While it should come to no surprise that I frequently talk about the importance of eating quality nutritional supplements, I’m sure there are some people who wonder why someone would continue to need taking supplements if they eat healthy most of the time. And for those who understand why supplementation is important (which I’ll briefly discuss shortly), many people still don’t know what supplements to take, which ones are safe to take for a prolonged period of time, etc.
I obviously can’t dedicate a single post to all of the different supplements and herbs out there, as there are way too many to cover. But I will begin by saying that ideally we want to obtain all of our nutrients from whole foods whenever possible, and not have to rely on supplements. The problem is that most people don’t eat healthy, as the majority eat way too many refined foods, which even through the enriching process doesn’t have many of the nutrients in which whole foods have.
And then there is the issue of our soil being depleted of nutrients, which no doubt affects the quality of the foods we eat. So even someone who eats a 100% organic diet consisting only of whole foods very well might not be receiving all of the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet.
How Do You Know What Supplements To Take?
As for what nutritional supplements you should take, this answer of course differs for each person. For example, someone with Graves’ Disease or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is more likely to have more nutritional deficiencies when compared with someone who doesn’t have an autoimmune thyroid condition. But this isn’t always the case, which is why sometimes it is necessary to test for nutritional deficiencies. The problem is that it usually isn’t feasible to test for every single nutritional deficiency one can have.
So what I personally do is test for some of the more common nutritional deficiencies, and use a person’s symptoms and diet history to determine what other nutritional deficiencies they are most likely to have. And while symptoms alone don’t tell the entire story, they still tell you a lot when you put someone on a certain protocol and their symptoms greatly improve. And if they don’t improve as expected, one then needs not only to look at the nutritional aspects, but other factors that can be responsible for this.
This is why I can’t simply write a book or guide on specific supplements people with thyroid conditions should take, as while I can give some suggestions, everybody needs to be treated on an individual basis. Sure, there are some common deficiencies, and I do try to talk about some of these here on this website, as I have done so with both Vitamin D and iodine. But writing a post that discusses all of the specific supplements one should take, along with the dosages, is not practical.
Can You Take Too Many Nutritional Supplements?
Some people grow concerned about taking too many supplements, which is understandable. I know people who made it part of their daily routine to ingest dozens of different nutritional supplements, which usually is not a good idea. Often times when first consulting with someone they do need to take more supplements when compared to someone who is healthy and just trying to maintain a state of wellness.
This doesn’t mean that they will need to take dozens of different supplements and herbs. But it just makes sense that if someone has a great number of nutritional deficiencies that until they address these they will need to take more supplements than someone who doesn’t have many nutritional deficiencies.
Once someone has addressed their nutritional deficiencies, they will be able to get many of the nutrients they need through eating if they consume high quality foods. However, most people will still benefit from some minimal nutritional supplementation on a daily basis to help maintain their health and prevent future conditions from developing.