A Dietitian’s Guide to Supplements

Do you have a daily supplement regime? As a registered dietitian, this is a topic I get asked a lot about. Are supplements worth the cost? Which supplements should you take? When is the best time to take a multivitamin?  If you’re a bit confused, you are definitely not alone.  So I’m breaking it all down including some of the more complicated questions like vegan omega 3 supplements, do collagen supplements actually work, and my thoughts on probiotic dietary supplement.

I’m all about a foods first approach but at the end of the day we aren’t perfect, and there are certain nutrients that are difficult to get adequately from diet alone.

Please keep in mind that these recommendations are for generally healthy populations, it is always recommended to check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new medication!

These are the ones that I take daily and I’ve also included the quick and dirty about collagen for those of you asking about it. I hope this helps to simplify it a bit!

Are there any others that you take?

Watch The Video Here or Keep Reading!

Multivitamin & Prenatal Multivitamin Supplements

Multivitamin Benefits: low dose of a variety of vitamins and minerals. Think of this as an insurance to cover your bases as it can be difficult to meet our nutritional needs every day

Where do we get it from in our diet: As the name states, a multivitamin covers nutrients found in many different foods in a balanced diet

Special considerations:

Pregnancy:

• If you are thinking about getting pregnant or of child bearing age, a prenatal multivitamin is recommended (it is ideal to be taking at least 2-3 months before conceiving)
• Prenatals contain higher level of folic acid (needs increase from 400mcg/d to 600mcg/d). Folic acid is important to help prevent neural tube defects and other birth defects like cleft lip or pallet.

Dose: Dose will differ from brand to brand and should be noted on the bottle.

Vitamin D Supplement

Vitamin D Benefits:

• Enhances immune function
• Helps to decrease inflammation in the gut
• Supports brain health, may support mental and emotional health

Where do we get it from in our diet: Dairy or fortified dairy substitutes, salmon, egg yolks. IT can be challenging to get adequate vitamin D from diet alone

Dose:

• Upper limit 4000 iu/d (not recommended to exceed unless being monitored)
• What I recommend: 1000 iu/d in the summer and 2000 iu/d in the winter (can also get via UV radiation but not enough in winter) .

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplement

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory
• Supports brain and heart health
• Note: If getting 2-3 servings of fatty fish per week may not need a supplement or to supplement daily. Otherwise can be hard to get enough from fish alone

Where do we get it from in our diet:

• Fatty or cold water fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines
• Nuts and seeds like  flax, walnuts, hemp, chia

Special considerations:

• Pregnancy: recommended 200mg DHA/d to aid with neuro development of baby

Omega-3 Dosage:

• What I recommend 600-900mg of combined EPA+ DHA
• Sources: Fish (I like wild salmon)  vs. algal (vegan omega 3 supplements)

Probiotic Dietary Supplement

Probiotic Supplement Benefit:

• Anti-inflmmatory
• Support optimal gut health
• Ongoing research exploring additional benefits like brain health

Where do we get it from in our diet:

• Fermented foods like : miso, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut
• Food sources are a great support for daily maintenance, however a supplement is likely needed for therapeutic doses/purposes

Special considerations:

• Colonies must be living for the supplement to be effective. For probiotic supplement reviews, check out probioticchart.ca for up to date studies and research

Probiotic Dosage:

• Minimum of 10 billion cfus (colony forming units)
• Recommend taking for a minimum of 12 weeks to establish efficacy (however effects may be noticed immediately)

Do Collagen Supplements Work?

Collagen Supplement Benefits:

• Skin health
• Joint Health
• Gut health – need more research

Where do we get it from in our diet:

• Bone Broth or other collagen derived products
• Collagen supporting nutrients: Vitamin C, Zinc, Copper, Omega-3s, Carotenoids

Special considerations:

• Pregnancy: check whether the specific brand you are looking at has been researched as safe and be sure to check with your healthcare provider.

Collagen Dosage:

• Source: Fish and Bovine
• No hard and fast rule but hydrolysed collagen seems to be the most efficient form for absorption and skin health benefits
• A minimum dose of 10 g seems to be recommended for efficacy
• Higher doses appear to be safe
• Bottom line- ongoing research needed

In terms of the best time to take a multivitamin or any other vitamin or supplement for that matter – whenever you’re going to remember!

Other than this really don’t want to be taking supplements unless indicated. I know it can be tempting to pop some iron if you’re feeling tired but even though these are over the counter products they can still interact and even interfere with our bodies’ processes

(For example, calcium blocks absorption of iron, Vitamin K can thin blood – so especially if you’re on other meds or have certain medical conditions it is definitely a good idea to check with a trusted health care provider!

I hope this helps!

If you’re looking for guidance on where to start with healing your relationship to food, fostering trust within yourself and your body, and building confidence in your everyday eating, we’d love to support you! Book in for an initial assessment or schedule a free discovery call to get started or join the waitlist for our next Make Food Feel Good sessions.