# Vitamins, supplements, herbs... what do you take?



## Shawn-San (Mar 31, 2010)

The title pretty much sums it up. Just trying to get an idea of what some of you may take as dietary or workout suppliments.


----------



## Flea (Mar 31, 2010)

This subject comes up every so often, but it's a good one, and bears repeating.


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Mar 31, 2010)

After giving it a lot of thought and some research, I've changed my mind with respect to vitamins and supplements, I take nothing at all.  I take Metformin for my diabetes, and that's it.  I am beginning to suspect that the vitamin and supplement business is nothing more than a racket, pushing overpriced boxes of stuff that does more or less nothing.

I thought about chondroitin/glucosamine for my bum knee, but at the prices they charge, after six months of the stuff, I could pay for the surgery I actually need.  Forget that.


----------



## Shawn-San (Mar 31, 2010)

Flea said:


> This subject comes up every so often, but it's a good one, and bears repeating.


 
Thanks for the link.


----------



## Omar B (Mar 31, 2010)

I take you basic _Centrum Performance_ multivitamin.


----------



## Shawn-San (Mar 31, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I am beginning to suspect that the vitamin and supplement business is nothing more than a racket, pushing overpriced boxes of stuff that does more or less nothing.


I agree, most of the stuff out there is a complete waste of money and does more harm than it will good.
Personally, I take a multivitamin, and omega 3 fish oils. After working out or participating in class I'll drink a protein shake followed by some glutamine and sometimes some added amino acids. I've noticed a huge change in my muscle recovery times by just adding a little glutamine.


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Apr 1, 2010)

Shawn-San said:


> I agree, most of the stuff out there is a complete waste of money and does more harm than it will good.
> Personally, I take a multivitamin, and omega 3 fish oils. After working out or participating in class I'll drink a protein shake followed by some glutamine and sometimes some added amino acids. I've noticed a huge change in my muscle recovery times by just adding a little glutamine.



That's a fair amount of money right there. I just don't have it to spend.


----------



## Bruno@MT (Apr 1, 2010)

I used to take vitamins most of my life.
These days I've pretty much stopped doing so.

I take 2 things I'd count as supplement:
- eggs, several times per week. the yolks are just loaded with all kinds of good stuff that are hard to come by in other foods.
- multi-fruit juice. I buy the kind without added sugar, colorant, or other things. Lots of natural vitamins, and it tastes good. This makes up for the fact that I don't eat fruit at all.


----------



## David43515 (Apr 1, 2010)

I get Tumeric from the spice wrack and mix a 1/2 tsp with a glass of water once in a while. Tastes bitter as heck, but it`s a mild anti-inflamitory. That`s about it.


----------



## Hudson69 (Apr 1, 2010)

I occaisionally take a multi-vitamin, if I am getting sick I will drink Emergen-C and right before a military PFT (fitness test) I will take a load of Gakkic (I think that is how it is spelled) but this last one might just be psychosemantic for me to do better but it is supposed to let me have more energy for a harder/heavier workout.


----------



## zDom (Apr 1, 2010)

My father, a physician, says if you eat right, you should be getting all the vitamins you need.

I don't (although, thanks to a great GF, I'm eating better than ever ...) so I take a multivitamin daily.


----------



## JWLuiza (Apr 1, 2010)

Chondroitin and Glucosamine have some mild support in the literature for effectiveness.

Emergen-C, Airborne, etc has been shown to not work in RCTs.

You have to be eating pretty crappy to be missing stuff.

I don't take anything. I just try to eat a variety of foods.


----------



## angrywhitepajamas (Aug 4, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> After giving it a lot of thought and some research, I've changed my mind with respect to vitamins and supplements, I take nothing at all.  I take Metformin for my diabetes, and that's it.  I am beginning to suspect that the vitamin and supplement business is nothing more than a racket, pushing overpriced boxes of stuff that does more or less nothing.
> 
> I thought about chondroitin/glucosamine for my bum knee, but at the prices they charge, after six months of the stuff, I could pay for the surgery I actually need.  Forget that.



You may have to suppliment any way depending on how high your blood sugar gets you may have to start supplementing different vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals to compensate for decreased leveles of water soluble vitamins due to increased urine out put, acidification due to chronic hyperglycemia, as well as sbsequent and progressive demineralization of the bones from chronic hyperglycemia and/or ketoacidosis.  but check with your doctor/diabetes specialist and a nutritionist first to see what may be necessary.


----------



## kravi (Sep 4, 2010)

I do all the cooking at home, and am careful to make sure that we eat right. That should cover all needs, with lots of dark greens, etc.

But just in case, I also drink at least two cups of matcha a day (during the work days, not so much on weekends), take a multi-vitamin, good fish oil supplement (not quite enough good fish in our diet) and weigh protein.

I take the weigh protein after working out, and in the evenings before bed. That is it.

--kravi


----------



## Marginal (Sep 5, 2010)

Right now I'm using One A Day sports vitamins. 

The main reason I still bother is that the sport blends actually do seem to help my recovery times. (I'm not sore the next day when I take 'em.) That aside, I don't see anything wrong with hitting any nutritional gaps I may inadvertently have. The other stuff will just pass on through. 

I'll also use protein powder for my workouts. Overall cheaper than buying a bunch of steaks, and less painful than trying to down a gallon of milk a day or something.


----------



## yak sao (Sep 5, 2010)

I have had success with glucosamine chondroitin in the past for joint pain, but I've kind of fallen out of the habit.

I've had good results from bromelain as an anti inflamitory when I had tennis elbow.
When I start to feel under the weather I'll pop a little echinacea and vitamin C.

But for the most part I just try to eat right.


----------



## xJOHNx (Sep 5, 2010)

Vegan Diet
Loads of water
Tea: echinacae, nettle root, ginseng, ginger and so on..

Loads of wild berries from the forest around here.
An occasional multivitamin.


----------



## Bruno@MT (Sep 5, 2010)

xJOHNx said:


> Vegan Diet



I disagree with you.
Have you ever read Taubes' 'Good Calories, Bad calories'?
We've lived for hundreds of thousands of years on animal products. It's what our bodies were made for. It's only since a couple of thousands of years that we started eating differently. Evolutionary speaking, not nearly long enough to have made our bodies adapt.

I am in the opposite camp. Meat, fish, cheese, nuts, whole butter, lots of eggs, ... specifically egg yolks are very rich in minerals and vitamins. I also eat vegetables of course, and I eat low amounts of carbohydrates. I am lean and sinewy. My fat percentage is 11 or something like that, I am in good health, have good cardio and my bloodwork is ok.

What is supposedly better about vegan lifestyle?


----------



## Mark Jordan (Sep 5, 2010)

I've tried all.  Now, I'm alternating multi-vitamins with an herb supplement. 
Supplements and vitamins can help fill in the nutrient gaps but it's not a substitute for a well-balanced diet and exercise.


----------



## xJOHNx (Sep 6, 2010)

Bruno@MT said:


> I disagree with you.
> Have you ever read Taubes' 'Good Calories, Bad calories'?
> We've lived for hundreds of thousands of years on animal products. It's what our bodies were made for. It's only since a couple of thousands of years that we started eating differently. Evolutionary speaking, not nearly long enough to have made our bodies adapt.
> 
> ...


Cholesterol and heart-diseases run in the family. The "fruste" elements for those two are very high.
So everything that has to do with animal protein is a bit of a risk for me, especially from eggs and red meat. 
That as well as my bloodgroup that is more likely to benefit from a veg diet.

You are right that our bodies are not adapted for a full herbivore diet, but it's the thing that made me lose 18 kilo's of fat and made me look alot more muscular. 


I don't eat the hollow calories like white bread, white pasta and white rice. Everything brown and full of fiber. Even then I try to minimize it to 1 portion a day.
I mainly eat tons of fruit and vegetables, alot of them raw now that the weather is nice.

Evolutionary speaking we only ate little amounts of meat, as it wasn't available everyday until we started having cattle and even then meat was not an everyday thing. We can digest meat but the length of our colon (as well as the predecesors) suggest that we were primarely living on fruits, nuts, berries, veg and little amounts of meat.
Now that we live in a world in which you can choose to be vegan, I like to be it. But that's just my moral and ethics concerning animal wellfare. 

I'm certain that if you would see me walk down the street, me being vegan would be the last thing on your mind. I'm 1.77 meters, tattooed up, stocky and as bronzed as if I have been living in Greece for the last 15 years (even in wintertime).


----------



## teekin (Sep 7, 2010)

Some bodies are just down right happier on vegan/ raw diets. I can eat lean fish and the occasional egg but mammel flesh of any kind is very disagreeable to me. Processed foods are the same. 
 As for supplements I take a packaged multi, chromium, slo-fe, C and Ca+2. A great deal of this is due to the medication I take however which induces nausea, shuts down peristalsis and knocks out hunger. You know how if you don't eat for 7-8 hours you get hungry? Your tummy rumbles and you start thinking about food? Well I don't. I just don't get hungry anymore.

Lori


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Sep 7, 2010)

angrywhitepajamas said:


> You may have to suppliment any way depending on how high your blood sugar gets you may have to start supplementing different vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals to compensate for decreased leveles of water soluble vitamins due to increased urine out put, acidification due to chronic hyperglycemia, as well as sbsequent and progressive demineralization of the bones from chronic hyperglycemia and/or ketoacidosis.  but check with your doctor/diabetes specialist and a nutritionist first to see what may be necessary.



At the moment, my blood sugar is well-controlled with diet, exercise, and my medication.  My last A1C was 6.0, which is excellent.  If things change, I will do whatever is necessary to keep that A1C low.  However, with the most recent changes to health insurance in the USA (thank you, President Obama), I can no longer use the money I had put aside for over-the-counter medical supplies to purchase those supplies.  The money, which will no go unused thanks to the change in the law, will be forfeited at the end of the year, for which I sincerely thank the President.  I do so enjoy being bent over shotgun style by our glorious leader.


----------



## xJOHNx (Sep 7, 2010)

Grendel308 said:


> Some bodies are just down right happier on vegan/ raw diets. I can eat lean fish and the occasional egg but mammel flesh of any kind is very disagreeable to me. Processed foods are the same.
> As for supplements I take a packaged multi, chromium, slo-fe, C and Ca+2. A great deal of this is due to the medication I take however which induces nausea, shuts down peristalsis and knocks out hunger. You know how if you don't eat for 7-8 hours you get hungry? Your tummy rumbles and you start thinking about food? Well I don't. I just don't get hungry anymore.
> 
> Lori



Auwtch, those are some hard side-effects from the medication. I hope you can one day do without them!


----------



## Master Dan (Sep 7, 2010)

Shawn-San said:


> The title pretty much sums it up. Just trying to get an idea of what some of you may take as dietary or workout suppliments.


 
Because I live in such a remote part of world anytime I tavel out I always try to find a Korean Market and stock up. I recomend Korean traditional fruit teas in glass jars for colds, cold weather and imune system just go there they will help you pick which ones.

Surpisingly I stoped going to Chinese Herb shops due to expense but last time in Oakland down town I could not believe how cheap 1/3 the cost of previous Korean markets must be the slow economy.

First eliminate any Caffenie in your life 100% then replace with Ginseng instant teas it will help your stomach and heart and endurance plus imune system you will feel 10 20 years younger after getting off coffee and other energy drinks.

There is a new tea I recomend for internal organs and weight loss especially women but they recomend for men to it is Royslim  made by Power Health 9, Inc.

Also for daily dose of Ginseng when traveling or to suppliment in higher doses for training I recomend Red Ginseng extract balls or RED Ball Genseng about 900 balls in a jar for about $85 to $115 depending on where you buy it. it comes with a travel jar so I can pack it in my briefcase start slow maybe 3 balls then three times a day up to six balls three times a day see how your body reacts. Made in Japan but uses Korean Ginseng

*&#12480;&#12531;&#24107; *
*Master Dan Scholten*

http://nometaekwondoacademy.yolasite.com/


----------



## Master Dan (Sep 7, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> At the moment, my blood sugar is well-controlled with diet, exercise, and my medication. My last A1C was 6.0, which is excellent. If things change, I will do whatever is necessary to keep that A1C low. However, with the most recent changes to health insurance in the USA (thank you, President Obama), I can no longer use the money I had put aside for over-the-counter medical supplies to purchase those supplies. The money, which will no go unused thanks to the change in the law, will be forfeited at the end of the year, for which I sincerely thank the President. I do so enjoy being bent over shotgun style by our glorious leader.


 

There should be savings and money for prevention and wellness fees and medicine. Employers, Insurance companies and the government are going to start putting money into people loosing weight and getting healthier becasue they all know it is the only true way to lower costs!!!!

In the early 90's the insurance companies, pharmasuitcle and the government partnered to fund grant studies on community wellness programs. It was a sham totally biased program with funding removed in 3 years becasue they used the stats to say only medication and traditional treatment works, Of Course thats what they sell. Statistics in research can be interpreted any way to support a preconcieved or biased aproach so consider the source?

Will you give me some detail on your specific needs and costs to my email masterdan@gci.net As a person who had a terminal child for 8 years costing $4 million before she died and my wife is a very respected RN  who has many health and medical issues and we have a new hospital for $170 million being built in our back yard we have a much different perspective than yours.

I can tell you this regarding AFLAC kill the duck they are total liars one of the worst rip off false advertising creeps in the business. I intend to turn them into the insurance commission and State Attorney General

*&#12480;&#12531;&#24107; *
*Master Dan Scholten*

http://nometaekwondoacademy.yolasite.com/


----------



## Master Dan (Sep 7, 2010)

Bill Mattocks said:


> At the moment, my blood sugar is well-controlled with diet, exercise, and my medication. My last A1C was 6.0, which is excellent. If things change, I will do whatever is necessary to keep that A1C low. However, with the most recent changes to health insurance in the USA (thank you, President Obama), I can no longer use the money I had put aside for over-the-counter medical supplies to purchase those supplies. The money, which will no go unused thanks to the change in the law, will be forfeited at the end of the year, for which I sincerely thank the President. I do so enjoy being bent over shotgun style by our glorious leader.


 
I forgot to add I would like to do some research on your situation and see if I can come up with resources for you to change the negative financial impact. But I need more info. 

Thanks Dan


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Sep 7, 2010)

Master Dan said:


> I forgot to add I would like to do some research on your situation and see if I can come up with resources for you to change the negative financial impact. But I need more info.
> 
> Thanks Dan



My company offers an FSA (Flexible Spending Account) as an option to our health care, as many health care plans do. This is pre-tax money that I choose to contribute to the FSA at the beginning of the 'plan year'.  In my case, my plan year begins in January, but we must make our elections in the preceding October.

The good part about an FSA is that it allows you to pay with pre-tax dollars.  The bad part is that if you overestimate how much money you think you will spend, you lose any money left over at the end of the plan year - it is forfeited.

I was able to get reimbursement for certain OTC (over the counter) drugs and first-aid supplies from my FSA money.  On that basis, I made my plan FSA contribution.  I cannot change it now until the end of my plan year.

However, the government changed how FSA is reimbursed.  

http://web.docuticker.com/go/docubase/60336



> The Affordable Care Act, enacted in March, established a new uniform  standard that, effective Jan. 1, 2011, applies to FSAs and health  reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). Under the new standard, the cost of  an over-the-counter medicine or drug cannot be reimbursed from the  account unless a prescription is obtained.



What that means is that any money I put into my FSA next year that is intended for OTC drugs will be forfeit.  I must pay post-tax money out-of-pocket for any OTC drugs purchased.  So I won't be purchasing any, and I'll be reducing the amount of money I put into my FSA next year.  The government wants to 'encourage us' to use the FSA.  I say that as of now, they can cram it.


----------

