Supplements in my Routine

This post is not what you probably expect. Truth be told, I actually don’t like to support/promote supplement brands. I think 90% of supplements (+ a huge chunk of pharmaceuticals) are a combination of trash made with bad ingredients and a money grab targeting innocent consumers who are just trying to solve a health concern when (in my personal opinion) majority of our health concerns can be solved if pharmaceuticals and corporations stopped pushing pills as a solution to everything and processed fake foods that deteriorate our health and instead made it easier for people to have access to real, quality, organic, pesticide/hormone/chemical-free produce and foods. But that doesn’t make them money so here we are, it’s 2022 and the world has more diseases, more obese people, and more health problems than ever before. But that’s a conversation for a different day.

(On a side note, if you’re interested in learning more about eating foods with more quality ingredients, I highly recommend you follow Illie on instagram and TheFoodBabe. I certainly don’t agree with everything they say, but they both provide a lot of insight around what is in our foods and how it could be affecting us.)

Anyway, because my approach to supplements is slightly different, I thought I would write this post and share a few non-traditional supplements you’ll find in my routine.

Before I get into it though, you should know that I am by no means an expert at this topic, I am not a medical professional in any way, and I am not telling you what supplements you should or should not take. This is just my own personal routine that I am sharing. Do your own research before consuming any of the supplements I take below.

Ritual Multivitamin

You’ve probably seen this brand advertised by so many influencers and are sick of seeing it. I am too 🙈 And I hate that its credibility is now tainted because it’s so highly advertised by influencers who we might not even trust anymore because we think they’ll advertise anything just to get paid. Personally, I definitely got influenced and decided to try my first bottle of Ritual multivitamins back in April 2020. Now, I am obsessed, hooked, and a total loyal customer. And it’s the ONLY traditional supplement you’ll find in my routine.

To give you some background, I’ve been taking some form of multivitamin since I was a young teenager. I have a history of mild anemia so I’ve been on vitamins for as long as I can remember. I know it’s best to get your vitamins from food, but I feel that is slightly unrealistic is today’s society full of food that I don’t even trust how it’s grown/produced (even the organic options) and in my personal lifestyle as well. So I do like to take a multivitamin to help.

Because I consume this multivitamin daily, I feel that it’s important that it’s made with the highest quality of ingredients. Which is why I trust Ritual most. You can read all the details on their studies and ingredients. But also, outside of just taking the information from their site, I have actually seen a physical difference in myself once I started taking Ritual multivitamins versus other brands you’d typically find at your local CVS or Target. The biggest #1 change I’ve physically noticed is how much stronger my nails have become after starting Ritual. I’ve always had short nails because they would break as soon as they grew out even two millimeters. That’s not the case anymore though. My nails are now long, sleek almond shaped nails that I am so proud of. I love them so much. So if my nails are this strong, I imagine my organs inside are also thriving thanks to Ritual.

Plus, several months ago I switched over to their prenatal multivitamin and found out that they are one of the few prenatals that actually have folate as an ingredient. Most prenatals have folic acid, which is a synthetic form of folate.

You can get $15 off your first month of Ritual if you sign up via my referral link here. This isn’t sponsored in any way, this is just a referral link that every customer receives.

Anyway, enough about my multivitamin, let’s move on to the other supplements.

Brazil Nuts

I’ll usually have at least one of these per day, sometimes two. They are one of the most concentrated sources of selenium, but also contain magnesium, zinc, vitamin E, healthy fats, and many other nutrients. But I mostly take it because of it’s selenium, which is a trace mineral that helps to regulate thyroid, helps your immune system, and provides better outcomes of cancer, infertility, pregnancy, heart disease, and overall helps your body function properly. Low selenium levels are also tied to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even feelings of sadness, which is another reason I consume brazil nuts.

I have an irrational fear of having some form of a thyroid related issue/disorder so taking 1-2 brazil nuts per day helps keep my health anxiety at bay LOL

I also have an irrational fear of heart disease after learning my dad’s mom died of a heart related issue when I was one years old. So brazil nuts help in that department too. They contain healthy fatty acids and antioxidants that lower cholesterol and help lower your risk of heart disease.

But also, I read that it is not good to consume too many brazil nuts in one sitting as it can lead to toxicity, which is why I stick to 1-2 per day. I get the organic ones by the brand Aurora at Whole Foods

Chlorophyll Drops

This is another one of those things with multiple alleged health benefits however I personally haven’t been able to find good, conclusive studies to support that it actually helps with reducing the risk of cancer, inflammation, improves quality of red blood cells, etc. I personally continue drinking a glass or two of chlorophyll water per day for one reason: I noticed it helps my skin stay more clear. After all, beauty comes from within, right? 😉 Hopefully it also helps with all the other alleged health benefits too.

I personally have been using the Chlorophyll Drops from Sakara. Although, I hate how they market it as “detox water”. I certainly do not believe or promote “detoxing” in any way anymore. I know many people drink lemon water to “detox” too. Personally, after doing more research on this “detoxing” craze, I no longer believe in it.

Coconut Cult Yogurt

Instead of taking a pro/prebiotic supplement, I love eating 2-3 spoonfuls of this yogurt to help keep my gut healthy. It has 25 billion probiotics per serving and is made with wonderful real ingredients. So I just don’t see why I need to replace it with a pill if I can consume it in a real food form, you know? The taste does take some getting used to, but it’s not too bad in my opinion. I find my Coconut Cult Yogurt at Whole Foods.

Hemp Hearts

I sprinkle them in and on whatever I can! This is another heart-healthy “supplement” that is full of healthy fats and nutrients, including omegas 3 + 6, iron, zinc, fiber, amino acids and more! Plus, 3 tablespoons has 10g of protein so it helps me get my protein intake up a bit, which I struggle with. It’s great for sprinkling into smoothies, on top of a burrito bowl, into recipes, on salads, the possibilities are endless! I usually go for the organic hemp hearts from the brand Manitoba Harvest, found in Whole Foods.

DIY Tea Concoctions

I personally am not a huge fan of tea in teabags that need soaking in your mug. I just don’t trust them. First of all, I feel like the teabags soaking in hot water is like drinking water out of plastic bottles. There’s been studies that say the plastic in water bottles seep into the water, changing the quality of the water. Similarly, I feel like having the teabags sitting in boiling hot water in your mug, seeps microplastics into your tea water. You know? Second of all, why buy dried up tea to make your tea when you can DIY your own tea?

I love tossing some frozen fruit into my hot water to make a DIY tea. I also will add in some grated ginger, turmeric, etc. Sometimes I muddle it in my mug to squeeze all the juices out of the fruit into my tea, other times I don’t. I feel like if I DIY it, it’s the same thing and healthier. After all, you’re using fresh fruit instead of dried pieces that create a fruit tea. I understand for something like a black tea or earl grey tea it might be harder to DIY it.

Sunshine

I truly feel that this is soooo highly underutilized. I’m not saying it’s a cure all, but I think it can help everyone a lot! How can you not be a happy person if you sit in the warmth of the sun?! And as per Elle Woods, happy people just don’t shoot their husbands 😉 In the wintertime, despite the cold temps, I would consistently go for 2-3 mile walks in my neighborhood around 4pm. I truly believe that the combination of the sunshine plus the exercise from my walk is what helped me with seasonal depression like never before this year. I personally also believe that sometimes our down moods can then seep into our physical health and cause our body other health issues. So I love me some time in the sun!

I hope you enjoyed reading my take on supplements in my routine. I know this was quite the lengthy post, I appreciate it if you made it through until the end!

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy my post talking about how I went 30 days without sugar.

I’d love to hear what supplements you incorporate into your routine! Be sure to tell me (+ my other readers) all about them in the comments below!

💗 Alena