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I have quite a modest budget, so I don't think what I eat will provide enough micronutrients for me. I heard a few people take Vitamin D3, K2 and magnesium, and I am almost 100% sure that I am D3 deficient, but I also heard that you need K2 or vitamin A to balance it out, or something? Also, seeing as I am lactose intolerant, should I take calcium too? Thanks :)

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If you want to spend the least, spend that money on K2, it is expensive, particularly the SuperK Lifeextension one, but it is important.

D3 you can get from the sun, and it is a pretty cheap supplement, costing a 10-12$ for a whole year of D3, get the NOW 5000IU, 250caps box.

In addition I would recommend Magnesium supplementation. You can get very cheap Magnesium Sulphate (epsom salt) and Magnesium Oxide in pound bags. Magnesium sulphate should be dissolved in a bath tub and soak in it. Magnesium oxide should be dissolved in water, and drink only after it has settle down. You do not want to drink water which has magnesium oxide as particles floating around. The undissolved is not very easily absorbed and can have a laxative effect. Both are very cheap methods and can be done together.

It is best to get the Vitamin A from liver and/or cod liver oil. Be careful of overdosing.

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magnesium ions react with water molecules to form magnesium hydroxide- it's thermodynamic propensity to precipitate out of water meaning it has poor solubility in water, which also means you are not going to separate the magnesium ions from the unless you heat the hell out of it.... or throw in some strong acid in there. – Sunshine Jul 9 at 6:32
what i meant to say is that, magnesium oxide sucks as a supplement, but i do agree that magnesium sulfate is an excellent source – Sunshine Jul 9 at 6:34
I'd recommend the Thorne liquid K2 instead. It's MK4 (considered the more beneficial form) and comes in a bottle with a dropper so while it does run ~$60 you only need 3-4 drops daily so it lasts an extremely long time. – Ingenol Jul 9 at 6:37
I prefer the Super K, because it is a mix of MK4/MK7 and K1. The problem with MK4 is that its half life is very low. MK7 gives you sustained benefit for a longer time. Also presence of K1 reduces the need for K2. This is why Super K seems to me much better than Thorne's. Also I do see that Super K gives me a longer lasting effect. My hands remain soft for a longer time. I have tried both. – anand srivastava Jul 10 at 4:43
Sunshine: You could be right about Magnesium oxide. I haven't yet tried it. In that case what would be a good drinking solution for Magnesium? Magnesium Chloride? Magnesium Citrate also does not dissolve. – anand srivastava Jul 10 at 4:45
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truthfully, i think eating liver and supplementing with k2, calcium, and D will be enough... Many brands of mutivitamins/ minerals are largely composed of bio-unavailable forms and may even cause a negative effects on your health. liver on the other hand provides a GREAT source of bioavailable micro AND macronutrients.

best of luck

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You should not take calcium. Milk is not good for adults that is why adults did not use to have the ability to digest the lactose. Yes we have adapted to digest it, but it is still not the best. Actually the problematic part in milk is calcium. When you have enough VitD, you will absorb enough calcium from your greens. Excess calcium can cause calcification everywhere in the body. K2 is required to utilize the absorbed calcium. So D3 + K2 + greens is the best combination, for calcium. – anand srivastava Jul 9 at 6:17
the problematic part of milk is not the calcium unless you have an inherent inability to tolerate calcium. unless dairy is part of the diet, it's actually pretty difficult to obtain adequate amounts of calcium for sustaining bone health AND thyroid function. The thyroid regulates calcium in the body. If one takes in too much but has a healthy thyroid, then the thyroid signals the movement of calcium into the bones. – Sunshine Jul 9 at 6:27
REAL milk has all the K2 you need to utilize the calcium. It's a perfect food. I'd recommend trying grass-fed non-homogenized milk from A2 cows (Jersey/Guernsey) (raw milk if you can find it). Lots of people can't tolerate the mass produced white stuff and think they're lactose intolerant, but they can drink the real stuff. I wake up with a throbbing headache and dry skin when I drink the commercial stuff, but can drink litres of real milk and wake up feeling super-charged. If you're British, look for milk with a gold cap. – Rowan Jul 9 at 10:26
@rowan - this is also true :-) goats milk can also be tried. Also, I don't think milk should be avoided because one is lactose intolerant - one can build up tolerance if the sugar is indeed the issue. – Sunshine Jul 9 at 14:04
Sunshine, i'm very interestined in knowing about how calcium helps to sustain thyroid and bone health. Can you give any more insight? Cheers – Michael Jul 27 at 7:43
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If your budget is as "modest" as mine is, that means you're eating lots of veggies and meat, but hardly any of it is organic or grass-fed :( meaning, still lacking lots of the vits Soooo, in addition to D3, K2 (K complex), Fish oil, I would grab some B complex. I also eat between 4000-6000 miligrams of Vit C chewables daily due to my rigorous training schedule comprised of BJJ/MMA training--Vitamin C helps decrease injury recivery times greatly.

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