Paige for Wellness

There are some very vital nutrients that people don’t even realize they aren’t getting in their diet by and large— even with a “healthy” diet. You’d be surprised to find that many nutrients will not be found in significant quantities in multivitamins, if they’re even found at all. Even still, the most common forms of these nutrients often found in conventional multivitamins found in most grocery stores actually aren’t absorbed very well.

Magnesium at least 400 mg is needed per day and many come up short if they observe their intake. Symptoms of deficiency can be obvious if you know what to look out for, like restlessness, headaches, anxiety, or even irregular heartbeat. It’s important to note that multivitamin and mineral supplements don’t contain adequate amounts of magnesium the majority of the time.

Even dairy drinkers might find that they’re low in calcium when they actually track their intake. You won’t find either of these in many of the common multivitamins that you see at the store even if you look for it, you’re very unlikely to find of these in your multivitamin. You’d likely need to have to buy it on its own to get enough of it unless you’re very mindfully incorporating it and track your sufficiency with a tool like the cronometer app.

Even red meat eaters might find that they are low in iron when they actually track for multiple days, as was the case for me. Some multivitamins will supply what you’re low in but you’d have to look. I find personally that I get about 50% the daily requirement with food most days (the majority of that coming from red meat most of the time as well).

Vitamin C is incredibly vital yet still people who consume produce regularly and even an abundant amount might still find they’re not hitting even half of the minimum is that we need daily. It’s arguably necessary to try to exceed those minimums to optimize health in the event of physiological stressors, that many of us face. Many will say that you need food- based forms of vitamin C to benefit. However, much of the animal kingdom would like a word. What many do not realize is various animals, such as donkeys, are made with an innate ability to create tens of thousands of milligrams of vitamin C (plain ascorbic acid) daily. It’s that vital. So put that in your supplement and take it.

Copper is one you’re likely not to think of unless you’re someone who tracks your nutrient intake or are well versed in the field of nutrition however, it’s vital even for metabolizing iron so if you’re low on iron, despite supplementing at Copper could be the missing link. Again, even for some people with nutrient, dense diets, they could still fall short, even in addition to taking a multivitamin if they’re not specifically looking out for the nutrient. I love using liquid chlorophyll as a nearly- food- based source. Chlorophyll is the equivalent of “plant blood” with magnesium in place of iron and supplies copper chlorophyllins. This form is easier to assimilate and comes with many benefits in addition.

Not enough people know how vital iodine is for brain health, energy and metabolism. There are receptors for this mineral in every single cell of your body, and that’s for a reason. At the same time, though, we’re collectively consuming less by default with the common switch to unrefined salt from iodized. Iodine in salt accounts for a huge proportion of the population’s iodine sufficiency. You can supplement safely with Icelandic kelp (provided you don’t have autoimmune/ hyperactive thyroid in which case it would be better to work with a practitioner on the issue). Many people can benefit from a larger dose than tablets of kelp provide but that needs to be done with careful monitoring and using essential cofactors. You can learn more about iodine here.

Other minerals to like manganese or molybdenum are similarly neglected. Molybdenum is needed by the liver to detoxify. Before I was aware of the importance of every one of these lesser- known nutrients, I struggled with a persistent candida infection that contributed to food sensitivities. Molybdenum helped by reducing the inflammatory byproducts and aided in breaking the cycle.

Manganese is needed anti oxidation, hormone health, as well as structural health. It can be a missing piece in cases of osteoporosis or arthritis, as a cofactor for calcium. Manganese encompasses a large proportion of bone throughout our body in addition to softer tissues that hold them properly in place. These are both equally essential, but this nutrient may not be provided in adequate amounts. Check to ensure you’re getting it either via diet, a multivitamin or other supplementation.

These are just nutrients to consider. For people wanting to optimize their health, additional supplements like binders for helping to capture toxins and bring them out of the system; antiparasitics and other antimicrobials to support the fight against infection, and probiotics for maintaining optimal flora, can have substantial health- inducing effects, body- wide.

To track your intake, you can use Cronometer, available as an app or web address, for free. I would recommend this for at least a week here and there to see what your average intake is of all of the different nutrients as well as amino acids and adequate energy intake.

Potassium for instance, we need in a quantity of 4700 mg per day yet most people don’t get near that amount. It’s not something I would recommend immediately supplementing, though– especially without balancing with other electrolytes and first checking your levels. If you’re not going to make the trip to the doctor, it’s safe to incorporate gradual amounts into the diet. Dense sources include coconut water, potatoes and sweet potatoes, winter squash, leafy greens, plantain, tomato and banana.