Over the years I had to take many prescription drugs for various health conditions. I realized that a nutrition rich diet alone isn’t enough to healthy body & mind.
During my 2 pregnancies my Doctor prescribed me Folic acid and Calcium supplement. Last year I had to take Calcium supplement for 3 months due to knee pain. Recently, I took B-complex for one month due to mouth ulcer!
I have written this article based on my life experience and weeks of research. This article is bit lengthy, but contains highly valuable information (print-worthy) you don’t want to miss!
1. Omega 3 fatty acids & flax seeds
These are both great sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. They are different and both beneficial because they each provide two separate types of omega-3 fatty acids.
I realized the importance of Omega 3 when I was struggling to conceive a baby due to PCO.
How to get it?
Fish oil can obviously be obtained through eating a diet rich in fish, but many people can benefit from supplementing with fish oil supplements. Most people can derive benefits from taking between 2 and 6 grams per day. If you want to try to eat enough fish to get all of the omegas you need, keep in mind that 3.5 ounces of fish will yield about 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids.
Some examples of health fish include mackerel, tuna, salmon, sturgeon, mullet, blue fish, anchovy, sardines, herring, trout, and menhaden.
(ref: https://www.healthxchange.sg/food-nutrition/supplements/omega-three-reasons-women-need-it)
Whether you get your fish oil from supplementation or from consuming fish, you can be confident that you will improve multiple things including: mental health, triglyceride levels, heart health and high blood pressure.
Women and men as well can also see reproductive health benefits. Additionally, fish oil has been said to help with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, dyslexia, movement disorders, obesity, kidney disease, weak bones, and others.
Flaxseed
Another great supplement is flaxseed. As mentioned above, also provides healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It is different than fish oil and has a few added benefits. To start with, flaxseed provides fiber for health digestive function. Secondly, flaxseed is one of the few non-seafood sources of alpha linoleic acid, and omega-3 fatty acid that is one of the basic building blocks of cells.
Another great thing about flaxseed is that it contains high levels of polyunsaturated fats. A full 42 percent of flaxseed is oil and 70 percent of that is healthy polyunsaturated fat. The omegas found in flaxseed oil as well as the other healthy components are what make it as beneficial as fish oil for a variety of conditions.
2. Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that keeps your nerves and red blood cells healthy. It’s used to convert carbohydrates into glucose within the body, so that’s why it helps with energy production and decreasing fatigue in the body.
B12 is also helpful for nerve health and reducing depression and stress related disorders. Among B12′s other benefits include: maintaining digestive health, protecting against heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels, and protecting against stroke and high blood pressure. It’s also vital for healthy skin, hair and nails; it assists in cell reproduction and skin cell turnover and can even protect against breast, colon, and lung cancers.
When people are deficient in B12, they often report feeling fatigued. People at the highest risk of B12 deficiency are strict vegetarians, heavy drinkers, smokers, and pregnant and breast-feeding women. Often times people who have one or more types of gastrointestinal problems will have difficulty absorbing B12 properly.
Since B12 is water-soluble, it is hard to overdose and it’s a pretty safe bet to supplement regularly if you think the intake from your diet isn’t adequate.
(ref: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/)
3. DHEA – Dehydroepiandrosterone
When women have hormonal imbalances, vitamins are often not enough to help them feel better. This is because vitamins are typically not enough to restore unbalanced hormones.
Hormonal balance is very important for women though, especially those aged 35 or over. And the most important hormones for women to be concerned with are estrogen and progesterone.
Dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA for short, is a steroid hormone (also known as a pro-hormone) that comes from cholesterol and is secreted by the adrenal glands.
DHEA is a Sex Hormone
DHEA is used to make all of the major sex hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This powerful hormone is important for this metabolic pathway and it decreases as we age.
Besides DHEA, the adrenal glands also produce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenal exhaustion can often be the cause constant fatigue as is created when the body deals with chronic stress, poor nutrition, dieting, and emotional turmoil without any relief.
When this happens it means your adrenals are exhausted from excess production of cortisol and have trouble producing enough DHEA. This results in hormonal imbalance.
Many women have some signs of adrenal imbalance or “adrenal fatigue” including symptoms of low DHEA levels, such as: extreme fatigue, decreased muscle mass, decreased bone density, depression, aching joints, loss of libido, and lowered immunity.
(ref: https://www.womensinternational.com/portfolio-items/dhea/)
Without testing, it is impossible to know your DHEA levels. Aging alone doesn’t mean that your levels will be low. Many of the over-the-counter DHEA supplements are very concentrated and contain very high levels of DHEA so it can be dangerous to experiment with them without a doctor’s supervision.
Furthermore, taking DHEA supplements won’t help you if your adrenals are exhausted. Because this is a more tricky type of supplement than some of the others, the best bet is to meet with your doctor to test your hormone and adrenal status, and then determine the proper type of supplementation that is needed (if any).
4. Glutamine
Glutamine is one of the most important amino acids found in the muscles of your body. In fact, it is actually the most abundant free amino acid. It’s categorized as a semi-essential amino acid, which means that under typical circumstances, your body can manufacture enough on it’s own to meet physiological demands.
However, at times when the body is dealing with extra stress like exercise, trauma, cancer, burns or sepsis, it can be important to supplement this important amino acid.
Glutamine also appears to be necssary for normal brain function and is used by the white blood cells so it has implications for healthy immune system function. Also of note is glutamine’s ability to protect the body from ammonia toxicity, which can increase from exercise.
(ref: https://www.oxygenmag.com/nutrition/glutamine-your-post-sweat-supplement-8866)
Most of the glutamine in the body is found in the skeletal muscle, where it is stored. Hence it can contribute to the preservation of lean muscle when used in supplement form.
This is especially true when the body is dealing with extra stress from exercise and needs important nutrients for muscle growth and maintenance. Most people find that 5-20 grams per day is sufficient, depending on body size, and demand.
5. Vitamin C
Vitamin C (also known as abscorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin. Unlike other mammals, humans don’t have the ability to make their own Vitamin C, so we have to get it through our diet.
The adrenal glands mentioned above are actually a very important organ when it comes to Vitamin C, because they contain the highest amount of Vitamin C of any organ in the body.
Vitamin C is used in the production of collagen, a core component of skin, gums, teeth, tendons, blood vessels, bones, and ligaments. Because it works in partnership with eight other enzymes involved in collagen formation.
(ref: https://www.webmd.com/women/news/20010814/women-need-more-vitamin-c)
Also important is Vitamin C’s role in energy production in the body’s cells. Even small quantities of this crucial vitamin can protect the body’s lipids. It protects proteins, and carbohydrates from damage by free radicals and oxidation by giving the system a way to get rid of toxic metabolic wastes, as well as environmental toxins that can enter the body. Most women can benefit from 1-2 grams of supplemental Vitamin C per day.
6. Green Tea Extract
This supplement is important because it contains a rare trace mineral ‘catechins’. Catechins protect your body against different types of infections, lowers blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and can even improve dental health. It also contains chemicals known as polyphenols, which have strong antioxidant effects in the body.
On top of Green Tea’s powerful antioxidant capabilities, it is also a very effective fat burner. It has thermogenic properties and promotes lipolysis (fat breakdown) via the caffeine it contains, among other things.
(ref: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561408000617)
7. Glucosamine/Chondroitin
If you’re an endurance athlete or lift heavy weights enough, your joints can take a beating. That’s where this supplement comes in. Like fish oil and omega-3s, it plays a huge role in building cartilage, which helps cushion the joints.
It also can help with flexibility and joint mobility. Better flexibility allows for greater range of motion in the joints and muscles, which means better movement in and outside of the gym.
Daily dosages in the 1500 milligram range is sufficient for joint health for most women. (ref: https://draxe.com/glucosamine/)
8. Whey/Soy Powder
Since protein is the main building block for muscle, bone, skin and other tissues, it’s pretty important. And, since we’re busier than we ever, sometimes we don’t make the time to prepare healthy, protein rich meals.
That’s where the protein powders come in. Grabbing a whey isolate shake while on the go during the day is a great way to fight hunger cravings and get a little more protein than you otherwise might.
Unless you’re super active and need extra carbs, taking a shake with 150 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 5 grams of carbs mixed with water is a good way to go.
9. Thermogenic Fat Burners
Although fat burners are not necessary (and I don’t recommend them at all), they can be helpful in certain situations when used properly. The key is to use them only for a short period of time, say several weeks, or perhaps up to two months at the most, and to not over-do it dosage wise.
Many fat burners also contain a rather complex assortment of ingredients, and because it is important to know exactly what you are putting into your body, be careful to read all labels.
Simply put, these supplements work by boosting metabolism and increasing thermogenesis (the body’s process of burning fat without making chemical energy – the calories are released as heat)
The other big thing that these types of supplements can do is suppress appetite. At the same time, they can improve focus and concentration, particularly on activities that might otherwise be difficult to stick with.
At the same time, these types of pills can dangerous if not used properly. People have been known to have side effects such as anxiety, increased heart rate/blood pressure, and even seizures and heart problems when using fat burners that interact poorly with their body. Always read labels and speak with your doctor before experimenting with these types of supplements.
10. Natural Sleep Supplements
In our fast-paced life, we often forget how vital sleep is to our health and functioning. Simply put, we need it! A the end of the day, there’s really no getting around that.
Chronic sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on our systems, messing with cortisol levels, blood sugar, and even hormone levels. Eventually it leads to a decreased metabolism, more fat storage, and increased inflammation in the body.
If you find that you are too “geared” up in the evenings (which can come from many things, including late workouts and too much caffeine consumption) a sleep supplement can often help you get to sleep more efficiently. Both Melatonin and Valerian Root are effective as sleep aids and are generally safe for most women.
11. Free Bonus (Libido Enhancement Supplement)
This is probably unnecessary, however may help you in improving your relationship. A woman is capable of ‘giving/receiving intercourse’ biologically irrespective of her mental condition. Hence, things like ‘male enhancers’ are useless for her.
A man typically loses interest in woman if she isn’t enjoy physical intimacy with him. That’s where libido enhancers comes into play.
Female libido enhancing supplements normally includes: Horny Goat Weed (herb powder) 1000 mg, Maca (herb powder), Macuna Pruriens (L-Dopa), Polypodium Vulgare (herb powder), Tongkat Ali (herb powder), Saw Palmetto (herb powder), Muira Puama (herb powder), Arginine (L-arginine hcl), Panax Ginseng (herb powder).
There you have it, the top ten supplements for women. Remember, to take a supplement as safely as possible, you should:
Conclusion & Note
- Tell your doctor about any supplements or prescription drugs you take
- Do not take a bigger dose than the label recommends – of any type
- Stop taking any supplement if you side effects
- Only read trustworthy information about the supplements you are interested in taking
These supplements aren’t the most original ones out there, and you’ve probably heard of many of them, but they’re very important because they help with some of the most vital processes in the body. If you want to get thin, toned, or just lose a little weight, they can help.