To say that many people in America aren’t getting the daily nutrients they need to maintain good health is to put it mildly. The Standard American Diet, with its overabundance of empty calories, and refined sugars and carbs, has undermined much of the country’s health. Very likely, you’ve seen the effects of this in your own practice.
Fortunately, for patients who are trying to rebuild their health by cultivating appropriate lifestyle and dietary habits, there are supplemental nutrients that can help reinvigorate their mental and physical well-being. In a multi-ingredient formula, these nutrients can be the foundation of a daily regimen that makes notable positive changes, including:
- Increased daily energy and positive outlook
- Improved resilience and focus during stress
- Better physical vitality
- Reduced chronic pain and fatigue
- Robust immune, heart, and overall health
A daily multi-nutrient powder drink mix that includes bioactive and readily utilized vitamins, minerals, and amino acids for building daily mental and physical energy and recovery from acute or chronic conditions.
Why Foundational Multi-Nutrient Support Matters
When your patients are trying to rebuild their health by cultivating appropriate lifestyle and dietary habits, there are supplemental nutrients that can help reinvigorate their mental and physical well-being. In a multi-ingredient formula, these nutrients can be the foundation of a daily regimen that makes notable positive changes. As a dosage-adjustable powdered drink mix, it also provides the flexibility—a key to compliance—that they’ll appreciate.
While there are those who criticize the idea of multivitamins as being unnecessary because one should be able to get all the nutrients they need from food, it is all too common for daily intakes to fall far short of that ideal. So there are good reasons to recommend a multi-nutrient supplement to patients who are also suffering from lack of mental and physical energy to help fill in the gaps that may not be covered, even with a shift to a healthy diet.
And in fact, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that multivitamin use significantly reduced total cancer risk in men by eight percent, and by 27 percent in men with a previous incidence of cancer.
Considering the overwhelming dominance of ultra-processed foods in the Western diet, and increasingly worldwide, it’s not surprising that any additional nutrients would help. And if those supplemental nutrients are in readily absorbed and utilized forms, so much the better.
Readily Utilized Nutrients Help Your Patients Thrive
The vitamins, minerals, and amino acids listed in this table may be in different forms from those found in common mass-market supplements. They are recommended because they offer better absorption, bioavailability, and efficacy.
| VITAMINS | ||
| NUTRIENT | RECOMMENDED BEST FORM & WHY | DAILY DOSAGE |
| Vitamin A | Retinyl forms of vitamin A. These forms (like retinyl palmitate) are more readily used by the body, for vision, hair, skin, and immune health. | 2,500 to 5,000 IU[DS1]
(1500 mcg) |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) | Thiamine HCl. Vitamin B1 is critical for proper brain functioning, making it especially important in those with brain fog and feelings of mental fatigue. It is also critical for heart function, is also used therapeutically in dementia, anxiety, neuropathy, chronic fatigue, alcoholism, confusion, depression, pain, memory loss, and disequilibrium. | 25 to 50 mg
|
| Niacin
(Vitamin B3) |
Niacin and niacinamide. Niacin is critical for energy production and may also slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Recommending two forms of this nutrient can ensure a wider spectrum of beneficial action. Additionally, niacinamide helps prevent the ‘flushing’ feeling frequently associated with niacin. |
25 to 50 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | Vitamin B6 as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate (P-5-P). Essential for proper muscle response and exercise recovery, blood pressure and blood sugar regulation, nerve health, and metabolism. As a bioactive form of vitamin B6, P-5-P is beneficial to individuals with poor liver conversion activity. | 12.5 to 25 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | Methylcobalamin. Like P-5-P, the methylcobalamin form of vitamin B12 requires no conversion by the liver, making it a bioactive form that is readily available to fuel daily energy needs and assist patients with nerve, mood, blood glucose, and blood pressure concerns. | 250 to 500 mcg |
| Biotin | D-biotin. Biotin is essential for healthy skin, hair, nerve cells, cellular energy production, fatty acid synthesis, and mental well-being. | 200 to 500 mcg |
| Vitamin C | Vitamin C. Vitamin C is well known for its immune, antioxidant, tissue-healing, and adrenal supporting actions. | 250 to 500 mg |
| Choline | Choline Bitartrate. Choline is a must for women who are pregnant or nursing because it plays a key role in neural development and memory. For other patients, choline is essential for cognitive function and focus, exercise recovery, liver protection, and the cardiovascular system. | 50 to 100 mg |
| Vitamin D | Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol). This form is the same as the type synthesized by the body. It helps build bone density, strengthens knee cartilage, protects brain cells, improves mood, and may prevent cancer. | 12.5 mcg to 25 mcg (500 IU to I,000 IU) |
| Folate | Methylfolate instead of folic acid. This active form of folate requires no conversion by the liver. Folate keeps the heart strong and
the mind focused. Although this dosage level is less than the RDA for folic acid, the methylfolate form is more readily used by the body. |
170 to 340 mcg DFE (dietary folate equivalent) |
| Vitamin E | Vitamin E as d-alpha and mixed tocopherols. Getting the vitamin E in the full family of alpha, beta, delta, and gamma is closer to the way it is naturally found in food. The interaction of all of these components protects against damaging free radicals, prevents the oxidation and build-up of cholesterol in the arteries, keeps nerve cells healthy, boosts the immune system, and helps DNA replicate properly. | 25 to 50 mg (75 IU) |
| Vitamin K2 | Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone 7). This form of vitamin K2 is extracted from the Japanese fermented food, natto, and works with vitamin D to guide calcium into the bones and keep it out of the arteries. | 50 to 100 mcg |
| MINERALS | ||
| NUTRIENT | RECOMMENDED BEST FORM & WHY | DAILY DOSAGE |
| Boron | Boron as fructoborate. This form of boron is highly bioavailable, and helps the body absorb and use vitamin D and magnesium. Boron also reduces inflammatory markers, and may improve mental, protect joints, and preserve lean muscle mass. | 750 to 2,000 mcg (2 mg) |
| Chromium | Chromium nicotinate glycinate chelate. This form is more efficiently absorbed than picolinate or chloride forms and remains in the bloodstream longer. Chromium is essential for daily energy, metabolism, and blood sugar regulation. Chromium may be useful treating depression, particularly when carbohydrate craving is a prominent symptom. | At least 100 to
200 mcg— Possibly more if patients have absorption, blood sugar, or metabolic concerns |
| Copper | Copper glycinate chelate. Copper is crucial for blood cell formation, transporting iron in red blood cells, strengthening the immune system, and building strong bones. Without copper, anemia is almost certain to follow, along with heart disease, blood sugar issues, and arthritis. | 0.5 to 1.0 mg |
| Iodine | Potassium iodide. This is the best form for daily maintenance. The thyroid requires iodine to create thyroid hormones. It is critical for energy levels, metabolism, hair and skin health, and tumor prevention. Virtually every cell in the body has a receptor for iodine. However, those receptor sites may be influenced by fluoride, chloride, and other potentially harmful iodine mimics, so daily iodine levels are important. | 100 to 200
mcg |
| Manganese | Manganese glycinate chelate. Manganese deficiency is a potential cause of osteoporosis. Manganese builds bone and joint tissue and activates an enzyme called prolidase, which helps heal injuries and assists the body to form collagen. | 1 to 2 mg |
| Magnesium | Magnesium glycinate chelate. This form is better absorbed and easier on the stomach, especially at larger dosages. Magnesium helps metabolize B vitamins, provides muscle cells with energy, eases muscle recovery after heavy exercise, helps the thyroid operate properly, fuels the body at a cellular level, and promotes mental well-being. | 100 to 200 mg |
| Molybdenum | Molybdenum glycinate chelate. Molybdenum helps the body metabolize and process proteins, detoxifies sulfites and other potential compounds that interfere with proper hormonal activity, and prevents buildup of medications. | 125 mcg |
| Selenium | Selenium (as selenium yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Selenium helps convert thyroid hormone T4 to active T3. Selenium also protects the thyroid from oxidative damage and may help prevent autoimmune conditions that could otherwise lead to chronic inflammation throughout the body. | 25 to 55 mcg |
| Zinc | Zinc chelated to amino acid glycine. Zinc promotes muscle recovery and helps heal tendons and ligaments. Zinc strengthens immune responses and may alleviate depression symptoms and anxiety disorders. | 7.5 to 15 mg |
| AMINO ACIDS & OTHER NUTRIENTS | ||
| Taurine | L-Taurine. This non-protein amino acid preserves cardiovascular strength, enhances mental focus, maintains positive mood, nourishes the eyes, and promotes overall well-being. | 250 to 500 mg |
| Glycine | L-Glycine. Like other amino acids, glycine serves multiple purposes. In one clinical study, glycine plue N-acetylcysteine reduced oxidative stress and inflammation and improved muscle strength, cognition, and glutathione levels in older adults. | 200 to 400 mg
(390 mg) |
| Tyrosine | L-tyrosine. A required nutrient to help create thyroid hormones, L-tyrosine levels are also critical for the production of adrenaline and dopamine, two neurotransmitters. | 250 to 500 mg
(377 mg) |
| Serine | L-Serine. Has a strong antioxidant capacity and can significantly reduce symptoms of fibromyalgia. Supplementation may also reduce weight regain during fasting by increasing the body’s ability to burn fat. | 120 to 240 mg
|
| Betaine | Betaine Anhydrous. May alleviate chronic fatigue symptoms and reduce homocysteine levels to lower risk of heart disease. | 175 to 350 mg |
| N-acetylcysteine | N-acetylcysteine (NAC). NAC is critical for glutathione synthesis which may assist patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, and for keeping vitamins C and E in their active forms. | 250 to 650 mg |
Counteracting Ultra-Processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are now estimated to make up to 50 percent of the dietary intake of developed nations. The ultimate cost of this trend of these calorie-dense, but nutritionally poor foods is already seen in skyrocketing rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and depression.
Nutritional experts believe that beginning in the 1990s, the engineering of food for its addictive qualities led to increased and repeated consumption began to change average weights, body shape, and overall health. Sadly, this trend has not shown any signs of retreat. And for those who have known only processed foods from childhood, it takes remarkable strength and practitioner guidance to overcome the pull of this unhealthy trap.
That’s why a multi-faceted approach to whole mind and body health is especially helpful. Patients who struggle with a dependence on ultra-processed foods need encouragement to switch to a diet of wholesome, healthy foods that sustain, rather than drain, their energy and their mental and physical well-being. Referrals to dieticians and other professionals may also provide additional coaching along with your care that will help them begin a new chapter in their lives marked by renewed vitality.
A Multi-Nutrient Powder Drinks Strengthens Patient Compliance
Some patients have a very difficult time swallowing pills or simply don’t want to. The benefit of a powder drink mix is that it allows for effective levels of ingredients in an easy-to-take form. A multi-ingredient powdered drink mix can be blended with smoothies, yogurt, or any favorite beverage, ensuring a greater likelihood of patient compliance and consistent results. It also allows for more flexible dosing; some patients may want to start with a half-dosage level of these nutrients or mix half the powder into a smoothie at breakfast, and the other half into yogurt at lunch. Either way, they are likely to notice a difference with vitamin and mineral forms that will have more impact than common varieties of vitamins that they may have tried in the past.
Mind and Body Well Being Depend on Foundational Nutrients
Regardless of a person’s weight, income, or status, one cohort study of European teens found that every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed foods led to a corresponding decrease in executive function scores. These foods aren’t only harming peoples’ bodies; they are harming their minds as well.
The problem is no less serious for adults: the data from two long-term studies show that those in the highest quintile of ultra-processed food consumption show a 25-35 percent increased risk of all-cause dementia.
This overabundance of refined sugar and carbs in the diet also leads to nutrient deprivation, since there’s little room in the caloric intake for whole, healthy foods. So it is not uncommon for people to be nutrient deficient, even with an abundance of available food choices. It’s difficult for anyone who is used to eating ultra-processed foods to break free from the habit. That’s why, when your patients are trying to change course, and live better, healthier lives, they deserve your professional guidance and encouragement, along with lifestyle and nutrient recommendations that can help make their goals a reality.
