Many people ask me what they can take as a general all-round wellbeing supplement protocol. The answer to that could be complex, depending on your age, gender, state of health etc, but let’s keep it simple.
Obviously, the first step is a good diet. Go for the Belly Fat Plan – you can ignore the name: it is a gluten and dairy free blood-sugar balancing weight-balancing diet. That’s the favourite. Or, you’ll find How To Eat Well Wheat and Dairy Free and specific meal plans and recipes for hormone-balancing and immunity. All of those are here. There are also lots of grain, corn and dairy free (TrulyGlutenFree) recipes and plans here.
Next: exercise. Here’s the 10 minute Exercise Factsheet. My advice is simple on this: walk 10-20 minutes daily and do some resistance training (eg. light weights) several times a week whatever age you are.
And don’t forget your mental health either. Check out my Vagus Nerve factsheet – people miss that all the time and it makes such a difference – and the mind-body resources here.
Supplement-wise, try these:
Multis
A good all-round multi is surprisingly hard to come across, if you know how to compare them (which I do!). Most have the wrong forms, too little of certain nutrients, not much magnesium or calcium (because they are bulky and make the capsules the size of horse pills!)
Many people don’t absorb that well, especially after 40, so maybe a powder would be a good idea – easier to absorb? This one is a goodie, plenty of antioxidants etc and has magnesium in it. I would do two scoops a day in a smoothie eg. banana, water, almonds (or other nuts/seeds to suit), blueberries, multi powder. For great smoothie recipes, see my Breakfasts book here or the Wheat and Dairy Free one here.
If you prefer a capsule, try this one – similar with plenty of antioxidants – as we age, we need to keep those topped up especially – and that all-important magnesium again.
If you are vegan, or have a particular need for B12 and folate, or maybe you need to bolster your methylation, this is a good one as it has plenty of the methyl forms of the B vits. Two per day, although four would be even better.
Fatty Acids
OK, I know this one costs, but it is by far the best value – we know because we did a comparison of how much fatty acid you get per capsule for the cost and this beat all others we tested hands down. It’s important to take essential fatty acids, especially if you are on a restricted diet of some kind or don’t eat much oily fish, seeds or nuts.
I am seeing many more people suffering with mood problems, joint issues, skin, hormone and immune problems, and when I test, they are always low in EFAs, especially people with anxiety and depression. The low-fat diet has a lot to answer for, honestly!
The recommended dosage for this one is 6 per day – 2, 3 x day with food, but even if you take 2-3, you’re doing better than most people. It’s one of the best balanced ones I’ve come across – and that’s important. Too many people take eg. fish oils or evening primrose oil/linseed, say, and knock the ratios and balances between the fatty acids out. TGF safe. Grain and dairy free.
Prebiotics and Probiotics
They are not wrong when they say health starts in the gut, trust me.
An excellent broad-spectrum probiotic with several useful strains to help keep the gut and immune system healthy. 2-4 per day, 5 billion per capsule.
This is slightly different in that it contains a lot of prebiotic to feed the probiotic and also as a source of fibre to encourage short chain fatty acids, which are key to gut health. It also contains Sacc B. If you suffer with gut or food intolerance problems, this might be a good choice for you. The Sacc B increases the so-important SIgA, the first line defence for infections/yeasts etc, but also what tags your food as safe or not so your immune system knows whether to react or not. Crucial. I find it low ALL the time on testing. But it also contains specific strains to improve gut immunity, short chain fatty acid levels, like butyrate (low levels of which cause leaky gut, more food sensitivity) etc. An all-round goodie for gut and food people. 1-2 per day, 30 billion per capsule.
An alternative for people with, or who suspect, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). These strains will support the gut without feeding bacteria. TGF safe: grain and dairy free
Obviously, those are my general picks for you and you’re not going to go far wrong with those. If you need something specific eg. a women’s formula, a men’s or children’s formula, stuff to heal the gut, liver, balance blood sugar, hormones or whatever, just ask. You can see Support options here.
These factsheets might also help: Children’s Health, Men’s Health, Menopause, PMS, Pregnancy, Fertility, Weight Loss etc.
If you need specifically grain, corn and dairy free supplements, check out the TGF Supplement Master List.
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