Supplement question - basics of my diet included

[sengelhardt]

So.. I have adopted a lifestyle close to what some call the paleo diet. I eat meat, fish, veggies (all kinds), and minimal fruit (1-2 servings a day) but unlike the fanatics, I also include dairy and occasionally rice into my diet. Breakfast could mean a blueberry, spinach, coconut, protein shake; or bacon, eggs and carrot sticks. Lunch and snacks are just about always mostly veggies and whatever meat I have around. Supper is normally comprised of two-three veggies and a meat. I don't eat green beans or peas often, but lots of leafy veggies, turnip greens, broccoli, cauliflower.. etc. Our meat is 90% grass fed and organic. I will make a grain free granola (pureed walnuts, macadamia nuts roasted with coconut oil, almonds and honey) once in a while and have it with greek yogurt and some berries..

SOooo... now to my question(s), IF I were to take supplements, what would be suggested? I try to eat salmon/tuna twice a week, but don't always.. so I know a fish oil supplement would be good.. but don't handle swallowing pills well - and some of those jokers are huge! So I thought about krill oil.. any thoughts?

I would like to find a good overall vitamin/mineral supplement, but again, don't really know what would be the best one. Thoughts there?

I have taken ALA supplements with some good results in energy, but if I were to include these others.. when would I take them for the best effect? What if I included B-12? Would you take the B12 and ALA at the same time, or create a regimen of supplements throughout the day?

Thoughts?

[Sequoia]

Please bear in mind that I am not a professional nutritionist. I'll give you my suggestions, though, and hopefully Tara will be along soon with more authoritative recommendations.

Your diet sounds very healthy in general, but I'd remove the tuna and make an effort to eat salmon or sardines twice a week instead. You may be eating too much meat, even though it's of high quality; Tara recommends modest amounts instead.

Multiple vitamin/mineral supplements are generally not worth the money you spend on them. A whole-foods B complex could be a good addition (all derived from natural sources, not synthetic), but you don't need to supplement B12 alone unless you've been tested and it's been determined that your level is low.

Supplementing Vitamin D3 is a good idea. If you haven't had your level tested, please do...and in the meantime, supplement at least 1000 IU/day (many of us take more, with our doctors' approval).

Krill oil is a good idea; so is flaxseed oil, which is also rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.

ALA should be taken on an empty stomach for maximum effectiveness, but B vitamins are best absorbed when taken with food, so if you're going to do both of those you'll need to take them at separate times.

Hope this helps a little!

[sengelhardt]

Hmm, yes.. I forgot about D3, that is one supplement I do take, and I did have my D levels checked a couple of years ago, pre MS dx, so I was already doing that.. those seem to be easy enough to take whenever during the day. The others seem a little more structured to me.. LOL I have never been 'good' at taking meds, I need to figure out a process to remember and take them the best way possible. I wish I could do like my co worker does, she sets two alarms, one to take her meds that need her to wait 30 minutes to eat, then she lays back down and dozes til she needs to get up.. LOL

Any thoughts on how long to wait before eating with ALA?

Thanks for all that info, my neuro doesn't seem to think supplements work all that great, she doesn't care if I take them, but she hasn't been all that helpful in helping me figure out when to take them. When I asked her about ALA she said she only suggests them to people who are diabetic... sigh..

[Sequoia]

The rule I follow on taking ALA (which I take both for my MS and because I'm diabetic) is at least one hour before a meal or at least four hours after.

Actually, I take the racemic form of Lipoic Acid, or RLA, instead because it's more biologically active, but ALA is more commonly available and it works too.