These are the 3 Dietary Supplements Worth Taking on the Reg According to a Nutritionist

Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is a fat-soluble hormone found in some foods and produced by the skin endogenously when exposed to ultraviolet rays.

This vitamin⁷ plays critical roles in the body including strengthening the immune system, promoting calcium absorption in the gut, bone growth, and bone remodeling. In fact, without enough vitamin D, bones can become weak and brittle and can even lead to rickets in children and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, “Research suggests vitamin D may also provide protection from hypertension, psoriasis, several autoimmune diseases (including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis), and reduce the incidence of fractured bones.”

Vitamin D can be found in fortified foods including dairy products and cereals, cheese, eggs and egg yolks, fatty fish including mackerel, sardines, salmon, and tuna, and some mushrooms. If you’re not consuming these foods regularly due to dietary restrictions, or if you live in a gloomy climate, you may be lacking in this vitamin.

I always recommend getting your vitamin D levels tested, and being prescribed the proper dietary supplement of vitamin D by a health care practitioner – as taking too much vitamin D⁸ is a very real (and unpleasant) thing. Ask your doc for a blood test next checkup, and talk with them about vitamin D.

Since gut health and the microbiome are so important (improving brain function, supporting immune health, and boosting happiness levels⁹, for example) probiotics have become a trendy dietary supplement.

According to Dr. Joshua Axe, probiotics are essential for “producing vitamin B12, butyrate and vitamin K2, crowding out bad bacteria, yeast and fungi, creating enzymes that destroy harmful bacteria,” and absorbing nutrients and promoting a healthy digestion, among others.

These “friendly bacteria” can be found in fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, or other fermented vegetables, along with fermented dairy and alternative fermented dairy products like yogurt, kefir, and cheese. Not slugging back a kombucha or eating sauerkraut on the regular, however, may be a good reason to supplement with a probiotic pill.

Those who may have recently taken antibiotics (which kill both bad and good bugs indiscriminately), or those who are routinely stressed or eat a Standard American Diet may also benefit from supplementing with a probiotic.

When choosing a supplement, look for freeze dried or refrigerated bottle with a high CFU count (around 15 billion to 100 billion organisms) and with strain diversity – at least 10-30 different bacterial strains. Dr. Axe notes to look for strains like bacillus coagulans, saccharomyces boulardii, bacillus subtilis, and lactobacillus rhamnosus. These are hardier strains of bacteria, which means they survive digestion and can therefore colonize your gut to keep it healthy.

Fish oil dietary supplements are filled with essential omega-3 fatty acids, healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids known to promote anti-inflammatory benefits¹, not to mention brain and heart health.

These fatty acids wear their name well: they are totally essential to get from either food or supplementation, as our body cannot produce them. Unfortunately, many people are seriously deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, which has scary repercussions².

There are many omega-3 fatty acids, but the three to know are EPA, DHA, and ALA. Fatty fish such as wild salmon and mackerel (and thus fish oil dietary supplements) are rich in EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid), both of which are essential for brain and mental health³, cell membrane integrity, and controlling inflammation. ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid), meanwhile, is found in plants such as hemp seeds, walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds, but it is not bioactive and needs to be converted into EPA and DHA for the body to reap its benefits.

Taking a high quality fish oil dietary supplement filled with omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA has shown numerous health benefits. Web MD⁴ notes that omega-3s are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as reduce symptoms of high blood pressure, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joint pain, and skin ailments. Studies⁵ have also shown omega-3 fatty acids to reduce cognitive decline and even reverse and manage anxiety⁶.