Pages

Friday, February 24, 2017

Supplements & Skin

What vitamins are good for skin?

Many people ask me about vitamins and other supplements. What should they take and which ones are good for skin? Although there may be certain vitamins and minerals that are specifically good for the skin, eating a well-balanced diet is the best way to get them.

My feeling is that all vitamins and minerals are important and that no one or two should be taken in lieu of the others. The best way to get your vitamins is through the food you eat. Barring being able to do this, taking a wide range of supplements is probably a wiser idea than just focusing on one or two. You can really throw off the balance of nutrients in your body by taking large amounts of one vitamin or mineral.

It is a complicated process how everything is digested and assimilated in your body, so use caution when seeking out vitamins to help your skin specifically. Do your research on supplements that will build a strong and healthy body as a whole; unquestionably this will also help your skin.

I have had several clients, myself included, who found that taking certain supplements including herbs, actually caused problem with their skin. Monitor what supplements you are taking and any changes, for better or worse, that are occurring in your body in general, your skin specifically, or even your energy level. Before deciding to take any supplements listed here or wherever you may find them, check with your health care provider to see if there are any contraindications that you may not be aware of.

Drink your salad. Because eating all the right foods and getting all the vitamins in the course of a day can be (or at least can seem) impossible, I do rely on several things that give my body the nutrients I should be getting from my food. I consider these supplements in my diet to be “foods.”

Something I love to take in lieu of pill supplements is Green Foods’ Veggie Magma. They call it, “Your salad in a glass.” It contains broccoli sprout powder and 16 other vegetables and herbs that make an excellent addition to my daily intake of food—especially if that intake isn’t so nutritious. Basically it provides a wealth of vitamins and minerals in a powder. I take the recommended dosage, two teaspoons dissolved in a glass of clean, preferably filtered water. I fill the glass halfway, stir in the powder, then try to get all the lumps out. Next I add the rest of the water and drink it down. It tastes really good, and I know it is good for me. Yes, it would be preferable to be getting all that nutrition and bulk fiber from eating vegetables, but this product is a great substitute.

Another way to drink your salad is to juice. I am an avid proponent of juicing as a way to ensure I am getting a good supply of fruits and vegetables, thus their nutrients, into my body on a daily basis. See a link to one of the articles on this blog about juicing for better health below.

Spirulina is a great energy booster for me. So much so that I won’t take it after 5 o’clock in the evening. Otherwise (I found this out accidentally) it tends to keep me up at night. If you know you’re not getting enough protein and other vitamins in your diet, I highly recommend spirulina. And if you’re looking for something to give you extra energy without the side effects of caffeinated drinks or supplements containing stimulants, try spirulina. For more detailed information about this nutritious supplement, see the article listed below.


Doing all the right things all of the time. I don’t want to portray myself as a yoga-practicing, acupuncture-receiving, perfect-diet-eating, do-everything-right-all-the-time person. I am far from that! All of those things and more are the things I aspire to do. Life, as we all know, has other plans for us from time to time.

Take my diet as an example. I know a lot about nutrition and what to eat and what to avoid for my particular body. There are times, however, that I let go of that knowing and literally let myself go. It may be a shock for some of you who have decided that I am a certain kind of person, but I do eat sugar and “bad” foods on occasion. And sometimes I do so in excess, especially when I am under stress or have a large project that takes a lot of my time to complete.

I am sharing this with you so you will afford yourself the same leniency of being human as you no doubt extend to others. I think we are hardest on ourselves and give a lot more leeway to our fellow humans when they falter. Be kind to yourself and do try to do the right things most of the time. When life takes over and you can’t do it all, be sure to have supplements that will give you the vitamins and minerals that your body needs even though you may not be able to eat your way to this level of nutrition.

For more information, see: