After eight years of training in med school and pediatric residency, I didn’t know the first thing about nutrition to help my patients heal. Aside from the typical childhood iron deficiency and the rare copper metabolism disorder (Menkes Kinky Hair Disease), my training didn’t include how nutrition impacts dis-ease.
I thought if I ate a healthy, well-balanced diet, I’d get all the nutrition I need. Wrong! (“X” with buzzer sound)
Eating a healthy diet falls short of our nutritional needs for a variety of reasons. After reading this post, you’ll learn why we have these dietary gaps, what supplements I use to bridge the gap, and how to tell a high-quality supplement from an (ahem) not so high-quality one.
I thought if I ate a healthy, well-balanced diet, I’d get all the nutrition I need. Wrong! (“X” with buzzer sound)
REAL FOOD IS NOT PERFECT
I smiled as a recovering perfectionist, watching my daughter picking through a bowl of apples, rejecting one after another for a blemish or a bruise. Then, I teased, “The goal in life is not perfection. Nature isn’t perfect, and neither are you. That’s the BEAUTY!” She smirked and continued to pick through the apple pile until she found the “perfect” one. First age, then wisdom. LOL.
I was in denial about how nutritionally depleted my patients, and I could be. I wanted a healthy diet to be the complete answer. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t, as demonstrated through nutrition research (and nutritional testing in my practice.)
Nutrient-depleted soil, antinutrients such as phytic acid, and a lack of fermented foods and sunshine leave us with nutritional gaps that can negatively affect our health. For example, vitamin A and D deficiency can impair immunity, vitamin C deficiency can increase the risk of infection, and vitamin B deficiencies can result in neurological symptoms.
To narrow my nutritional gap, I take key supplements with essential nutrients that provide my body nutrition in a balanced way: vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other nutrition no longer found in the foods we eat in the quantities the body needs.
Nutrient-depleted soil, antinutrients such as phytic acid, and a lack of fermented foods and sunshine leave us with nutritional gaps that can negatively affect our health. For example, vitamin A and D deficiency can impair immunity, vitamin C deficiency can increase the risk of infection, and vitamin B deficiencies can result in neurological symptoms.
NOT ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE CREATED EQUAL
Buying a supplement online or off the health food store shelf doesn’t guarantee the product is safe for human consumption. Always do your research before consuming supplements.
Here are a few ways top supplement manufacturers distinguish themselves from the rest.
> GOOD: GMP-CERTIFIED
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification ensures a company has used the highest quality standards during manufacturing and the product is safe for human consumption.
> BETTER: 3RD-PARTY TESTED
Some manufacturers go above and beyond GMP standards and hire independent third-party testers to ensure products have the identity, strength, composition, quality, and purity represented on the label with undetectable levels of pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, preservatives, or additives.
> BEST: HUMAN RESEARCHED & PROFESSIONALLY BACKED
High-quality supplement companies test the effectiveness and safety of their products through human clinical trials. They also hire qualified professionals (Ph.D., MD, DO, etc.) in nutrition, medicine, health, and wellness to conduct product research, development, and education.
High-quality ingredients, third-party testing, human clinical trials, and qualified staff are expensive. So be prepared to pay for quality supplements from manufacturers who distinguish themselves above the rest. Safety and effectiveness are worth every penny!
Buying a supplement online or off the health food store shelf doesn’t guarantee the product is safe for human consumption. Always do your research before consuming supplements.
MY EASY BUTTON FOR SUPPLEMENTS
For a decade of my health journey, I hyperfocused on what I was eating. I tried so many different ways of eating it became a standing joke amongst friends and family. Despite my valiant eating efforts, I remained exhausted with nagging digestive symptoms and struggled to sleep through the night.
My friend shared a nutritional ‘supplement’ system that helped her, so I decided to give it a try. I’ve since nicknamed this system ‘The Easy Button’ because it’s so easy to incorporate these supplements into your daily routine. Supporting my nutritional gaps with these supplements has transformed my health! To learn more about the exact products I use, read How to Achieve Vibrant Health the Easy Way.
Life’s too short to stay stuck eating a healthy diet that falls flat on meeting your nutritional needs. Instead, supplement your shortcomings with high-quality supplements so you can feel confident with energy to be, do, and give your best self every day!
#WeAreInThisTogether for #HealthyChange
Rise stronger,
P.S. The Easy Button has been so transformational for my health (picture Lynda Carter Wonder Woman) that I must share it with you! It blends the best of science and nature together and arrives at your front door in a brown box. You unpack the box, follow the plan (with a guide and tribe), and get your results. Hello, Easy! Check out My Easy Button for Supplements!
About the Author: Dr. Sue
Sue McCreadie, MD (aka Dr. Sue), is a Pediatric Physician and Breakthrough Coach for Midlife Mamas. For over two decades, she’s helped thousands achieve vibrant health as a wellness expert. Bringing three daughters into this world, she lost four along the way, and crossed the pregnancy finish line a digestive–hormonal–emotional mess. But, over the following decade, she found a deeper meaning for miscarriages, reclaimed vibrant health, and grew emotional resiliency. Dr. Sue is obsessed with living her soulFULL purpose and helping other growth-minded Mamas do the same. She believes we are in this together to rise up, realize our dreams, and feel fulfilled in every facet of our lives.