Vitamin D per 100-gram serving, which provides 70-111% of the Daily Value, while many popular Vitamin D supplements offer 1,000-1,500 IU per serving depending on dosage. This is a prime example of how supplements can play an important role in vitamin and mineral intake when compared to foods. As we all know, food is becoming increasingly more expensive and there are times when supplements can be a more cost-effective option. While supplements are not substitutes for a healthy diet, there is a place for them to fill nutritional gaps where food sources aren’t able to do so or where lifestyle restraints make it difficult for you to obtain these intake goals through food. 

I know you’re probably thinking now, “Okay, Lauren, so where do I start?” My best advice to anyone looking to start a supplement routine is to find a health practitioner you can trust to help guide you down the best route for your body. I encourage you to bring your blood work with you when you meet this person and maybe even create a list of symptoms you may be experiencing to help them create a plan for you. I would love to help anyone interested in building a supplement routine. If you’re interested in working with me, click this link and we can get started.  

The Bad & The Ugly: Potential for Toxicity and Harmful Additives 

As beneficial as supplements can be, they can also be harmful. The biggest reason why supplements can be harmful is because they aren’t actually regulated by the FDA. Additionally, the statements written on supplement labels aren’t regulated by the FDA. This can include, but isn’t limited to, the amounts of ingredients or certain vitamin and mineral levels that are reported on the label. This means that some supplement companies can be dishonest about what’s in the supplement, leave out ingredients, or not include the source of the ingredient may it be harmful or undesirable. There have been instances where lead and other harmful substances were found in supplements because they weren’t properly tested before being put on shelves and sold to consumers. With this being said, the best thing you can do is buy supplements from companies that are third-party tested. It’s even better if you can find a company that will share the third-party testing reports of what was found in their products. Not only does this provide transparency and create trust with the consumer, but this is also how consumers can feel safe knowing they are taking a supplement that is helping them and providing the high-quality supplementation they are in need of. There are plenty of third-party testing options for companies to choose and people have opinions about which are best, and which are not so great, but in my opinion, there just needs to be some sort of testing done to provide more trust and transparency for the consumer that the supplements are what they claim to be. Third-party testing organizations like ConsumerLab, NSF, and US Pharmacopeia provide unbiased supplement testing evaluating purity, potency, and safety. 

Secondly, it’s important to also keep in mind that some supplements can be harmful in certain combinations. My goal isn’t to worry or scare anyone looking to start a supplement routine, but I do what to provide thorough advice when building a supplement routine. There can be very harmful potential combinations when it comes to taking multiple supplements at once, combining supplements with certain foods, and supplements with prescription medications. This is another big reason why it’s so important to work with a healthcare practitioner when putting together a supplement routine to ensure that it’s a safe combination and to ensure you’re aware of the other potential harmful interactions with foods or other prescription drugs.  

Finally, finding the right dosage for you and your desired outcomes is an important aspect of building a supplement routine to keep in mind. Many people also use supplementation may be doing so to obtain physical benefits like weight loss, muscle gain, and other desirable physical changes. With this comes the urge to take supplements outside of their dosage recommendations. While supplementation can be completely safe, the dosage makes the poison. The more isn’t always the merrier when it comes to taking supplements and I want to encourage everyone to take supplements according to the dosage recommendations and strongly encourage you to not go beyond those recommendations without consulting a health practitioner first. Additionally, there are ways to help your body absorb supplements better or to make them more bioavailable which can also be helpful when looking to obtain certain health benefits. It would be better to consider ways to help your body absorb more of the supplement rather than to take more of it haphazardly. 

Now You’re Ready to Build Your Supplement Routine 

Once you get bloodwork back and you are able to see where you could use supplementation in partnership with a healthy diet, reach out to a health practitioner to help you build a plan. Click here to contact me to help you organize your supplement routine if you want a nutrition expert's help! My goal is to start with nutrition and lifestyle factors to help optimize vitamin and mineral levels in the body and then build a supplement routine to help you improve symptoms and blood level values. We can build a consultation plan that suits your schedule and budget best.