Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

'Ello there. I really wanna stop taking supplements. Here's what I take right now:

-Alive Multivitamin (told to take this by my primary care doctor because I was malnourished from an eating disorder)
-B Complex (also told to take this because of some red blood cell volume thingy)
-C (1000 mg)
-D3 (0-5000 IU) (I get plenty of sunshine here in LA)
-K2 (100 mcg)
-CoQ10 (100 mg)
-Magnesium (350 mg)
-Zinc (50 mg)

Now here's what I eat reguarly:

Meat (every day): beef (ground, ribeye, liver rarely--and most of the time not grass-fed), bison (new york, ribeye, ground), lamb (leg, liver, kidneys), pork and poultry are very seldom eaten.
Seafood (several times a week): salmon (wild), chilean sea bass, cod, scallops, shrimp
Veggies (from most to least often): carrots, broccoli, avocados, sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, spinach, kale, cauliflower (organic/local more often than not)
Fruits: none
Nuts (a few times a week): raw macadamia and raw almonds
Fats (every day): coconut oil, evoo, ghee, grass-fed butter
Miscellaneous: 100% dark chocolate, coconut water
Spices: kosher/sea salt, black pepper, paprika, turmeric, red pepper

I plan on keeping the magnesium because I take it before I go to bed and it helps me feel sleepy and also the C 'cause I really don't think I could get enough of it in veggies. But can I take out everything else? 'Cause like, it's such a hassle sometimes... and my wallet would probably be a lot happier.

flag	asked Feb 17 2012 at 2:14 April S.♦ 11.9k●1●13●47

If you don't have health issues (like absorption issues..), then try your best to get most of your vitamins from food. I agree with many of the posts below -such as keeping magnesium. – Senneth Feb 17 2012 at 16:44

malapert · Answer 1 · 2012-02-17 02:47:24Z UTC

3

This is surely standard advice: Track the week in Fitday/etc -- food and supplements -- and see where you fall. Track and adjust; test and adjust.

answered Feb 17 2012 at 2:47

malapert
749●2●12

Dragonfly · Answer 2 · 2012-02-17 02:26:59Z UTC

As long as you test your D level, every 6 months, to make sure you are staying sufficient, I think you have a good plan!

(Don't assume that you are getting enough just from sun exposure. I moved to Santa Fe last year & dropped my dose and my blood level dropped, too. I just wasn't able to stay out in the hot sun at 7,000 feet without getting a burn & I am dark-complected, so i wasn't absorbing as much as I thought.)

ETA: Maybe add some natto or gouda cheese (if you can handle dairy) for K2.

Eric · Answer 3 · 2012-02-17 04:32:16Z UTC

2

Keep the magnesium for sure.

answered Feb 17 2012 at 4:32

Eric
22.5k●1●17●68

Tag · Answer 4 · 2012-02-17 13:28:20Z UTC

You could begin culturing /fermenting your vegetables and acquire some of those vitamins, particularly the b vitamins the more natural paleo way. I consume very few vegetables that aren't fermented. My breakfast almost always consists of sauted fermented veggies in coconut oil or ghee with eggs or some other form of meat. Aside from magnesium, zinc and shilajit, which I consume almost every day, and vitamin d daily in the winter, I take. The other vitamins and minerals sporadically over the course of a week.

jjtitus · Answer 5 · 2012-02-17 21:41:25Z UTC

Is there any reason in particular you're taking CoQ10...? It seems like with the meats and seafood you eat you should be fine, maybe add a little more liver (once a week) or heart... I personally experimented with CoQ10 and PQQ for a while and didn't notice any difference, I actually felt worse, but that's just my n=1.

Should I stop taking supplements?

5 Answers