Supplements. I get asked pretty much every single day what I put in my body.
I share about my nutrition all the time — tons of free recipes on the blog + the HBMP and Guiltless Nutrition Guide. But what I don’t talk about much are the supplements I take. So I wanted to share the non-food ways I nourish my body with you babes!
Cheers!
First thing in the Am, I drink ACV (apple cider vinegar) in my water. No, it doesn’t taste good. And yeah, it kinda reminds me of dying Easter eggs. But the benefits are worth it. Don’t believe me? Read on! ACV:
- Promotes better digestion — which we all need but especially me with hypo
- Balances blood sugar levels — aka fewer cravings
- Helps build immunity — cause ain’t nobody got time for gettin’ sick
- Natural detox — it helps your liver do its thang + keep bacteria at bay
- Psst- I put about a teaspoon in about 8 oz of water. Bottoms up!
Hi, my name is Katie and I’m addicted to collagen
JK… kinda. But really, I am always sure to get in my collagen in the morning. I love to add collagen peptides/coconut creamer/whey isolate protein powder to my morning coffee. Helps perk me up, build muscle, feel my best… annnnd it tastes so dang good! I also drink a smoothie or shake with collagen within the first 30 minutes after a workout to help my body refuel and recover.
Gettin’ my Zzzs on
Every night before bed, I drink a magnesium “tea” before bed. Omg does it help! So not only does it help me wind down and relax, but also so many of us are deficient in magnesium! There are sooo many symptoms of magnesium deficiency and they’re all awful. Fatigue, stress, inability to sleep, anxiety, muscle cramps, etc. etc. etc. AKA do yourself a favor and incorporate this into your life, too!Those are kinda the 3 staples to my daily supplement routine that exist outside of my hypo. But since I have hypothyroidism, my docs have recommended a few other protocols based on my blood panels. EVEN IF you do NOT have hypo, this list will still be v helpful, promise. Also, I’m def not a doctor, but I know they do recommend annual CBC for everyone — even if you’re totally healthy, so ya might wanna hop on that if it’s been a minute.
Gimme all the Probiotics
But seriously. Give me billions of them. Daily. Sound excessive? It’s not! When you’re choosing your own probiotic, do your homework. Right now I am LOVING Ultra Strength Nature Made Digestive Probiotics…which have 30 billion CFU!Also, make sure you’ve got the right strains in there. Screenshot this, because you’re not going to memorize these names… You’ll wanna look for strains like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Bifidobacterium lactis (Told ya.). These are the ones that do some major heavy lifting for your gut!Make sure that they’re live cultures. The bottle should say something like “live cultures”– much more effective than dead probiotics. Honestly, don’t waste your time there. I’ve been using the Ultra-Strength Nature Made Digestive Probiotics, and they check all the key boxes
Multivitamins are your friend
These days, even with the best nutrition and cleanest ingredients, it can be hard to meet our body’s needs. A lot of our food is nutritionally bankrupt compared to what it was decades ago. It’s just a fact that our big farming practices have really messed with our food. Our soil simply has fewer vitamins and minerals than it did decades ago, and therefore so do the foods being grown on it.So what’s a girl to do!? Supplement. I love my Nature Made Multi for Her multivitamin gummies. Such an easy thing to do that’s an amazing and affordable investment in my health!
B12
In addition to my multivitamin, I also take vitamin B12 since my body has such a hard time absorbing it. Because vitamin B12 is only found in foods of animal origin such as chicken, beef, fish, milk and eggs, if you follow a strict vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, you’re probably not eating enough vitamin B12.
Fish oil
Those of you with the HBMP know that I looooove salmon. Like it’s my go-to for so many dishes and that shows in the meal plan, I know. But on the days when I’m not eating salmon, I make sure to give my body what it deserves with a fish oil supplement.
I know a lot of you are prob gagging thinking of the big ol pill and its fishy aftertaste, but I swear by the Nature Made Fish Oil Adult Gummies You guys, they make a Burpless variety and a gummy one. Uh c’mon. That is TOO good. The gummies get a thumbs up from me because they not only taste delicious, but their flavoring and coloring are from all natural sources. V important.
So there you have it! Now you basicallllly know every single thing I put in my body to keep it workin its hardest so I can keep working my hardest! These are what I do every single day that work for my body. A lot of them will likely work for you and are things you should incorporate, too! But just remember, we are all different.
Also! I do randomly use a few other things, depending on how I’m feeling. Literally. There are some adaptogens that I like to incorporate based on what my hormones or mood are doing on any given day, like maca (hormone balance), ashwagandha (hormones — specifically testosterone), and blue-green algae (two fave recipes here and here).
These may sound a little hippie-dippie if you’re just hearing of them, but they’re legit. We went in depth about the amazing benefits of ashwagandha that also dives into an overview on adaptogens, so it’s worth a read to understand why these herbs are so helpful! And how you, too, might wanna use them!
Whew! That was long! But I hope it was helpful, since I get soooo many DMs asking me to share this info! Drop a comment below to ask any qs you may have about my routine, and share what you are doing to help support your body to do its best every single day!
@lovesweatfitness
Since you have changed up your multivitamins over the years, do you think the vitamin code vitamins you used to take which are expensive are better or the Nature Made ones that are less expensive? I’m just curious because over time I have also changed from taking Nature Made B vitamins to more expensive vitamins (Mega Foods) right now. However, I would like to save money.
I think the Nature Made ones are great as well!
Question when it comes to the magnesium, first off I was drinking the night time natural calm but I switched to the magnesium vitamin itself. Is that something you would suggest? I figured I already pop all my vitamins at night why not add another instead of a drink. Just curious on your thoughts?
Yah that’s totally fine, I like the drink as I feel better going to sleep…but that is a great way to get it as well.
Hi Katie! Thank you for all the helpful info on how you nourish your Hypo – It gives me hope that I too can get my weight under control with my own hypo issues! I have a question regarding when you take these vitamins. Most doctors require a 30min-60min window after you take your thyroid meds to not eat or drink anything. Do you have a suggested time of day to take your digestive, multivitamin, b12, and fish oil to get full benefits?
Hi Katie, you mentored magnesium tea, do you have some sort of recipe? is it just adding powder to your tea?
It’s just adding the powder to water or tea 🙂
Great, thank you so much
🙂
I have a seafood/shellfish allergy. Do you have a recommendation of what to take instead of fish oil? Thanks in advance!
You might want to check on this one, but Algal Oil is another great source of omega 3 – it’s derived from algae
I just found your YT – but Im curious why you take testosterone? Ive read some research that probiotics dont help in any significant way. Could you share sources or research you rely on? I was dxd hypo / Hoshimotos 7 years ago but just started 112 mcg Levo this year when my Hair fell out.TSH was 11. Im lethargic af and cant wait for the symptoms to stop. You say you still suffer with many effects, shouldnt that be a concern for your dr? I was told symptoms should diminish within a year and if not its nec to… Read more »
I don’t take testosterone. I always love sharing my journey but it’s super important to stop short of giving any type of medical advice. It’s very common to struggle with balancing levels when dealing with hypo, which I still to this day have to work on. Every individual is going to be different as well, so what may work for one, doesn’t work for all 🙂
For hair health, do you recommend something specific or doing the combo of what you take above does the trick? Thank you! I’m so ready to start growing my hair healthy and have it not feel dry.
Hey! Everyone is going to have different needs, so try some different ones to address what you need and see what works best 🙂
Hello. I have a very low thyroid… I’ve never addressed the problem till now. You mentioned Maca, ashwaganda, & blue-green algae for hormone balance… Do you know of a good brand that have a combination of these you recommend? Or will I have to find and buy the powders individualy at the health food store. I’m all for All-in-ones!!:D Thank you….
Mostly have to buy them individually right now!
I love all these recommendations. From my experience with supplements I learned that I can’t trust supplements bought off the internet all the supplements I bought from Facebook ads have made my health a bit worse…. I have learned to only shop at local health food stores for that type of thing because I know I can trust their products to do no harm
That is a good idea for sure!
Love all your videos and advice! I also struggle with Hypo and have recently gained weight. I am starting my hopeful weight loss journey. Do you use any protein powders that are plant based with no soy or heavy metals? I’m struggling to find something. Thank you!!
Hi Heather! Yes, I like Orgain’s Plant Powered Protein powder 🙂
Thank you! I did see that one! I was trying to be cautious on one that was plant based, I didn’t want anything high in heavy metals. Which I understand can be hard with the plants being grown in soil. So many mixed reviews on products!