This page lists our supplement recommendations with links to products at Amazon. By purchasing via links on this page, you support the blog at no cost to yourself. Thank you for supporting our work!
Supplemental Foods
We recommend eating these “supplemental foods” on a regular schedule:
- 3 egg yolks daily, 5 yolks daily for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant (for choline, folate, vitamin A)
- A bowl of soup made from bone, joint, tendon, foot, or hoof stock, 3 days per week (for calcium, phosphorus, and collagen)
- Fermented vegetables such as kimchi, sauerkraut, or fermented mixed vegetables (for nucleotides, probiotic bacteria, and vitamins K2 and B12), and other vegetables such as tomato, avocado, potato, sweet potato, banana, green leafy vegetables, and seaweeds such as dulse, daily (for potassium)
- ¼ lb beef or lamb liver, weekly (copper, vitamin A, folate, choline). If you like, substitute ¼ lb chicken, duck, or goose liver weekly plus 30 g 85% dark chocolate daily
- fish, shellfish, eggs, and kidneys, weekly (for selenium)
Daily Supplements
These are supplements we recommend be taken daily:
- Sunshine and vitamin D3 as needed to achieve serum 25OHD of 40 ng/ml.
- Vitamin K2 100 mcg or more
- Magnesium 200 mg
- Iodine 225 mcg
- Vitamin C 1 g
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5) 500 mg
Vitamin D3
|
|||
Vitamin K2
|
|||
Magnesium
|
|||
Iodine
|
|||
Vitamin C
|
|||
Vitamin B-5 (pantothenic acid or pantethine)
|
Weekly Supplements
These are supplements we recommend be taken once a week:
- B vitamins:
- 50 to 100 mg each of B1, B2, and B6
- 5 mg biotin
- 500 mcg B12
- Zinc 50 to 100 mg
- Boron 3 mg
B1 (thiamin)
|
|||
B2 (riboflavin)
|
|||
B6
|
|||
Biotin
|
|||
B12
|
|||
Zinc
|
|||
Boron
|
Prenatal Supplements
The most important prenatal supplements are:
- Extra duck, goose, or pastured chicken liver.
- Extra egg yolks.
The following supplements may also be helpful during pregnancy or in the months leading up to conception. Note: We do not recommend prenatal multivitamins.
Choline
|
|||
Inositol plus Choline
|
|||
Iron (optional)
|
Optional Supplements
These supplements may be helpful for a significant fraction of the population. Experiment to see if they help you:
- Probiotics
- Chromium, 200-400 mcg per week (not necessary if you cook in stainless steel pots) and (optional) vanadium, 25 mcg per week
- Lithium 5 to 10 mg per week
- Silicon 5 mg to 25 mg daily
- FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EAT LIVER: Copper 2 mg per day
- FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EAT LIVER: Vitamin A from cod liver oil, 50,000 IU/week
- FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EAT MAKE BONE STOCK OR DRINK MINERAL WATER: Calcium up to 400 mg/day
- B-50 complex (as a substitute for individual B supplements if you prefer fewer pills
- Molybdenum 150 mcg per week
- Taurine 500 mg to 5000 mg per week (higher doses may be therapeutic for small intestinal or systemic infections)
- Selenium 0 or 200 mcg per week depending on selenium content of food (if food is produced in dry, flat areas = high selenium, no supplements; rainy, well-drained areas = 200 mcg/wk)
Probiotics
|
|||
More Probiotics
|
|||
More Probiotics
|
|||
Chromium
|
|||
Lithium
|
|||
Silicon
|
|||
Copper (Only If Liver Is Not Eaten)
|
|||
Vitamin A (Only If Liver Is Not Eaten)
|
|||
Calcium (If No Mineral Water or Bone Stock)
|
|||
B-50 complex
|
|||
Molybdenum
|
|||
Taurine
|
|||
Vitamin E
|
Therapeutic Supplements
These supplements are unnecessary for healthy people but may be helpful in various disease conditions.
N-acetylcysteine
|
|||
Glycine
|
|||
Creatine
|
|||
Melatonin
|
|||
Detoxification Aids
|
Miscellaneous
These items may be helpful in implementing Perfect Health Diet and Lifestyle advice.
Pill boxes
|
|||
Pill cutter
|
Thank you for supporting the blog by shopping here!
Want to search for more things? Search Amazon:
via this link:
Paul,
Would you mind assessing this multivitamin from Juvenon for me? It looks solid to me but I’d prefer that it didn’t have the Titanium Dioxide. That may be a completely unfounded concern on my part but my take has always been less is more when it comes to fillers, excipients etc. I just ordered your book today and I suppose that I may have a different take on the levels of some of the nutrients in this multi after reading your book. Thanks in advance. http://juvenon.com/labels/label_Multi.html
Thanks,
David
Hi David,
The nutrient mix looks excellent. The mineral mix is especially good, though bulky minerals like magnesium are missing and would need to be taken separately. Vitamin E levels are a little high, but the composition looks good with mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols making up a fair portion.
Like you I would prefer not to have so much titanium dioxide. It seems to be used only as a whitener, which I think is unnecessary. There are a few health concerns according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide), but it is widely used in skimmed milk and toothpaste. I would assume the dose in the multi is relatively small.
Thanks for the fast response! In one of your earlier posts you said that you’d grown weary of trying to find a supplement that had an appropriate nutrient mix while also keeping out unwanted stuff. I know exactly what you mean. It’s very difficult to find a multi that really hits the nail on the head. If I do take the Juvenon multi, I’ll take a separate D3 and magnesium supplement. K2 I’m still a little unsure about but I’m really beginning to think it may be worth taking as a separate supplement. I’m looking forward to reading your book.
Hi Paul,
I just ordered the book and bought most of the supplements yesterday. I have a question about prescribed hypothyroid medication vs. iodine. I see that others have asked plenty of iodine questions too. My question is I have a prescription for levothyroxine (50 mcg/day). I’ve been gluten free for about two months. I’ve read that levo and iodine shouldn’t be taken at the same time. Do you think the low dose that you suggest would be okay to take with the levo? I would prefer to leave the levo behind. I haven’t had great results with it, although I admit I haven’t been totally faithful in taking it either. I was thinking maybe I should take what is left of the levo (31 pills) then start the iodine low dose when the prescription runs out. In the meantime, I’ll take the other supplements that you recommend. Last time I had my blood checked my TSH was in the normal range.
Thanks,
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Yes, I would continue to take the levothyroxine while starting iodine at a low dose and working up.
As long as you start low and change the iodine gradually, it should require only gradual changes in your levothyroxine dose.
Be sure to start copper and selenium before iodine. Check carefully to see if copper supplementation affects your levothyroxine needs or symptoms. Copper deficiency can make a huge difference in iodine/T4 needs.
You should take the minimum dose of levo that also minimizes symptoms. You can cut the pills in half or quarters and take a 1/2 pill or 3/4 pill to reduce the dose in stages. Odds are as your supplementation improves you’ll be able to reduce the levo dose.
Normal range for TSH doesn’t mean much, anything over 1.5 indicates a problem. So many people have mild hypothyroidism that they set the “normal” range very wide.
I would start the supplements right away. More often than not the supplementation doesn’t cure the hypothyroidism, which usually has an underlying infectious origin. But they will almost always improve matters and give you a better shot at clearing infections.
So most likely you’ll still be taking the levo for a long time, and can use the pills along with the iodine, but will be able to take the levo in a smaller dose which you can meet by cutting up the pills.
Best, Paul
Paul wrote: “You can cut the pills in half or quarters and take a 1/2 pill or 3/4 pill to reduce the dose in stages.”
Since T4 has a long half-life, and is basically the storage form of thyroid hormone, it is not necessary to take the same amount every day. To finally titrate doses, my doc uses the 50 µg tablets (usually Levoxyl since it has no dyes) and simply increases or decreases the number of tablets taken per week. For example, one might take two tablets Monday Wednesday and Friday and one tablet the other days. I’ve been doing this for a long time and it seems to work great. It allows much finer dose adjustments than simply cutting the tablets. And I can tell you from experience that even a few percent change in dose can make quite a difference. The same is true of my thyroid extract or T3 doses (but those should be kept constant each day and, ideally, even delivered in time release form since T3’s half life is very short and it is highly active).
Also, it is not necessarily the case I think that TSH above 1.5 is suboptimal. My doc has found that some people feel much better with a TSH somewhat higher. He thinks it’s because TSH has other functions besides stimulating thyroid hormone production, including, critically, stimulating tissue level conversion of T4 to T3. If your TSH is too low for your particular biochemistry, you may suffer tissue level T3 starvation, and feel lousy as a result, even if your T4 level is quite high. The only way to determine what is optimal for you is personal experimentation, using lab work only to avoid gross extremes. At least that’s what he has found.
Hi Bill,
Great points!
I should have mentioned the not-every-day opportunity. During my wife’s recovery from hypothyroidism, she progressively reduced dose, getting down to 25 mcg (cut from a larger pill) once a week.
That TSH has other roles is also a great point. There is no one marker of optimal thyroid status. I will have to look into the other roles of TSH to understand them better, but it’s very interesting that people may feel best at a higher TSH.
I couldn’t agree more that personal experimentation and going by how you feel is critical for hypothyroid patients.
Thanks!
Best, Paul
Paul and Bill,
Thanks for your responses. All of this can be very confusing. I see a family practice doc (not holistic) who just said start taking the levo and get back to see me in six months. How often should I be getting labs done? My last test was in December. I believe I was tested for TSH and Free T4. I will take all of the sups as recommended by Paul before I begin the iodine. Any idea of a time frame of how long I should take the copper and selenium before I start the iodine?
Also, I’m curious about the idea of taking more or less pills on certain days. I am supposed to take the levo on an empty stomach about an hour before eating, which I find to be annoying. If you are staggering the pills over days, do you still take them in the morning on an empty stomach? Also, how often are you seeing your doc?
Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Hypothyroidism typically takes a long time to cure. That’s probably why the doctor is willing to wait a long time for the next appointment. But I would say you should consider going back and getting tested any time you feel there has been a noticeable change in your condition, good or bad. Monitoring hormone levels will help you assess how you’re doing.
If you have no reaction to copper or selenium then you can start a low dose of iodine right away. Give yourself a few weeks to see if there’s a reaction.
The other reason to delay is if you have only recently given up wheat. Wheat is a common cause of thyroid autoimmunity and it usually takes 6 months for the auto-antibodies to disappear. So I would keep iodine intake low until you’ve been off grains for 6 months.
I don’t see a doctor, or do it rarely, and don’t take pills other than our recommended supplements. As far as what you should do, there’s some evidence that taking it at bedtime is better: http://thyroid.about.com/od/thyroiddrugstreatments/a/bedtime.htm.
Best, Paul
Thanks, Paul. I will try taking it at night for sure. I will follow your other suggestions too. I also look forward to another posting from Mario. Interesting stuff.
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I think waiting six months for lab work after starting thyroid hormone isn’t optimal. The initial dosing is just educated guesswork, and the only way to determine the dose you need is by personal experimentation, guided in part by lab work. I agree wholeheartedly with Paul that how you feel is the most important indicator. But it can be very difficult to distinguish overdosing from underdosing by symptoms alone (no matter what the endocrinologists say), and this is where lab work can really help. My doc tests quarterly until people stabilize, and then semiannually unless they feel they may need a dose change. He has also found that seasonal dose adjustments are optimal, so six months is again a long time.
As for taking your T4 on an empty stomach, I will relate to you my doc’s statement after working with thousands of hypothyroid people that more and more it seems *everything* conventional medicine says about hypothyroidism is wrong (he says this with only a slight smile). He has found that it really doesn’t matter when, or with what, you take your thyroid medication. If some food you regularly eat slightly decreases the absorption, that will simply mean that you wind up with a slightly higher dose. As long as you are reasonably consistent, it won’t make any difference. Conventional endocrinology also says, for example, to take your dose in the morning. But he has found that a significant number of people sleep much better if they take their dose at night, with dinner. T4 levels naturally increase at night in healthy people, so that makes a bit of sense. I take mine with dinner.
I take 50 mg of iodine daily, and my T4 dose requirement has dropped almost by half. Mainstream endocrinologists believe that’s impossible since this is supposedly a progressive, incurable disease. People taking your, quite low, dose of T4 can (but don’t always) completely eliminate their need for medication by taking sufficient iodine. Just make sure you include the entire holistic nutritional program recommended by all of the iodine doctors since the modern medical rediscovery of iodine therapy by Dr. Guy Abraham, including selenium, vitamin C, and magnesium, plus unrefined Celtic salt. This is the protocol that has proven to be so safe and effective for a great many medical problems.
You will very likely also need some T3 to feel well if you remain hypothyroid. That’s another controversial subject. My doc’s new book will be out in a few months, and I will post a link to it at that time. It will explain how to manage this condition in detail, based on his years of experimentation, which suggest that nether mainstream nor holistic medicine has gotten it quite right (the former relies exclusively on T4, and the latter tends to use only “natural” pig thyroid extract, which seems to have more than ten times the optimal percentage of T3 for us).
Hi Bill,
Great advice. May I ask who your doctor is? Do let us know when his book is out.
Thanks, Bill! I appreciate all of the info you’ve given. I would be very interested in reading your doc’s book as well. I’ve been diagnosed fairly recently with hypo, but I think it’s been working on me for years prior. I am glad I’m on the right track with things. It’s hard to tell exactly how I’m feeling right now. I have been doing a really low carb diet for a few months prior to starting PHD. So I mostly feel low energy, but I think the safe starches and supplements I’m now taking will help with that. I look forward to starting some iodine as well after a few weeks of being on the other supps that Paul has recommended.
Lisa
Paul,
Have you ever examined Art De Vany’s claims that the version of Glutathione he takes is a valid source (survives typical poor oral absorption)?
Brand he recommends:
http://www.glutathionescience.com/
Hi Greg,
I tried that brand on his recommendation. But I found other, cheaper brands, such as Jarrow, also worked. That was when I had scurvy and could tell immediately.
Now that I’m in a better state I have no reaction to either.
I think any of the common formulations will work if you take them on an empty stomach and with a full glass of water.
Hi Paul, how do you feel about organ supplements, such as Dr. Ron’s Organ Delight, or desiccated liver?
Hi bc,
Why not eat the organs? I eat liver once a week and miscellaneous other tissues, eg tripe, often or (eg sweetbread) occasionally.
It seems to me fresh food should be healthier than old, dessicated, processed tissue samples.
I posed this question at Emily Deans’s blog, and she referred me here, so I’m reproducing it below. She pointed out that white skin probably results from sexual selection, so the evolutionary logic below might not apply…. anyway, would be interested in your thoughts.
Why is a lower blood level recommended for those with dark skin? I assumed that dark skin was an adaptation to year-round exposure to intense sunlight–meaning that people with dark skin would have had more opportunities to generate vitamin D.
On the other hand, I’m aware that dark-skinned people are more likely to be deficient since their bodies produce less D on contact with sunlight. Does this lower rate of production bring their levels down below the levels of white-skinned people? Or am I completely off the mark with this?
There are other factors as well… in the very sunny place my family comes from, people wear light clothes that cover their entire bodies… I assume it’s to avoid excessive sunlight.
Hi Asad,
25OHD has two roles: it is an active but weak ligand for the vitamin D receptor, and it is a storage form of vitamin D for the more active 1,25D form.
Africans have year-round exposure to sun and so they didn’t need to store much 25OHD. Low 25OHD levels are better because they can finely control their VDR activation by forming the precise amount of 1,25D they need in each cell.
Since 25OHD diffuses throughout the body and into cells, 25OHD level sets the minimum level of VDR activation everywhere. Higher 25OHD means more storage for the winter, but also means low levels of VDR activation become inaccessible. This has a biological cost.
Africans evolved for low 25OHD and controlling VDR activation with 1,25D; Europeans evolved for high 25OHD and controlling VDR activation with both.
This means Africans are maladapted for northern winters, because they don’t store vitamin D well. But they do better in summer with their lower 25OHD levels.
Africans don’t need as much 25OHD to achieve proper vitamin D status, so their production is OK. White skin sexual selection is not really that relevant, since that mainly distinguishes Europeans from Asians rather than Eurasians from Africans.
Paul
I am about 2 weeks in on the book and really love it. I am hypothyroid and on levothyroxine. I have started all of the protocols in the book and am interested to see if I first can get TSH levels down to recommended levels and then ween off of the meds.
My comment/question is with melatonin though. Shortly after I started the perfect health diet (adding in a lot of coconut oil daily and getting my carbs up with your recommended starches and my protein down (always ate high protein because of sport and strength training) I noticed an increased need to go to the bathroom very frequently in the night (I am 47yr old male)
My sleep is not great and this made it worse. I did some research on my own and found that all of this increased fat may be raising my testosterone and then the conversion of testosterone to its potent metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT) may be occurring. I added Saw Palmetto as a supplement and the frequent night trips to the bathroom when from 3 – 4 to 1 and maybe two if I had a lot to drink.
To get to my comment question (sorry if this is really long). I like the increased testosterone but I tried melatonin to improve my sleep. It worked great but my testosterone levels dropped way down to very levels. I stopped the Melatonin when I researched and found some others that had the same effect. Do you have any thoughts or comments on this. I recently started ZMA at night for better sleep. It may or may not be working.
This site and the book are really cool, and a great resource.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I must admit I haven’t looked into these particular hormonal interactions and effects. It sounds like you are deficient in melatonin and that causes the higher testosterone, which would ordinarily be a positive, to have some negative effects.
For low melatonin, melatonin supplements are a good stopgap and then you want to find and fix the cause. It’s possible you took too much melatonin. If you use a time-release version usually high doses like 5 mg are tolerable; if the melatonin is not time-release, then 1 mg or less may be desirable.
Melatonin is decreased by expression of the immune molecule interferon-gamma in the brain. This is elevated in response to infections and certain inflammatory processes. Do you have any symptoms of brain infection, like impaired mood or memory loss?
I would have to research the issues you’ve described to say more, but hopefully this gives you some useful information.
Best, Paul
So I am working on my longtstanding fungal infection. No more miso, kefir, moldy cheeses or anything moldy or yeasty. Plenty of garlic , especially in the form of Tershi (a Persian pickle made by aging garlic cloves in salt and raw apple cider vinegar for at least several years —- yum! ) Oregano oil and Oregamax pills along with the rest of the things you suggested.
The rash on my face is fading.
I ordered some Blis K12 thinking that should help even more. It just arrived. I chose the Life Extension brand: Advanced Oral Hygiene.
Label says: Probiotic blend: Ganeden BC(containing Bacillus coagulans GBI-30,6086 and Strepticcus salvarisu K12
But then, under “other ingredients”, it says it contains YEAST!
I called Life Extension and was told that the active ingredient was derived from yeast but the yeast itself is inactive in the product.
What do you think? Should I take this?
What Blis K12 product did you use? There are many to choose from.
Ellen- wouldn’t the most convenient way to take/use this be if it were included in an alternative toothpaste?
Hi Ellen,
I used NOW OralBiotic. It lists no yeast on the label.
Personally I would take it, but try to start at a time when I was stable and could more easily judge whether it was helping or hurting.
Just wondering what time of day & how do you take these supplements? I have all the recommended ones now, but my gosh that seems like a lot of pills to take all at once.
Do you split them up? Take them with meals? Feelings a little overwhelmed!
Hi Anna,
With meals is best.
Hi Paul..I look forward to buying your book it looks good. I have calcium ascorbate buffered vitamin c from nutri biotic. Is this a good type of c to take? Also my white cell blood count is low and I have had herpes for years plus some gum infections, can the lack of vitamin c and low white cell count be related? Thanks for your help. Donna
Hi Donna,
All kinds of C are good … that’s why we buy cheap ones.
Scurvy by itself doesn’t cause low white blood cell counts (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/109407), but maybe in the presence of an infection it might contribute. Many infections cause low white blood cell counts. Folate, zinc and copper deficiencies can cause it.
Doctors could investigate reasons for your leukopenia.
Best, Paul
Paul,
What would be the optimal range for iron intake? I calculated my average daily nutrient intake and got 32mg for iron. Over half of it came surprisingly from coconut milk. Is this too much? Thanks!
Hi jnv,
32 mg is at the high end of the normal range. US RDA for men is 8 mg and upper limit (UL) is 40 mg.
The intestine is good at not absorbing iron when the body is replete, so this isn’t obviously unsafe, but the thing to do is get a ferritin level measured when next at the doctor. Best to be toward the low end of the normal range.
The best way to reduce iron levels is to give blood regularly. (Or, if you’re female, to menstruate.)
Best, Paul
@Bob (Robert Kaufer),
Hi Bob, hopefully you are still keeping an eye on this thread.
With the Saw Palmetto, could you tell me how much you are taking & at any particular time of the day?
Thx, Darrin
Darrin,
My results have not been linear but are definitely better than prior to the herb.
I was trying 320 mg all at once with a meal but found it not as effective as splitting it up to 160 mg twice with meals.
Incidentally yesterday I took 480 mg divided between three meals and had five hours of straight sleep then two hours of cat interrupted sleep but no night time trips to the bathroom.
Maybe more than you wanted to know.
Bob
Not sure if anyone will be able to answer this one with any certainty;
If i take melatonin & activated charcoal before bed, will the charcoal limit (or even prevent) the absorption of the melatonin?
Hi Paul!
Hey, could you expand a bit on your statement above re: Vitamin C. You say all forms are good. I seem to recall reading something, somewhere about high doses of synthetic C being dangerous. Since then, I’ve been obtaining C from whole food sources such as (organic) Amla or Acerola fruit. It can get expensive.
What’s your opinion on synthetic vitamin C? and high doses being potentially dangerous?
As always- thanks!
Hi Ellen,
Vitamin C is rather a simple compound and I haven’t seen evidence that the commonly available forms are dangerous. If you know of any source for that I would be glad to look at it.
Paul,
In the book on page 231 you discuss eating bones and connective tissue. You do not however include beef gelatin supplementation in the book but do include it above. Can you elaborate on choosing between the two and if you do supplement with gelatin, how much do you recommend.
Thanks
bob
Hi Robert,
We favor making bone broths from bones that have connective tissue attached. This is the best source of collagen/gelatin, and is what we do.
We included the gelatin here for the benefit of people who are too busy to make soups.
The optimal quantity is not entirely clear. For most people protein will be 50 to 100 g / day, and gelatin should probably make up 10% of that, say 5 to 10 g. A level tablespoon is about 7 g, so 1 level or heaping tbsp per day would be sufficient I think.
Best, Paul
Paul, is regular Knox gelatin good enough? I couldn’t find beef gelatin locally and don’t know if it’s worth ordering it.
I think it’s better than nothing, but soup tastes great, gelatin powder I like only in a bone broth soup, that’s the only thing it seems to dissolve and disappear in. In some dishes it’s kind of innocuous, but mix it with fats and it makes a good glue.
I mix a tablespoon of gelatin with a tablespoon of whey protein powder (Chocolate Coconut flavor) and 3 – 4 tablespoons of coconut oil (when in solid form) and then throw in about 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries. To me (not my family) it tastes really good. I will usually eat this 2 – 3 times per day.
I eat about 75 g of protein so I am a bit higher than 10% of my protein from gelatin. I get most of my protein this way.
Bob
Hi Paul,
I know you are not a fan of Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate) or Beta Carotene supplementation.
do you have a view if one is more of a concern than the other?……
ie. if you were to pick between otherwise identical multi-vits, each having the equiv of 5,000IU Vit A, one from Beta Carotene (i think that’s 3mg), & the other from Retinyl Palmitate (i think that may be 1.5mg);
which one would you with?
Hi Paul,
I know you are not a fan of Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate) or Beta Carotene supplementation.
do you have a view if one is more of a concern than the other?……
ie. if you were to pick between otherwise identical multi-vits, each having the equiv of 5,000IU Vit A, one from Beta Carotene (i think that’s 3mg), & the other from Retinyl Palmitate (i think that may be 1.5mg);
which one would you go with?
Hi Darrin,
Yes, I think vitamin A is best obtained from foods (liver, egg yolks, colorful vegetables, etc).
In a multi, I think a diverse mix of sources is better than all of one variety.
Paul,
Today is my first day eating with your PHD guidelines in mind. I am very excited! I am especially surprised by how good coconut oil tastes. I was worried it would be as bad as coconut water!
Anyway, this afternoon I stocked up on all the recommended supplements. Should I be concerned about starting so many all at once? Should I skip days at first, to acclimatize my body to them? Is there a benefit to taking them all in the AM or PM, or spreading them throughout the day?
In total, including from the multi-mineral, I’ll be taking:
1000 mg Vitamin C
2500 IU Vitamin D3
1000 mcg Vitamin K2 mk-4
100 mcg Vitamin K2 mk-7
300 mcg Selenium (200 + 100 in multi)
500 mg Magnesium
320 mcg Chromium Picolinate (200 + 120 in multi)
150 mcg Iodine (+ frequent yummy seaweed snacks)
3 mg Copper (2 + 1 in multi)
I am in my early 30s with no apparent diseases or conditions, and a strong desire to avoid them!
Thank you!
Hi Brian,
Welcome to the diet!
I think aside from the iodine, possibly copper and K2, acclimation won’t be necessary.
Iodine and copper can cause temporary thyroid symptoms if you have a deficiency. If you experience that, try small doses and increase gradually. K2 may affect clotting briefly with sudden adoption of high doses. This should pass quickly and you probably wouldn’t notice it.
As for your choices, they are good. Two possible alterations:
– We usually recommend 200-400 mg magnesium. 500 mg should be OK, but you might consider cutting it in half or taking it every other day.
– If you’re willing to eat beef or lamb liver once a week, I would recommend that as a source of copper in preference to the supplements. Liver has many beneficial nutrients besides copper. If you eat both liver and the supplements, you could get too much copper.
Best, Paul
Paul, thank you for the thoughtful tips.
The magnesium is straight from the multi-mineral that you link to at the top of this page (Country Life Total Mins Iron-Free), so unfortunately I can’t cut it in half. I’m using the multi-mineral instead of the multi-vitamin because I’m eating a lot of eggs.
The magnesium is listed as being from magnesium oxide, aspartate, alpha-ketoglutarate, citrate, & taurinate. There is also an asterisk that leads to fine print that says “Country Life always labels minerals in elemental weight.”
I’m not sure what to make of all this. Would you advise a different multi-mineral?
I am also very curious about liver and plan on trying it for the first time soon. If I can stomach it, I’ll cut the copper.
And regarding iodine: so far I have been unable to find seaweed NOT cooked in vegetable oils. So it looks like I’ll be supplementing iodine. Back to the vitamin store!
Thanks again! I’m on day 4 and already I’m noticing a remarkable difference in energy consistency and less carb cravings!
Hi Brian,
Ah … The Total Mins are a bit high in calcium, so you can take 1 pill a day, not the 2 a day they suggest. That will cut magnesium in half.
I like that multi-mineral, with excess calcium being the main reservation. It’s here because I haven’t yet found a better one.
I’m glad you’re doing well!
Aha! I had a dumb moment there. I’ll cut down to 1 pill/day. Thank you!
Hi Paul (and Shou-Ching!),
Been a longtime follower of your blog–so I apologize if my perusals missed the answer to this somewhere. What do you think about the potential for becoming dependent on melatonin? It is a hormone, and while that shouldn’t be an a priori cause for fearmongering (as some “experts” are wont to believe), I can’t dismiss the fear that taking it on a semi-regular basis will cause my body to downregulate its production.
Currently, I try my best to “cycle” my use of it, but sometimes, there are just too many days a week when I need a super early and sound sleep for the early day ahead. Using melatonin 3-4 days a week really feels like I’m pushing it; but is there anything else you would suggest?
Also, re: melatonin’s possible efficacy against IBS and infections in general–I’ve had IBS my entire life (was a soy formula-fed baby…), so if melatonin dependence really isn’t an issue, do you think it’d be okay to use it semi-regularly for IBS?
Thanks for all your wonderful work!
Hi Sheep Counteress,
I would be very surprised if any “dependency” lasted more than a week or two at most. It’s a naturally present hormone so it’s just adaptation to a different dose.
I no longer use it or benefit from it, but when I had my brain infection I used it daily for months with good results, and could quit it without any difficulty, just a few days adaptation, not much different than mild jet lag.
I think it’s OK to use it regularly – better than to use it irregularly.