Best Supplements for Immunity, According to a Holistic Nutritionist
When it comes to improving health and boosting immunity, most people will benefit from some sort of supplement, regardless of how healthy of a diet they follow. This is because of the nutrient-density of our food, and it begins with the soil. To put it simply, the soil in which our food is grown is void of essential vitamins and minerals – vitamins and minerals that it used to contain. We can chalk the reason up, in short, to modern farming processes which overburden the land and ultimately deplete the soil. Regardless of the reason, the fact is that even the healthiest, organic produce is lacking in the nutrients it should contain and, therefore, supplementation is often necessary to make up for this. As you probably know, supplements can be a bit pricey and the market for supplements is currently unregulated, meaning that a lot of companies can, and do, falsely market their supplements as being more potent than they are and use harmful ingredients as fillers. If you want to learn more about the best quality supplements to improve your health and immunity without breaking the bank, then keep reading.
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Before I go on, I’d like to pause to introduce myself to anyone new here. Hi, I’m Nicole! I’m a Certified Holistic Nutritionist whose specialty is helping other live anti-inflammatory, immunity boosting, low-toxin lifestyles. If this resonates with you, you’re in the right place.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor or a medical professional. The information I’m sharing with you does not guarantee the treatment, prevention, or reversal of any medical condition. This article is not intended to prescribe any supplement to anyone. You should always consult with your doctor before taking or stopping any supplements, especially if you are taking medication or have a medical condition.
So, what’s the deal with supplements? Basically, it’s an unregulated market and this leads to two main problems: first, many supplement brands aren’t using high quality or potent ingredients in their supplements and so your body may not be absorbing as much of a vitamin as you’re led to believe. The biggest issue here is that you’re wasting your money on something that isn’t doing much for your health or immunity. The second main problem with an unregulated supplement market is many supplements contain additional ingredients that can be harmful to your health. Gelatin, wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, fish, sugar, sucrose, dextrose and even food dyes are just some of the ingredients that can be hiding in your supplements. Some of these, such as gluten, dairy, and soy, may only be harmful to people with sensitivities or allergies to these foods. However, other ingredients, such as gelatin, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and food dyes, are harmful to everyone’s health. This poses a bigger problem because supplements are supposed to improve health, but, instead, daily doses of these ingredients can cause harm over time. The question, now, is how do we solve this problem?
Well, the good news is there are clean supplements on the market, and more and more are emerging all the time. The biggest piece of advice I can give you when choosing a supplement is to always look at the ingredients. There is no reason for artificial, unclean ingredients to be in your supplements. Now, I know reading through ingredients lists can be overwhelming, so I’ve made of a list of my top 3 favorite supplement brands. They are all unique in their own way, but I’ve tried them all and can attest to their quality and potency.
Ritual makes multivitamins for women 18+, men 18+, women’s prenatal, and women’s postnatal. Ritual has a “nutrition first” philosophy, meaning that their vitamins only contain what, statistically, is needed most by the people who fall into these categories. This is great for anyone who follows a very well-balanced diet and doesn’t have any major deficiencies because you don’t have to worry about over supplementing. You can also do what I’ve done, and pair your Ritual multivitamin with another vitamin (I like to pair it with a little extra Vitamin D and Zinc in the winter). If you’re looking for gut-health support, they now make an all-in-one pre, pro, and postbiotic.
Ritual’s supplements are vegan, gluten-free, and don’t contain any unnecessary additives. Their ingredients are traceable and you can learn more about where they source everything on their website. They’re only available through their website and you can save a couple of bucks by setting up a subscription that’ll have them delivered to you monthly. You can easily adjust or pause your subscription at any time. They are an affordable option and, as mentioned before, great for anyone who wants to be careful of over-supplementing.
Cymbiotika does not make one single multivitamin. Instead, they sell individual supplements or combinations of supplements that support different systems in the body. This is great because you can really personalize your supplementation regimen to your unique health needs and goals.
Most of Cymbiotika’s supplements are liposomal, meaning they come in liquid form and you can drink them, either in water or straight from their individual poches. It’s believed that the body can more easily absorb vitamins in liposomal form. The other thing I like about Cymbiotika is that they consider the fact that some supplements cannot be as easily absorbed without the presence of other supplements. In this case, they will combine the supplements together so you can be sure you’re benefiting as much as possible. Their supplements come from organic, high-quality sources and they have no dangerous filler ingredients. Personally, I love pairing Ritual and Cymbiotika supplements.
Cymbiotika’s supplements are available through their website. They can be a bit on a pricier side but you’re paying for the quality. You can also save by bundling and subscribing. Subscriptions are completely customizable, based on your needs, and you can always pause or skip a shipment. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants a completely customized supplement regimen.
AG1 is an all-in-one multivitamin with vitamins, minerals, pre and probiotics, and adaptogens. It comes in powder form, and you simply add a scoop of powder to water daily and drink it. AG1 is a complete multivitamin with everything you need and more. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend pairing additional supplements with this without consulting with your doctor first.
AG1 is Certified Sport, which is the gold standard for clean nutrition. This means you don’t have to worry about questionable ingredients in their formula. Like the other two I’ve mentioned, AG1 uses high quality sources for their ingredients and they are balanced to support absorption. Personally, I really like using AG1 to build up my reserves. When I finished breastfeeding my daughter, I made the switch to AG1 to replenish my system with the vitamins and minerals that pregnancy and breastfeeding depleted me of.
AG1 is available online through their website. They, too, have a subscription model which can be easily adjusted, paused, or skipped for any reason. Your first order will come with your greens powder, a year’s supply of Vitamin D, and 5 travel packs (which I was so grateful for when I had to travel out of state recently). Like Cymbiotika, they are slightly more on the pricier side, but you are paying for a high-quality all-in-one multivitamin supporting all your body’s systems. I recommend AG1 for anyone who’s looking for the convenience of an all-in-one, high quality supplement.
So, there you have it. These are three incredible brands that are going to deliver high-quality supplements to your door. Like I said, I’ve used them all and I continue to switch between them depending on my needs at the time. Again, should always consult with your doctor before taking any supplements, especially if you’re on medications or have a health condition.
I hope this information helps you find the supplement that fits your needs! Subscribe below to get more immunity-boosting tips delivered straight to your inbox!
‘Til next time…
- Nicole