LET’S TALK SUPPLEMENTS.
Even though the first approach in Nutritional Therapy is (and always will be) FOOD, food, food, food- sometimes our bodies need a little extra boost to regain balance and overcome dysfunction.
At various points throughout our life, we require a little extra lovin’ from certain nutrients. During performance training, menstruation, pregnancy, travel, while on medications, stressful Tuesday’s, you name it. Even though I wish we could get all the nutrients we need from our fruits, veggies, and booch, that’s not always the case and here’s why:
1. Due to a lack of regenerative agriculture, our soil is now depleted which has caused a decrease of nutrients in our food.
2. We are constantly exposed to various toxins, stressors, medications, etc. that use up a ton of nutrients that can be hard to replace.
3. Every single person has a different story going on down under. Your digestion, hormones, genes, microbiome, etc. will never look like mine and vice versa.
Okay so how do you figure out what nutrients you are lacking? There are a few ways to go about it!
One of our tools as NTP’s, along with an extensive Nutritional Questionnaire Assessment is to provide a Functional Clinical Assessment. This is a functional exam where we are able to place specific nutrients on your tongue (which is called Lingo- Neuro Testing) and assess how your body responds to them through various palpation points. Through this test, we can determine nutritional deficiencies almost immediately which is beyond helpful moving forward. Pretty cool right? Yeah, I thought so too. Only a little witchy.
But what if you’re not able to do the Functional Clinical Assessment with me?
1. Listen to your cravings- they are giving you information! How sweet.
Our gut communicates with our brain through the vagus nerve, and if you are craving sweets for example, this could be one of a few things. One, your “bad” bacteria could be outweighing your good bacteria and you may need to implement more probiotics into your diet. And two, your cravings could be telling you you’re deficient in magnesium. YOU HAVE TO TUNE IN!
2. Pay attention to what medications you are on- if any
Here are a few common medications that deplete specific nutrients in the body when taken. If you are continuously using any of these, here is a great resource to know which vitamins and minerals you may be lacking!
SO! With all this supplement talk, please don’t run to the drug store and buy a multivitamin because it was featured on the Today Show. What supplement(s) your body requires will be completely different from the next, so if you’re wanting to take the next step in supporting your body- listen to my tips above!
Overall, here are a few takeaways:
1. Always approach nutritional deficiencies with whole, properly prepared, nutrient dense foods. This means organic produce. This means grass-fed/finished beef. This means ditching the canola oil and putting good sh*t in whenever possible.
2. Eliminate toxins and stressors when you can. Like I mentioned before, doing so will help keep your nutrients from being used up by a**holes that don’t deserve them. (Medication list from school with deficiencies and supplements)
3. Pay attention to the quality of supplements you are spending your money on. Medical grade, whole food supplements are always worth it and the way to go. My favorite brand is Biotics and what we use with all of our nutrition protocols!
4. Reach out. I would be more than happy to chat with you if you’re curious about potential deficiencies and symptoms you are experiencing!