Even with the very best diets and highest food quality, it’s always a good idea to consider supplementation.
Many will say that if you follow a healthy, balanced, keto diet, you will not need any supplements.
You can easily get all the nutrition you need just from eating the right foods.
Unfortunately, even the quality of real food is declining.
The nutrients once found in our soil is being depleted and because of that even eating all the right foods you might want to supplement your diet.
What is Soil Depletion & Why are Supplements Important?
That is the best case scenario.
Now, what about the average person who doesn’t eat a wide range of vegetables, supplements can help keep your micronutrients topped up as you learn to cook more and develop a more varied palette.
Remember that supplements are not meant as a replacement.
You can’t live off just supplements and they don’t negate a bad diet.
You may need more supplementation in the beginning when transitioning from high carb processed foods to a keto diet of high fat and nutrient-rich low carb foods.
If you are eating a low carb, high fat diet to lose weight, you will almost certainly need a few supplements.
This is because you are eating less calories than the body actually needs which means you are probably also getting less nutrients than the body needs.
Your body is supplementing energy intake by burning off your own body fat for energy.
Your body fat is great for providing energy but as to how much nutrients are stored there is up for debate and probably depends on the diet you were eating when your body stored that fat.
Also, if you are a person with a small appetite you too might need more supplementation long term.
If it’s hard to eat enough food in general, you won’t be getting enough of the right foods.
It’s a good idea to keep track of the types of food you are eating and serving amounts to see where you might be coming up short so you know where you need more supplementation.
With all that said, it’s pretty safe to say that most of us need a few supplements.
That said, I always recommend you get a full panel of blood work done, checking your vitamin levels before starting supplementation. Many vitamins are said to be water soluble, meaning if you take to much you will just pee the excess out.
Get you Nutrient Panel Blood Test done through Life Extension.
Perhaps that is true if everything in the body is working 100% and you are optimally hydrated, however, there are many Facebook groups and forums of people telling their stories of the effects of vitamin toxicity.
I in fact have my own story of vitamin toxicity from taking a B Complex for too long.
Remember that we are supplementing, so it’s always a good idea to have the most information as to what supplementation is needed and what is not.
Here are the best and often most needed supplements for keto diet.
Vitamins & Minerals:
Tailored Multivitamins
When choosing a multivitamin, you again want to keep in mind what you need and what you may not need.
Everyone’s needs are completely different, which is why I recommend having at least some blood work done first.
Get you Nutrient Panel Blood Test done through Life Extension.
In many cases a multivitamin might be all you need when it comes to vitamins.
And probably should be what you stick with, not taking any other single vitamins unless your blood work indicated you should.
Example: I would suggest you look for a multivitamin with no iron, unless you have recently checked your iron levels.
B6, although considered safe and water soluble by many doctors, I would recommend going with the lowest about of B6 in a multi.
I would in fact recommend a multi with no B6 but I haven’t found one yet.
There are too many people who have experienced B6 toxicity.
Vitamin B Supplements
Although many people get enough B vitamins on a high fat diet, keep an eye out for lethargy.
If even after you have recovered from the carb slump you are feeling tired all the time and weak, take some B vitamins.
Taking a B complex can make you feel awesome.
Sometimes it is because you are deficient and the body was lacking those vitamins to function, and sometimes it’s just because B vitamins can make you feel awesome.
The Effects of Multivitamin Supplementation on Diurnal Cortisol Secretion and Perceived Stress
It’s like coffee, your body doesn’t need coffee, but it coffee, makes you feel like you have extra energy.
B vitamins help your body deal with stress, they support healthy adrenal functioning and production and combat elevated cortisol levels.
When you lower stress hormones you are going to feel better but that in fact doesn’t mean you are deficient in B vitamins.
Too much of a good thing is not good.
Again, many doctors say B vitamins are water soluble, but enough people have experienced B6 toxicity, that I would be very cautious.
Facebook Groups:
Exploring B6 Toxicity
Healing B6 Toxicity w/Western Research
Vitamin D3 Supplements
We actually make this vitamin ourselves from sunlight. Anyone who doesn’t get out in the sun much needs this. Doesn’t matter what diet you follow, unless your bare skin is outdoors under the sun for an hour or more a day, you need this.
A word of caution about taking Vitamin D3: Magnesium is needed to breakdown vitamin d into something the body can use.
There for if you have a magnesium defiecey, taking Vitamin D3 may make you feel worse.
…it is important to have adequate magnesium intake and most Americans do not. A number of people have written about muscle cramps after they start sunbathing or taking Vitamin D. This is likely caused from the neuromuscular hyperexcitability of magnesium deficiency that is somehow unmasked by higher Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D Council
Iron
Iron is one of those vitamins I highly recommend you get blood levels tested for before supplementing.
You don’t want to take more iron if you don’t need it.
But if you are on the lower end iron levels, it could make a world of difference in your health and energy levels.
Get your blood Iron Panel checked first.
Magnesium
I can’t emphasize how huge the need for magnesium is and how most people are in need of more.
Stress depletes magnesium, so it’s easy to see why we may need more magnesium intake now then ever.
Our busy schedules, the pollutants and chemicals we are surrounded by every day, poor sleep quality and quantity, the stress on the body of weight loss and so much more.
You can try magnesium supplements but if you have any gut healthy issues magnesium is often not well absorbed.
However you can easily absorb magnesium through your skin.
Many people are skeptical as to whether you can really absorb things through the skin.
Below is a link to the US National Library of Medicine reviewing a number of studies that conclude, you can indeed significantly increase your magnesium levels through the skin.
Myth or Reality—Transdermal Magnesium?
Unfortunately when you go to the doctor to get your magnesium levels checked, they normally check your blood level magnesium, which is where only about 1% of your magnesium is stored.
What you actually need to check is the magnesium stored in your red blood cells, that is where you would see depletion way before you would ever see a depletion in your circulating blood levels.
Thankfully you have the option to get the Magnesium RBC Blood Test, instead of the Magnesium serum Blood Test
.
The proteins:
Eating low carb, high fat, should make it pretty easy to get more than enough protein.
It however you find you could use some support in this area, even if it’s just to add in a little more variety, you do have low carb protein supplementation options.
Pea Protein
Don’t let the name fool you.
Pea protein can come in a concentrated form which is very low in carbs and high in protein.
Many plant-based proteins get neglected because they have carby-sounding names, when in reality they are as protein packed as any other.
Egg Protein
A great alternative for people who digest plant proteins poorly.
I would still strongly advise eating the actual eggs or egg whites instead, but if you can’t this can be a great solution.
Rice Protein
Same as for pea protein.
Beware conventional protein mixes, especially whey, as they are allergenic and often loaded with added sugars.
And beware protein bars and pre-mixed protein shakes too, as they are very carb heavy.
The fats:
Coconut Oil
If you are struggling to eat enough calories from fat, coconut oil is your friend.
You can eat it at any temperature and even deep fry in it.
As it’s saturated it holds its structure even after heavy cooking. A coconut curry with plenty of coconut oil will boost your fats.
Olive Oil
For cold dishes, add a little olive oil.
This oil is great for your heart and skin and basically most of your body.
Drizzle over salads, baked foods, and fried eggs. Just don’t cook it at a high temperature because it oxidizes.
Omega Oils
If you aren’t keen on fish, nuts, or seeds, provided you aren’t allergic you can always get the best out of them in a concentrated form.
Omega oil supplements have all the benefits of eating fish, or walnuts, minus the worst part of the taste.
I would caution against flax oil.
I know, I know, flax oil and flaxseed are health foods. Everyone knows that.
Right? Well, I thought so too, until I read studies that show flaxseed oil profoundly affecting testosterone.
A significant decrease in androgen levels was observed, with a 70% decrease in total serum testosterone, an 89% decrease in free serum testosterone, and a 65% decrease in the % free testosterone observed.
The Effect of Flaxseed Supplementation on Hormonal Levels
Unfortunately, we are surrounded by so many things that lower our testosterone, making us estrogen dominant. Estrogen dominance has been linked to cancer.
I know, it can all be very confusing. This is why I always recommend getting blood work if you can.
Get you Nutrient Panel Blood Test done through Life Extension.
I have gone through so many weird symptoms that I tried to fixed based on postulating I had vitamin deficiencies.
Some I was right on, but in some cases I was wrong and I did more damage that could have been prevented.
I ended up not only having to recover from my deficiencies, but I then had to recover from toxicity.
Don’t make my mistake trying to feel better.
Supplements can help a great deal, but only when you need to supplement.