We pride ourselves on having both a “food first” philosophy and a clinical result focus in our practice. This means we foundationally believe food is medicine, and we advise looking toward foods first to supply the nutrients needed. It also means that we use therapeutic, targeted supplements as tools to improve balance, offer specific organ support and achieve positive change in overall health.
We’ve seen a lot more “trending” vitamin recommendations lately, which are usually single nutrient supplements. We want to remind you that supplements should always be holistically designed and personalized to your health goals, and you can meet most of your single-nutrient needs from food.
Below, we want to help you avoid the alphabet soup of single-nutrient supplements by offering you specific foods to eat instead.
8 Common Supplements and Food Replacement Options
1. Probiotics
You might have heard that probiotics are the key to resolving bloating and constipation. We agree that they are beneficial in supporting your digestive and immune health and are important for recovering from antibiotic use. A forkful with each meal of any of the following foods is a great place to start:
- Beet kvaas
- Kim-chi
- Kombucha
- Raw kefir
- Raw milk yogurt
- Sauerkraut
- Pickles
- Tempeh
- Miso
If probiotic food doesn’t solve your GI complaints, you might need more support with upper digestion. Try apple cider vinegar before meals.
2. Vitamin B
Many turn to B vitamins for mental clarity, energy, and hair, skin and nail growth. B vitamins do support neurological health (including preventing cognitive decline) and overall energy production, while also serving other functions like DNA expression, fetal development, metabolism regulation and antioxidant production.
Please note that B Vitamins are degraded when cooked, so eating raw liver will be more beneficial than cooked liver.
Here are a few good nutrient sources:
- Organ Meat
- Wild caught seafood
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Properly prepared grains, nuts and legumes
If a B complex hasn’t helped your energy, mental clarity or hair, skin and nails, consider supporting your adrenals. This information may also be helpful.
3. Vitamin C
While most people turn to Vitamin C for immune support with the onset of a cold or the flu, it’s also a powerful antioxidant, supports brain and skin health, mood and libido booster, improves skin, and is beneficial for adrenal function. Some great food sources include:
- Acerola cherries
- Bell peppers
- Organ meats
- Oranges
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Strawberry
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
4. Vitamin D
Everyone’s talking about Vitamin D, and for good reason. Not only does Vitamin D minimize inflammation, infections and your overall cancer risk, but it also improves your nervous system function, skin, bone and muscle health, reproductive function, and allows for more “happy hormone” creation. Here’s an article to learn more.
Ideally, sun exposure is the optimal source of Vitamin D; however, these food sources are a great option too, especially during the winter months:
- Wild caught fish and shellfish
- Fish liver oils, especially cod liver oil
- Fish eggs
- Organ meat
- Raw milk
- Lard
5. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Fish oils are commonly recommended for keeping the brain calm and focused and the body less inflamed. Omega 3 Fatty Acids (which come from fish oil) are also helpful for reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, various types of cancers, osteoporosis and arthritic pain. They can also help those with anxiety, depression, and autoimmune diseases.
Please note that it’s important to have a healthy balance between your intake of Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s. To learn more about this ratio, check out this article.
Here are some great sources of Omega 3’s:
- Wild caught fatty fish (i.e. salmon, tuna)
- Cod liver oil
- Flaxseed
- Egg yolks
- Organ meats
- Walnuts
6. Magnesium
Magnesium is having a moment! It’s true that most people don’t get enough magnesium, especially considering it’s depleted in times of stress or high carbohydrate intake. And it’s worth including in your diet because it’s involved in cardiovascular health, bone health, metabolic health, women’s health, cognitive health, behavioral health, digestive health, and more! We agree that it’s one of the more important compounds to your overall health.
Here are a few good food sources:
- Properly prepared nuts and seeds
- Leafy green vegetables
- Sea vegetables
- Kelp
- Black beans
- Avocado
- Figs
- Bananas
- Dark chocolate
- Unrefined sea salt
- Bone broth
- Bonus…Epsom salt baths are also a great detox therapy to support your magnesium levels.
7. Collagen
You may be considering collagen powder or supplements to help your skin, hair, nails, and joints. It can help those goals, but we use it more often for GI health. Collagen also needs to be with all the other naturally occurring nutrients and cofactors to be most effective. Most people know that gelatinous bone broth is a great source of collagen, but these other food sources are great options too:
- Egg whites
- Wild caught white fish (i.e. cod)
- Pigs feet
- Chicken neck and feet
8. Zinc
Many began taking Zinc during Covid and haven’t stopped. Zinc is important for the immune system and is also helpful for digestive health, wound healing, eye health, hormone balance, overall mental clarity, and is even a requirement for taste and smell. However, zinc needs to be in balance with other minerals, so supplementing high doses or long term isn’t recommended. Luckily nature provides that balance for us, so most food sources of zinc include additional minerals.
Some good sources include:
- Oysters
- Red meat
- Wild caught fish
- Organ meats
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Properly prepared pumpkin and sesame seeds
- Ginger
Please note that it’s important to have good digestion function because zinc is hard to digest.
Additional Support…
If the single nutrients above have not helped you reach your health goals, consult with your practitioner about a more holistic approach. If you’re a new client, click this link to schedule a free 15 minute consultation.
This information is not to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice and treatment from your personal physician. Consult your own doctors or other qualified health professional regarding the treatment of your medical problems. Those taking prescription medications should consult with their physicians and not take themselves off of medicines to start supplementation without the proper supervision of a physician familiar with nutritional supplementation.
Please Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, there is no additional charge to you. Biodynamic Wellness does receive a small commission from the company. This helps us to cover the basic costs for this website. It also allows us to continue providing you with free content. Thanks so much for your support!
