How and When To Take Supplements For Maximum Benefit

How To Get the Most Out of Your Supplements

Have you ever found yourself facing a handful of supplements with your breakfast, struggling to swallow them all down with your orange juice, not really quite sure if any of them will interact with each other, but just wanting to make sure you get them all inside your body before you start your day?

I’m sure we’ve all gone through phases of supplement-popping, detoxing, smoothie drinking and tincture swallowing in order to get our bodies into a better state of health.

However, unless you’re taking these supplements under the supervision and advise of a health care practitioner, you could be taking them incorrectly and thereby not getting the most out of your hard-earned money. Even worse – these supplements could be interacting with one another or with some of your medication and causing more harm than good.

How do you know which supplements are to be taken when? Are some of them on an empty stomach? Some of them with meals and some of them with (or without) one another?

Here are some simple tips to help untangle the mystery behind taking your health supplements properly.

Fat Soluble vs. Water Soluble

This is probably the most important one that you will come across in your supplementation regimen. Vitamins are divided into two major groups – those that dissolve in fat and those that dissolve in water. The former are the ones that need fat in order to be absorbed effectively by the body, such as Vitamins A, D, E and K and therefore should be taken with a meal. The latter are ones that are water soluble and therefore absorption is not dependent on having any fat in the stomach at the same time, so can be taken pretty much any time of day. Luckily for you, all other vitamins fall into this category.

There are several other natural compounds (which are not classified as vitamins), which should be taken with meals, such as amino acids, protein powders and fatty acids (omega fats, fish oils, plant fats).  Please consult with a Naturopath or Nutritionist to find out what the most effective schedule would be.

Time of Day

Not all supplements are meant for the same thing, which means that time of day can be quite important as well. Some vitamins, such as your B vitamins and antioxidants (Vitamin C and ALA) really boost your energy by feeding into your adrenal glands; therefore taking them before you go to bed will disrupt your sleep. The best time to take stimulating vitamins and minerals are in the morning or early afternoon.

On the other hand, certain minerals such as Magnesium, are relaxing to the nervous system, and are best taken in the evening when the body is naturally winding down. This will help to improve sleep quality, although if you’re particularly stressed or high strung, taking them during the day can help with an over-active stress response.

Consistency

The main thing with any healthy habit is to be consistent. Like all things in life, sporadic and inconsistent involvement, whether it is with exercise, healthy eating or supplementation, does not lead to long-term benefits. If your body needs supplementation, it is because you are deficient in a certain nutrient and only regular exposure to the nutrient will address that deficiency. Set up a schedule and stick to that routine for the best results with your supplementation.

What About Green Coffee Bean Extract and Garcinia Cambogia?

Although there have been no scientific studies documenting the exact way or time of day that Green Coffee Bean extract and Garcinia Cambogia should be taken to maximize their weight-loss and metabolism boosting effects, there are certain things that can be deduced from their methods of action.

With Green Coffee Bean extract, it has been proven to be a metabolism booster, curbing appetite and increasing the heat produced in the body. It would seem most logical to take this supplement at least 30 minutes prior to eating a meal, as that would then allow the person to feel the effects of a curbed appetite (therefore eating less, which leads to controlled calorie intake and helping with weight loss) as well as increasing the metabolism, which would help to burn the calories of a meal more efficiently.

With Garcinia Cambogia, whose physiological effects include balancing blood glucose and altering the way in which fat is stored in the body after a meal, the most logical time to take this supplement is either right before or with a meal, This way, the body can take advantage of the Garcinia Cambogia’s ability to moderate blood sugar levels postprandially, plus prevent the meal from being stored as efficiently as fat cells, instead being shunted into use as energy. This would then also help to mitigate any weight gain.

As you can see, understanding the way the vitamins, minerals and natural supplement work within the body is essential in knowing how to take the supplement. This will ensure that you are getting the most out of each supplement, safely and effectively.