4 Crucial Supplements for Healthy Periods
Dietary Supplements Pills Nutrient Additives
Everyone has a different opinion about supplements. People tend to go one of two ways: conservative or liberal. Conservatives think that we can get all the nutrients we need from our diet, and liberals think that supplements can make up for a bad diet.
In regards to supplements, I encourage you to be a moderate.
While I’m a big advocate of getting nutrients from your food, sometimes it just isn’t possible due to two main factors.
1. Our soil has gone downhill
The quality of modern day soil has changed – it is now extremely depleted due to industrial farming. As a result, many of our fruits and vegetables are not as nutrient dense as they were when grandma and grandpa were eating them.
This also means the animals you are eating are not as nutrient rich, as the grain or grass they are eating is also affected by industrial farming and depleted soils.
Statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and World Health Organization (WHO) have recorded a drop in nutrient density in our food supply within the last fifty years. This loss of nutrients is so great that in our modern world, it is imperative to supplement your diet to achieve optimum health.
2. It’s a busy world.
In our busy lives, can we really be 100% sure that we are eating all of our vitamins, minerals, and probiotics daily? I know I can’t.
Even with a perfect diet of real, whole foods, it is still almost impossible to get all the nutrients you need in today’s toxic and stress-filled world.
Yes, our ancestors were able to get all of their nutrients from their food, but they received far greater amounts of micro-nutrients in every mouthful of food they ate, then is found in the food we consume today.
I always try my best to get as many of the nutrients I need from my food, and I encourage you to do the same. But this is not always possible; that’s why I like to look at supplements as insurance that I am always covered.
With that said, here are the 4 crucial supplements and that I recommend everyone take daily to promote balanced hormones and healthy periods:
1. Magnesium
Magnesium is a cofactor in over three hundred reactions in the body, and is necessary for temperature regulations, hormonal balance, detoxification in the liver, formation of bones and teeth, and transmission of nerve pulses. However, it’s estimated that around 80% of people are deficient in this crucial mineral! If you are deficient in magnesium, symptoms include anxiety, constipation, an inability to sleep, tension, muscle cramps, fatigue, and much more.
Better yet, did you know that magnesium is the best treatment for PMS?! In fact, it removes symptoms so dramatically that some scientists believe that magnesium deficiency is the cause of PMS. (1)
Magnesium boosts progesterone by improving the health of your corpus luteum.
It also regulates cortisol and reduces inflammation.
For women (and men!) magnesium is crucial.
Dose- 5 times your bodyweight in grams. Start small, divide your dose into two doses (one in AM and one PM) and work up to your full dose.
Forms: Glycinate is the best overall because it is the most absorbable. You can get yours for 10% off here
Time Taken: Bedtime
2. Beef Liver Supplement or Methylated B Complex
If you are a vegan or vegetarian I urge you to take vitamin B12 daily. If you are an omnivore, I still recommend you take this, as most people are deficient in B12.My favorite way to get my B vitamins along with tons of other important nutrients such as selenium, choline, iron, and vitamin A, is with an Beef Liver Organ Complex (click here to get the one I take for 15% off). B12 can protect against dementia, increase immune function, maintain nerves, and regenerate cells. It’s necessary for maintaining methylation reactions that repair DNA and prevent cancer. B vitamins help boost progesterone and gaba which keep our hormones, moods, and periods happy.
Dose: Paleovalley’s Organ Complex, or find a B complex with at least 800 mcg Folate (never take Folic Acid that stuff is junk), and 500 mcg B12
Forms: Capsule or lozenge
Time taken: Daily with food
3. High Grade Probiotic
Your gut is responsible for much more than just digesting your lunch. Your gut, and the 100 trillion bacteria that call it home, are responsible for your overall mental and physical wellbeing. Hippocrates said 2,000 years ago that “all disease begins in the gut”, and modern scientists are just now realizing how true this statement is.
For optimum health you should maintain an 85-to-15 percent ratio of good bacteria to bad. Once the bad bacteria rises above 15 percent, the immune system begins to slow down and sets off a chain reaction that promotes disease, digestion problems, and interferes with nutrient absorption.
Eating processed foods, plus the overuse of antibiotics, are the two biggest culprits for the poor gut health that is sweeping developed nations today.
To keep your gut healthy and thriving with healthy bacteria, you should take a high-grade probiotic daily, with at least 25 billion living organisms. Opt for even higher if you can. When purchasing your probiotic remember they are not regulated by the FDA, so you must make sure to buy a brand that is trusted.
Form: Capsule. I use and recommend Megasporebiotic from Microbiome Lab. You can get yours for 10% off here.
4. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an excellent supplement to reduce painful and heavy periods. Vitamin E reduces inflammation and stress since it’s an antioxidant. It also opposes excess estrogen so it reduces estrogen dominant symptoms like painful and swollen breast and acne. Vitamin E also increases luteal blood flow which lengthens luteal phase and increases chances of pregnancy.
Dose: 250-500 mg
Forms: Capsule
Time taken: daily with food
You can find all of these on my online pharmacy where I've curated the best brands for purity. You will need to register as a client, but after that you'll get 10% on all supplements.
Think of these supplements as part of your diet, and buy the best quality ones you can. Remember, you get what you pay for; cheap supplements are usually poorly absorbed by the body, and the dosages are not always as high as they claim. They are also often filled with additives and coloring, and just result in expensive urine!
When buying your supplements, I encourage you to seek guidance from your health care practitioner to select the products that are right for you. While these are the general supplements I recommend everyone take, some people will need further supplementation.
Your partner in health,
Jenna
Sources: