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I wanted to see what the Hackers think of my supplements. One caveat: I take 100 mcg of Synthroid daily, as I was diagnosed when my TSH was 171.

Beyond that, I take: Bluebonnet Vitamin A and D3, (25,000 i.u. and 1000 i.u respectively) which is derived from fish liver oil; Bluebonnet Stress B Complex, and Whole Foods vitamin D3, 5000 i.u. I also take a probiotic supplement.

I'm not completely at a Paleo diet yet, as I'm not quite to eating organ meat of any kind yet, but what do you think? Am I taking too much? Too little?

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5 Answers

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At least my diet is very high in vitamin A with all the sweet potatoes, grass fed butter, free range eggs and especially organ meats I eat. This would seem typical for most paleo advocates as well. With that said, I don't think a vitamin A supplement is necessary. Fish oil can go rancid quickly too and includes some extra PUFAs (even if they are O3's) that you probably don't need. So if you aren't devoid in the foods I listed I'd avoid that supplement. I've been reading in several places recently that probiotics are expensive and unnecessary in that they'll add temporary flora but not build up the ones in your gut, but won't hurt you either.

The D is definitely good if you don't get enough sun.

One thing some paleo peeps don't get enough of is iodine, since it isn't unusual for someone to eliminate most salt when they go paleo. If this is the case for you kelp tablets could be a good supplement, they also have trace amounts of other important minerals.

Acerola berry is also a great supplement for vitamin C and antioxidants. If you try to lower your fructose content due to all the villainy being placed on this energy source then this is especially a good idea. You can never get enough C though and it tastes good.

If you aren't yet eating organ meats, grass fed butter and free range eggs, get some K2 in your diet. Dr. Price's orders ;).

Finally, I second the magnesium suggestion. Our soils are simply so depleted that this is hard to get through your diet in adequate amounts.

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Nice answer. Good nod to Price, too – ben61820 Aug 20 2011 at 17:24
I like your answer a lot more than my own. +1 – Nutritionator Aug 20 2011 at 18:23
Householder, regarding probiotics, if they are adding flora, why isn't it building up in the gut? I was under the impression that they did build up, especially when taken on an empty stomach. Please explain! (Thanks) – PaleoDel Aug 21 2011 at 22:48
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No problem. Essentially your body produces it's own probiotics itself when needed in the intestines. Remember our bodies evolved to be healthy when eating properly and we were not designed to have to get probiotics through our diet. If you do, they may help in digestion until they themselves are digested in the stomach, but that's it. As your body will just digest them as they do everything else ingested through the mouth. The following article seems to describe it well if you want a more thorough explanation healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/probiotic1.php – Householder Aug 21 2011 at 23:47
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The only supplement I think people really must take is Magneiusm, as Mg citrate or another high efficacy compound. It doesn't matter what you eat, if it isn't in the soil it isn't on your plate, and therefor not going into your body.

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I agree. Been paleo for over a year and I've never stopped natural calm. And ZMA before bed. It's simply not in my food n – ben61820 Aug 20 2011 at 17:22
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First off, what are your goals? Fitness, health, weight loss, all of the above?

I'm not huge on organ meats...yet, but I freaking love bone broth, try that until you can handle liver. Also, look into Natural Calm for magnesium which just about everyone is short on. Definitely don't think you're taking too much at this point.

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How do you know bone broth is the best multivitamin you can give to your body besides liver? – WaveHunter Aug 20 2011 at 12:05
Agree with Jan, multi-mineral is more accurate. Thanks for the critique. – Nutritionator Aug 20 2011 at 12:32
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I've been taking Natural Calm at night (about 2 rounded tsp mixed with cold water) and love it. I have had no issues whatsoever and feel like it does help me to "calm" before bed. I agree with Nutritionator in that most people are likely deficient in magnesium and could benefit from supplementation. Concentrace trace mineral drops are another good option for broad spectrum mineral supplementation. Using Celtic or Himalayan sea salt is another positive step. – FED at LiveCaveman.com Aug 20 2011 at 13:06
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More like multimineral.

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I do eat plenty of pastured butter, milk, and eggs, so Dr. Price would be okay with that. I have chicken bone broth in my freezer that I should get out, but you guys are probably referring to beef bone broth, yes?

As for the Natural Calm, I...don't know. I started eating this way because I have IBS, and yes, I'd like to lose weight, too. I cut out grains specifically to help my digestion, and it isn't quite there yet. I tend to have rather loose stools, and I don't want the Natural Calm to exacerbate that. I've had Natural Calm twice now, and it didn't really help that issue. Though I did feel calmer!

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