Are you ever without supplementation?

For those of use who are even slightly concerned about our health and well-being, supplementation is typically a part of our normal regimine. I’m talking vitamins, caffeine, brain-boosters, and other supplements that we might be taking. Basically, anything that is not whole food that we’re using to boost our performance in any sort of way, coffee included!

We must remember that the purpose of supplementation is to help get our body to an environmental status that is better and sustainable. It’s used to give us a boost, and see how we hold up to it. It’s NOT supposed to be a permanent source of nourishment.

If we take supplementation for too long, we may become reliant on it, in some way, shape, or form. It could come in the form of chemical/mental/emotional addiction, the lack of natural production of chemicals/hormones, or even the mental “laziness” of not seeking better sources of the nutrients (nutrition shakes and green drinks are one common source of this).

Remember that we, as humans, as natural creatures, are supposed to be able to obtain the proper amount of nutrients we need to survive and thrive via whole foods. Due to environment, how we grew up, culture, social pressure, etc, we may have put ourselves in situations where we are a bit out of physiological balance, resulting in conditions like osteoporosis, leaky gut, alzheimer’s, and sleep issues. We may need a bit of a concentrated boost to help our physiological environment get back into balance to alleviate these issues, which is where supplementation can come in handy.

The thing is, we don’t want to be on these supplements forever. We want our bellies to be full with natural foods, not with pills. Supplements should be seen as a type of more natural medication. Meant to give you the nudge to get back to being healthy, and allow your body to adjust to the “new normal.”

The goal is to be self-sustaining without the supplements. Get what I mean?

So if you’re taking ANY type of supplements, whether they be for “general health,” recovery, or performance, make sure you cycle off them regularly to see what the true state of your physiology actually is. You may find out some interesting facts, like you don’t need coffee and drinking it on the regular is causing you anxiety and fatigue. Or, perhaps that B12 supplement you’ve been taking religiously for the last 7 years doesn’t actually do anything for you anymore. Or, the collagen you’re taking really does help with your joint pain…so perhaps try to incorporate other types of collagen into your diet, like animal skin, cartilage, marrow, and bone broth. The natural versions of the supplement are much more bioavailable to the body (your body knows what to do with it more than if you just gave it the one ingredient, since everything works synergistcally).

Whatever you find out, pay attention to what your NOW body needs and wants. We are ever-changing, and it’s non-sensical to keep doing the same exact thing without checking in to see how we’ve changed and what our needs CURRENTLY are.

Just like turning the music off and sitting in silence is good for you, it’s good for you to stop the supplements for a bit and see where you are once the dust settles.

*NOTE* This is not medical advice….if you’re on something that is doctor recommended for a condition, this is not me telling you to stop taking it. Please do what you think is best for your body. But also, if you’re a daily coffee/tea drinker, maybe go for a week or so without any caffeine to see what happens.

Best in Health and Happiness,

Jackie