I get asked all the time about how to introduce strategic supplements. I will never talk about supplements as the “cure-all” for any condition. The truth is, we need to pair strategic supplements with a clean diet, frequent weight-bearing exercise, and a generally healthy lifestyle for them to make a serious difference in our health.
Begin with Whole Foods to Prime the Body
According to the research, and what I have observed over twenty years practicing pediatric medicine, most of us (kids and adults) are overfed and undernourished.
Eating the Standard American Diet makes it difficult to consume adequate amounts of nutrients, especially for the kids in my practice who are starting from a place of depletion.
In Chapter 8 of my book, Healthy Kids, Happy Moms, I cover some jaw-dropping stats that highlight what we’re up against and why we need supplements to jump-start our road to healing and health:
- 60% of kids don’t eat enough fruit to meet the daily recommendations, and 93% don’t eat enough vegetables.1,2
- Some research suggests that produce grown today has lower nutrient content than it did seventy years ago.3
- 33% of US children and 36% of adults eat fast food on any given day.4,5
- Our body’s ability to break down and absorb nutrients from food is compromised by inflammation, illness, stress, increasing age, and prescription medications (66% of the US population takes prescription medications).6
That being said, I always recommend families do the best they can with eating whole, homemade, nutritious foods, before diving into supplements.
My 7-Day Mini Cleanse was specifically designed to be a gentle way to reset the body through simple swaps to prime the body before introducing strategic supplements.
I use the analogy of “your gut is like a garden.”
This cleanse is a way to “weed and seed” your garden—preparing your body’s “soil” before planting new “seeds” of health.
How to Introduce Strategic Supplements: Prime the Body First
After priming the body through the cleanse, we begin introducing strategic supplements with our Foundational Bundle. There are five foundational supplements, and two “bonus” supplements to consider adding in as well.
Our integrative approach walks you through how to introduce these strategic supplements, one by one, over the course of several weeks. That way, if there is a reaction, good or bad, we know which supplement contributed to it.
When integrated into our routines correctly, these supplements build the foundation our bodies need for absorbing the nutrients we give it and provide it with those key nutrients that are typically missing from our regular diets.
How to Introduce Strategic Supplements: Foundational Supplement Protocol
HKHM Plantadophilus or HKHM SporeBiotic (Probiotics)
Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when ingested, improve our health. In fact, we have hundreds of different bacteria species along our GI tracts. We start our integrative supplement approach by adding in a probiotic.
We like to start with our gentle yet robust, single-strain probiotic, HKHM Plantadophilus. This best-seller, however, is currently out of stock (we anticipate it will be available again in late January) due to popular demand.
This is a great opportunity to incorporate our HKHM SporeBiotic, our spore-based probiotic, instead. Especially if you have been on Plantadophilus for a while, rotating your probiotic is a wonderful way to continue to expose your microbiome to new strains.
HKHM Digestive Enzymes
Next up, digestive enzymes. They help the body assimilate food, while also supporting the microbiome and the immune system (70% of the immune system resides in the gut!).
The HKHM Digest, when combined with a probiotic from the first step, work synergistically to decrease gut inflammation and decrease the amount of undigested food that otherwise remains in the gut.
Digestive enzymes are available in capsules, chewables, or powder form.
HKHM Omega-3s
Omega-3 fats are the third step, and they impact almost every system of our body because they make up part of our cell walls and are critical for overall health, mood, and immune system.
Signs of omega-3 fat deficiency in children are increased thirst, dry hair, dry skin, keratosis pilaris (bumps on the back of the arms, cheeks, or thighs), or brittle nails. Furthermore, kids with ADHD, in particular boys, have been found to be deficient in omega-3 fats.
Omega 3s are availabe in capsule or liquid form.
HKHM Vitamin D + K2
We have a vitamin D receptor on almost every cell of our body, making it essential to our immune system.
Unfortunately one billion people worldwide suffer from vitamin D deficiency and 50% of the US population is vitamin D deficient.
Adding Vitamin D3 + K2 is a part of the fourth week in the strategic supplement plan I use in my practice.
Vitamin D3 + K2 is available in two forms–liquid or capsule.
HKHM MultiVite
Adding our HKHM MultiVite+ is the fifth and final step in our strategic supplement plan. It offers a unique formulation of essential minerals and vitamins that help your family reach the daily recommendations given our current food system.
Our blend is different from other multivitamin formulations. Not only does it contain active B vitamins, but it also has mitochondria-supporting micronutrients for cellular energy production, and it is high in free-radical fighting ingredients.
References:
1. “Children Eating More Fruit, but Fruit and Vegetable Intake Still too Low.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 5, 2014. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0805-fruits-vegetables.html.
2. “Children Eating More Fruit, but Fruit and Vegetable Intake Still too Low.”
3. Davis, D. R., Epp, M. D., & Riordan, H. D. (2004). Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 23(6), 669–682. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2004.10719409
4. “Food Consumption, 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 5, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/visual-gallery/fast-food-consumption.htm?Sort=Title%3A%3Aasc.
5. “Fast Food Consumption Among Adults in the United States, 2013–2016.” NCCHS Dta Brief no. 322. National Center for Health Statistics. October 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db322.htm#:~:text=In%20.
6. Research Findings #21: Health Care Expenses in the United States, 2000. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. April 2004. https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/rf21/rf21.shtml.
