The Best Supplements for People Who Aren’t Into Supplements

De-bloat, destress, boost your immune system, and increase your daily protein. I tried the following seven supplements, so you don’t have to.

Supplements for most are just too overwhelming to deal with. ‘Take this for extra energy, take that for better brain health, and don’t forget to increase this for better immune health’. It seems the market is over saturated with brands promising their product helps increase and improve, whatever it is they claim to be doing for you.

We all know eating a whole food diet made up of plenty of fruits, veggies and meats is best, but for many this isn’t possible. So, what are some of the best replacement supplements for people who can’t always access a whole food diet daily?

Madeline Calfas founder of https://thewellnessgroup.net.au/ and qualified in m BA Nursing, BA Naturopathy, Adv Dip. Naturopathy, Adv. Dip Nutrition, Adv. Dip Western Herbal Medicine, A5M certified says:

“Rather than looking for a replacement supplement, those who don’t have access to whole foods daily should be looking at more of an adjunct supplement. It is important to remember that whole foods also don’t have to be organic. It’s better to opt for the non-organic options if budget doesn’t allow it rather than spending money of expensive supplements. Whole foods honestly are a lot cheaper than some of the supplements out there.

Having said that, if I were to nominate an amazing whole food supplement, I would have to say any of the Vita-Sol range. This includes a pure marine collagen which will help to ensure essential amino acid requirements are being met.

There is also a wide range of protein powders that are so much better than the typical gym-junky’ ones of yesterday-year. They don’t have all the additives and sweeteners that have previously been used, which makes them better for you.”

For vegans, high protein diets can be challenging. So, what can a vegan do, to ensure they have a healthy protein balance?

Madeline says: “As Vegans don’t eat anything that comes from an animal, they are at risk of missing out on a range of essential nutrients. If you are determined to be a vegan, then not only do you need to have incredible will-power, but you also need to ensure that you are supplementing to get the required amounts of B12, Vitamin D, Omega 3 fatty acids, Iron (heme iron is only found in animal products, and it is the heme iron that is much more readily absorbed), calcium, zinc and iodine.

In an ideal world there would be no need for supplementation. However, we know that this doesn’t exist, particularly when it comes to ensuring adequate protein is being consumed. If you are low in protein, whether it is because you follow a vegan/vegetarian diet, or you simply are just trying to reduce the amount of animal protein you consume, a good, quality protein supplement is essential to ensure that you are meeting your body’s daily protein and amino acid requirements. They key takeaway here is quality”.

Let’s start with protein. Protein is an important part of a healthy diet. Proteins are made up of chemical ‘building blocks’ called amino acids. Your body uses amino acids to build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes. They can also be used as an energy source.

Though meat is the highest form of protein you can eat, there are also loads of plant-based foods which contain a high amount of protein, like mushrooms, lentils, kidney beans, and even pears.

However, protein powders as a supplement in your diet can also be beneficial to help you stay fuller for longer, helping you to cut sugary foods and are ideal for people out on the road all day, without easy access to fresh foods. 

As I don’t eat red meat, and only eat chicken and fish around 3 to 4 times a week on a 7-day weekly cycle, I need a lot more protein in my diet to keep up my energy levels and sustain muscle and bone health. 

Plant-based protein powders have been part of my every-day diet for a while now. They are easy to make when I am out and about all day, tasty as a meal replacement throughout the day when I am at home and it’s an easy way for me to keep on top of my protein levels.

Now when I say meal replacement, let me clear. Protein shakes or drinks should not replace a proper meal. However, my routine is a little different to most and I generally don’t eat breakfast until around 10am, sometimes 11am in the day. Which is most of the time 2 eggs on toast. This means I generally don’t want to eat a large lunch around midday or 1pm, as I am still full after breakfast, but I know I need to have something to sustain my energy levels. 

This is where I make myself a yummy protein shake, which will sustain me until the late afternoon, and I can then have a healthy snack, followed by an early dinner round 6pm. 

Now when I say meal replacement, let me clear. Protein shakes or drinks should not replace a proper meal. However, my routine is a little different to most and I generally don’t eat breakfast until around 10am, sometimes 11am in the day. Which is most of the time 2 eggs on toast. This means I generally don’t want to eat a large lunch around midday or 1pm, as I am still full after breakfast, but I know I need to have something to sustain my energy levels. 

This is where I make myself a yummy protein shake, which will sustain me until the late afternoon, and I can then have a healthy snack, followed by an early dinner round 6pm. 

Mixing one scoop of the protein powder, with a scoop of sugar free dark roasted peanut butter, half a banana and almond milk, I blended until nice and smooth and drunk right away. This was a great filler on the days where I either ate breakfast late and I didn’t have a huge appetite at lunch. And for the days where I knew I was going to miss out on lunch after early morning meetings. I would mix and drink whilst driving around, until I was able to stop for lunch.

It tastes great on its own too, as often when I was on the road, and I could only mix it with water and nothing else. My energy levels felt sustained throughout the day, and I was able to get through at least 2 hours between meals, without craving any nasty sugary treats between meals.

Let’s talk about Collagen.

The decrease in collagen production starts around age 25, but for most people, the first signs of wrinkles start to appear past your 30s. With age, cell renewal also decreases, which means that the skin does not have the same glow and plumpness from moisture the older you get.

Collagen is a protein responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity, or stretchiness. It’s in your bones, muscles, and blood, comprising three quarters of your skin and a third of the protein in your body. As you age, your existing collagen breaks down, and it gets harder for your body to produce more.

For a natural collagen boost you can add recipes like bone broth to your diet. However, they do take some time to make, and the already prepared ones you can order online are quite expensive. That’s where marine collagen comes in.

Marine collagen is a pure form of hypoallergenic protein produced from the skins of fish. Fish skins remaining from food production are thoroughly washed, then hydrolyzed by an acid and a food grade enzyme to yield marine collagen peptides, which have a low molecular weight for easy digestion and absorption

And before you ask, yes there are collagen products you can obtain which are completely free of any animal-derived ingredients.

“Vegan collagen is absolutely a thing. Sort of. Rather than being a collagen supplement like marine collagen is, vegan collagens are collagen boosters – supplements that contain the much-needed vitamins and minerals (vitamin C, Zinc etc).

There has been a bit of a breakthrough though on the vegan collagen market in the development of genetically modified yeast and bacteria with the addition of pepsin (a digestive enzyme that helps the body to breakdown protein). it’s not quite so readily available though as the collagen boosters and are 100% GMO,” Madeline explains.

I trialled the Maeraki Radiance Marine Collagen RRP $69.95 for 3 months, followed by the CanGro Beauty Bod Hydrolised Beauty Collagen RRP $119 for  a further 3 months – both daily.

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It does take a while for collagen to start circulating throughout the body, so after a few weeks I finally started to see some differences with my skin health mostly. Skin was healthy all over, especially in my face, glowing and blemishes healed a lot faster. I also noticed a rapid decrease in wrinkles, as my skin began to plump more and look more vibrant after a month of having this powder.

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What about Probiotics?

Madeline says: “Ultimately everyone can benefit from taking a probiotic supplement at some point in their lives. 

It will really come down to a matter of which probiotic is best for me. Some are made of only 1 or 2 strains and species; others are what we call a broad-spectrum probiotic and have multiple different species and strains – they all offer different benefits. 

We are discovering more and more about how much impact our gut and its microbiome can have our health and our lives, so it’s not such a stretch to say we can all benefit. Instead of saying ‘should I’, it should really be a matter of ‘which one?’, especially considering the modern lifestyle and diet.

Not all probiotics are created equal, and sometimes it’s not simply a matter of how many CFU (colony forming units) but how many types are available”.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body. Although people often think of bacteria and other microorganisms as harmful “germs,” many are actually helpful. Some bacteria help digest food, destroy disease-causing cells, or produce vitamins. Many of the microorganisms in probiotic products are the same as or similar to microorganisms that naturally live in our bodies.

This good bacteria helps you in many ways, including fighting off bad bacteria when you have too much of it, helping you feel better. Probiotics are part of a larger picture concerning bacteria and your body

For optimum gut health, I have been living off probiotics for many years. They help during the menstrual cycle, to properly digest food and idea for travel (if us Aussies ever get to travel again) to protect your gut from any harmful bacteria in the foods we eat overseas (and even at home too).