Hello all!

You asked for it & I am excited to share the supplements that I take daily!

A little backstory: I am SO stubborn. Seriously. I hate being told what to do & I am someone who has to learn on my own in order for me to really get behind something. My sweet mother tried for yearsssss to get me to take supplements. She bought me vitamins and supplements that she knew would be helpful (she would even send supplement care packages while I was in college), but I never took her up on the advice. Now that I'm older, I've learned for myself just how beneficial supplements are in my life!

In a perfect world, we would get all the vitamins and nutrients we need from our food. However, we're all busy and at the end of the day, we're left needing more. After trial and error, I've finally found what works for me!

Multi-Vitamin

Multi-vitamins are a great way to get a little bit “extra” of all the vitamins we should be getting from food. Multi-vitamins are like “supplements 101” and a great place to start if you’re building a routine. I take a gummy vitamin, because I’m 5 years old, apparently. No really. For someone who’s writing a blog post about supplements, I really hate taking pills; so if I can eliminate 1 pill and replace it with a gummy, I’m all over it. I take this multi-vitamin and they taste like candy.

As women, be sure that your multi-vitamin contains folate or folic acid! This is an essential nutrient found in pre-natal vitamins, but is also beneficial to take even before you plan to become pregnant.

Probiotics

Gut health is all the rage right now & for good reason! Did you know that your gut is actually referred to as the body’s second brain? The good bacteria in your gut controls so much in your body, like the immune system, skin, and even our mental health. For this reason, it’s important to maintain a healthy level of good bacteria: Enter Probiotics.

While fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut contain good bacteria, most of us need an extra boost. Taking a probiotic supplement helps create a healthy gut environment that will quite literally change your quality of life and the way your body functions.

For years I was chronically sick with daily allergies, weekly cold symptoms, extreme fatigue, unhealthy skin and overall, just a feeling of not being well. I started taking a probiotic after my mother had begged me to for years, and guess what? They literally changed my life. In fact, I really kick myself for not taking them a long time ago. My allergies have improved exponentially, I rarely get sick, my skin is healthier and I just feel better.

Probiotics are also extremely important after taking an antibiotic, which wipes out the bad bacteria and the good bacteria, and can cause other infections to form before the good bacteria reappears to fight it.

I take this probiotic. When looking for a probiotic, look for at least 10 billion live cultures and with at least 6 strains of probiotics.

Fish Oil

Fish oil is a supplement that I’ve taken on and off for years, and I can honestly say I can tell when I’m not taking it. Fish oil contains Omega 3’s which are so important for a healthy heart, brain, skin and immune system.

Our bodies can’t produce the amount of omega 3’s we need for optimal health, so we look outward to plants like flax or chia seed, or fish.

For me personally, I have seen great improvement in my skin when taking fish oil and it has also helped with reducing cramps from my period, when taken consistently. Right now, I’ve added Fish oil back into my routine because it’s truly good for everything, but especially for brain health, which is something I have to look out for due to a few past concussions. Fish oil is also good for reducing inflammation and can even work as effectively as ibeuprofen when taken in a high dosage.

I personally choose the Nordic Natural brand for my fish oil supplement. First, they have the highest standards for purity. Second, they have options for a flavored capsule so any aftertaste is lemon or strawberry, rather than fish.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a supplement that I’ve recently added into my routine. You’ve probably heard of magnesium before, but did you know it’s am important element in bone health? It also supports nerve and muscle health. Magnesium has also been shown to aid with anxiety and depression, as well as routine stress, which is the biggest reason I’ve added it into my routine. I use this magnesium supplement.

L-theanine

I’ve talked about this supplement before and how I use it to combat anxiety holistically. L-theanine is an amino acid that helps the body deal with anxiety without drowsiness. It is all-natural and non-habit forming. L-theanine has been a big part of me dealing with anxiety, which is why it’s a part of my supplement routine. I use this L-theanine supplement.

Cranberry

If you’ve ever dealt with a Urinary Tract Infection, you’ve probably been told to drink cranberry juice to help (side note: do not take cranberry juice cocktail like Ocean Spray, you need to take pure cranberry juice that tastes awful. You can also take cranberry in pill form). Cranberry helps deter bacteria from sticking the lining of the bladder and growing into an infection.

Over the last 2 1/2 years, I have had a LOT of UTIs and it’s something I would not wish on my worst enemy. They’re awful (another blog post for another day). I recently decided to just take pure cranberry powder in pill form in hopes of reducing the amount of UTIs I get. I just added this in, but I am really crossing my fingers! Currently using this cranberry supplement, but I didn’t realize you have to take 6 small pills a day instead of 1 big one, so I’ll probably change it up next time.

Collagen

You guys know how much I love my collagen, and since it has so many health benefits I decided to include it here. Collagen Peptides are an odorless and tasteless protein source that offers a lot of amino acids that are essential for muscle recovery.

Collagen also helps line the gut for optimum digestive and overall health. It also helps keep joints healthy. In addition to all of that, collagen is beneficial for maintaining skin elasticity, which will help prevent wrinkles! It’s like nature’s Botox.

I use Vital Proteins for my collagen and add it to my morning coffee (I can’t feel or taste it once it dissolves).

If you read through this, there are some things that I take that may not be that important for others and that’s OK! It’s taken me a long time to figure out what was important for me and my body. If I had to narrow it down to one supplement that every person should take, I would say a probiotic is the one that has changed my life so much and has such a huge impact on overall health. Just my 2 cents, if ya care!