Eat. Live. Be. #14: What Supplements Do You Take?

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

I braced myself.

“All those pills you take… is everything ok?”

“In that little green container?”

“Yes, the one with the days of the week on it.”

“Oh yes, everything is fine.  Those are just all the supplements and vitamins I take.”

“Ahh, gotcha.”

And then I rattled off what the container held so there wouldn’t be cause for worry.  My friend had every right to be concerned though.  I’ll be the first to admit it, I take a lot of stuff.  It was such an inordinate waste of time opening up all the bottles every day, when a co-worker suggested getting a pill dispenser to ration out my daily pills, it was one of those “duh, why didn’t I think of that?” moments.  But it definitely makes it look like something is seriously wrong with me if you don’t know better.

I have always taken a multi-vitamin and extra Vitamin C.  That’s a given.  Over the past year and a half, I have seriously upped the regime to include fish oil supplements, calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, flax seed and green tea supplements.  I even had to upgrade to the XL pill dispenser after just a few weeks.  But the thing is, I’ve only been sick once (last week, as a matter of fact) in the past 18 months, so I have to believe that what I’m doing works.

Fish Oil – lowers your triglycerides, lowers blood pressure, prevents and treats arthritis and promotes healthy joints.
Calcium – helps keep bones healthy, and per Dr. Oz, most people don’t get enough calcium from their food sources.
Vitamin B-12 – helps develop your red blood cells and is used to make the protective coating around your nerves; it plays a key role in brain and nervous system development and the metabolism of cells.
Flaxseed Oil – studies show it can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Vitamin D – essential for the growth and development of bones and teeth, and protects against multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions. A higher intake of vitamin D has been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in women.
Vitamin C – stimulates the immune system, helps prevent and treat infections and diseases, aids in the production of white cells, helps form and maintain collagen (the basis of your connective tissue) and even assists in lowering your cholesterol.
Green Tea – promotes increased metabolism and aids in weight loss.

I keep the Vitamin C tablets separate (since they’re soft, they don’t do well mixed with the others when I ration out the week ahead), so I take those at work, along with two of the three green tea supplements.

With the way I and the kids eat, I know we’re getting a ton of vitamins from all the fruits and vegetables we eat, but I don’t think it’s enough, and studies have shown that even if you’re hitting all your marks with the proper amount of recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, it’s still not enough.  This regime just bumps it up a notch, and  as a single mom, I just can’t afford to get sick.  Who will take care of me and the kids?  :)

I’m not quite sure why it’s necessary to write the days of the week beneath the letter of each day. My first thought, because it’s raised, was that it would help those that are blind, but my smaller dispenser doesn’t have the days written out on it.

I’ve priced out most of the supplements, checking online and stores when they have their sales combined with coupons, and Costco seems to have the best deal for the ones I’ve researched.  No surprise there.  If you stock up there, just be sure to check the expiration date against how many pills you’ll have to consume before they expire.  I haven’t had any issues, but just something to be aware of.

I’m one week behind on my ELB posts since I wasn’t posting last week, so I will do this week’s topic (what’s on our playlists) later this week.  To find out what’s on the iPods of my fellow ELBers (and what supplements they do or do not take, from last week’s topic), please visit them at the below links:

• Sarah Caron from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
• Joanne from Eats Well with Others
• Chris Arpante – Melecotte
• Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
• Claire – Cooking is Medicine
• Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
• Rivki from Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
• Claudia from Journey of an Italian Cook
• New Jersey Epicurean

Project 365
April 18, 2011, Photo #107 (and a bonus)
Rough day at school, she didn’t even make the ride home. Re-entry on Mondays is hard for all of us.

I haven’t had a frappuccino in months. Gave them up. This one was Caramel Light, with non-fat milk and sugar-free caramel syrup. My favorite still remains the Honey Frappuccino (which were around for a limited Spring fling a few years back), followed by Mocha Frappuccinos.  Might have a trip to Seattle in the coming months … do you live there or have you visited?  What are YOUR can’t miss sights that should make every tourist’s list?