For many of us, thinking of all of the ways we need to improve our health—sleeping a full eight hours a night, drinking enough water, meditating, cooking healthy dinners, and getting regular exercise—can turn into a long list of chores, leaving us overwhelmed and stressed. But stress itself can detract from your health, which is why we’re cutting through the clutter to recommend four supplements that offer huge health benefits.
1) Keep your heart healthy with omega-3s
According to Dietitians of Canada, omega-3 fatty acids can reduce risk of heart disease and improve immune function. Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids decrease triglyceride levels, along with the risk of arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats) and the growth of atherosclerotic plaque. They can also help reduce blood pressure. To up your omega-3 intake, try eating fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines, and albacore tuna) a couple of times per week. You could also eat more nuts and seeds, like flax and chia. Flaxseeds can easily be baked into bread or added to mayonnaise, mustard, cereal, or yogurt. And you can add chia seeds to almost anything—water, juice, smoothies, salad, stir fries, and cereal. If you’re not a fan of fish, you may not be able to get enough omega-3s from diet alone. In those cases, a supplement, like Jamieson’s Essentials Omega-3, will give you your daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids, without the fishy burp back most are familiar with.
2) Support digestive health with probiotics
Probiotics are often described as good bacteria, as they help break down food and keep the bad bacteria in check. There is also evidence that suggests probiotics can prevent or improve symptoms of diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic constipation. Luckily, you can find probiotics in a number of cultured dairy foods like yogurt, along with fermented vegetables like kimchi and sauerkraut. If you’re not eating natural probiotics or foods fortified with probiotic bacterial cultures, you can try slipping them into your diet by adding foods high in probiotics, such as kefir, to your smoothies for breakfast or kimchi to eggs for lunch, rice bowls, or even pizza for dinner—the recipes you’ll find online are endless. But you could also simplify things by taking a probiotic supplement, like Jamieson’s Essentials 10 Billion Probiotic, which you can take at any time during the day, no matter your busy schedule.
3) Strengthen your bones and teeth with vitamin D
Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium and phosphorus for strong bones and teeth. And according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, it can protect older adults from osteoporosis. Food sources of vitamin D include egg yolks, milk, and certain types of fish, like salmon. In Canada, vitamin D is often added to soy or rice beverages and orange juice, which is helpful for those following a plant-based diet. But according to the Dietitians of Canada, vitamin D is not found in many commonly consumed foods. Combined with the fact that people are spending an increasing amount of time indoors, it should be no surprise that about one third of Canadians don’t get enough vitamin D in their day-to-day diet. That’s why you should supplement your daily intake of vitamin D with a product like Jamieson’s Essentials Vitamin D, 1000 IU.
4) Fill in your nutrient gaps with a multivitamin
Even when you’re armed with all the right research and insights, eating a healthy diet is not easy. We’re living in a world of convenience, during a time when a lot of food we eat is stripped of nutrients. The Journal of the American Medical Association recommends that, in addition to a healthy diet, adults take one multivitamin each day—it’s the surest way to fill nutrient gaps in your diet, helping boost your energy, support your immune system, and top up any vitamins you might be missing. Jamieson’s Essentials plus Protein not only combines the health benefits of a protein supplement, but also includes a multivitamin to help cover your nutrient bases. But according to Harvard Public Health, there are instances in which you can have too much of a good thing when it comes to vitamins and minerals, so be sure to stick with what’s on the label, or to speak with your health care practitioner to find out how much your body could benefit from them.
Breakfast is a great time to ensure you’re fitting in your daily multivitamin or protein supplement.
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Sources:
- Dietitians of Canada. (August 27, 2009). Eating Guidelines for Omega-3 Fats.
- McMaster Optimal Aging Portal. (June 13, 2017). Digestive problems? Try probiotics.
- Johnston, B.C., Goldenberg, J.Z., et al. (2012). Probiotics for the prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 157: 878-888.
- Ford, A.C., Quigley E.M., et al. (July 29, 2014). Efficacy of prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics in irritable bowel syndrome and chronic idiopathic constipation: systematic review and metaanalysis.
- American Journal of Gastroenterol. 109(10): 1547-1561.
- National Osteoporosis Foundation. (February 26, 2018). Calcium/Vitamin D.
- Dieticians of Canada. (October 2016). Food Sources of Vitamin D.
- Ipsos. (September 27, 2018). Nine in 10 (87%)
- Canadians say they’re happier when they spend time in nature.Janz, T., Pearson, C. Statistics Canada. (November 27, 2015).
- Vitamin D blood levels of Canadians.Fletcher RH and Fairfield KM. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: Clinical Applications. JAMA, June 19, 2002; 287:3116-126.
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2019).Vitamins.
