Top 7 Supplements to Boost Energy and Banish Brain Fog

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Being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease is no fun, and neither are its symptoms. Let’s face it, it sucks! One of the main issues I had to deal with before I was diagnosed was debilitating fatigue. Even after treatment, though I felt better (far better than what I expected and far sooner), I was still tired – more than I should have been.

That fatigue came from my body being malnourished. Yes, you can live in America and be malnourished. As a matter of fact, according to the The Guardian, 85 percent of Americans lack essential nutrients and suffer with what’s called “hidden hunger”. Webster’s dictionary defines hidden hunger as “A nutritional deficiency caused by lack of balance in an otherwise full diet”.

Why Supplements are Important

I’ll tell you now that if it were not for supplements I would not be able to do what I do in my daily life effectively. Fatigue would set in and without doubt my brain would be so foggy it would resemble the San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge on it’s foggiest day.

Without supplements my brain would be so foggy weather reports would be given about it. Without supplements my brain would be so foggy people would offer me a raincoat from the mist coming from it. Without..well, I think you get it by now (lol). Enough of the one liners already.

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Listen, it’s important to get as many of our nutrients from real food as often and as much as possible. Yet, I admit I love a good grass-fed cheeseburger and Lord help me if I get some chili cheese fries.

But if I’m looking to live a life where I have the energy to kick my heels up everyday and to have a healthy, clear thinking brain I can’t eat that all the time and I need to counteract my grass-fed burger and chili cheese fries treat days as well as my overall health with supplements.

Supplements can play a vital role in making sure we get the full spectrum of essential vitamins and minerals we otherwise lack in our diet. They can help take you from “meh” to “yeah!”.

If you decide to add vitamins into your “diet” do your due diligence and make sure what you’re taking is bioavailable (easily absorbed) and free of additives as much as possible. Here are some of my top 7 supplements to help boost energy, fight fatigue, and banish brain fog.

  1. B Complex – This is a combination of eight vitamins that are essential for converting food into fuel. Low energy, brain fog, and moodiness are common symptoms of B vitamin deficiencies.
  2.  Magnesium – A mineral that has numerous benefits including fighting fatigue, calming nerves, assisting with quality sleep, and cardiovascular disease.
  3. Chlorella – Is a “super food” that is an algae and helps the body to detox from metals and can be used medicinally to treat such ailments as cancer, reduce the side effects of radiation, boost immunity, and fight fatigue. I take this in pill form or sometimes buy the powder and put it in my smoothies. I notice that for me chlorella also helps curb my appetite as well as helps me from getting bloated. Be sure you buy the purest form of Chlorella as there are some not so pure brands out there.
  4. Ashwaganda – An herb I can’t live without. This powerful herb revitalizes, helps to lower the stress hormone cortisol, and balances thyroid hormones.
  5. Bacopa Monnieri – Comes from a plant and is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine. Let me tell you, this is a life saver for me, or I should say a brain saver. This powerful plant is tremendously helpful in relieving stress and for combating brain fog and boosting memory.
  6. Gingko Biloba – Is a plant and is another powerful brain booster that is my second “go-to” for helping fight brain fog. Studies show it assists with opening up blood vessels in the brain thereby allowing better circulation.
  7. Co Enzyme Q10 – I’m cheating on this one a little because it’s not actually a supplement but rather a substance found in every cell in the human body. Available as a supplement it helps to generate energy between cells. It can improve blood cholesterol levels as well as play a significant role in the use of oxygen and energy production thereby creating more energy in the body.

By adding one or more of these supplements into your daily routine you can expect increased energy, less fatigue, better stress management, less brain fog and clearer thinking, and perhaps even a couple of unwanted pounds shed. Just remember to talk with your health care practitioner before starting any vitamin or supplement regimen. And after you get the go ahead, make sure you read label instructions and be consistent. As I always tell you, consistency is key in making long term changes in your health and happiness.

Cheers, until next time!

Warning: Your Gut May Be Making You Sick

 

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The great Greek physician Hippocrates, considered to be one of the most influential, well known physicians in the history of medicine said, “All disease begins in the gut. And, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Over 2000 years later – science, medicine, and the field of nutrition have discovered just how right he was.

Gut Health and Your Thyroid

Did you know our gut can cover the surface of two tennis courts if laid out flat? How dang amazing is that? The gut is home to 70 percent of the immune tissue in our body. That immune tissue, as a whole, is called GALT (gut associated lymphoid tissue). Isn’t that lovely? Was thinking of using it as a nickname.

This incredible system carries out attacks and creates antibodies to fight against antigens, which the immune system takes stock of and considers a possible threat. Think of it as the Secret Service of the immune system.

The gut is essentially outside your body. It looks like a hollow tube and passes all the way from your mouth to the anus. Anything your body doesn’t digest comes out at the other end – also known as pooping (yes I said that).

One of the most essential functions of the gut is to prevent foreign and toxic  substances such as bacteria from passing into the body.

Problems arise when the defensive components of the gut is compromised. This can happen when the intestinal wall becomes porous and accessible; large protein molecules slip into the bloodstream and your thyroid can become ineffective and powerless.

Studies show these invasions into the gut play a huge role in the development of thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto’s, the most common thyroid disease in the United States.

Why It’s Important to Have a Healthy Gut

It’s been said “our gut is our second brain”. A healthy gut can make a verifiable difference in how you feel as well as in how you look.

Why? How? A healthy gut (or unhealthy for that matter) affects all systems in your body – from digestion, to skin, mood, brain health, immunity, and energy. I’m not even kidding, this is serious stuff folks.

If you want to have a healthy thyroid which in turn affects the way everything else in your body operates, then you want to make sure you have a healthy gut. The combination of a healthy gut and a healthy thyroid will make you feel as if you have superpowers. And you will!

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Symptoms of an Unhealthy Gut

Symptoms of an unhealthy gut can vary from the noticeable to the not so noticeable. The noticeable or obvious can look like abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, frequent infections and/or colds.

The not so noticeable (you know, where you can’t quite put your finger on it or connect it to a bigger issue), which you may not think could be related to an unhealthy gut, can look like depression, mood swings, irritability (who isn’t irritable when their stomach is upset or when they’re constipated? My family tends to look for an exorcist).

Skin problems like acne, rosacea, eczema, diabetes, poor memory and concentration are also symptoms which you may not directly relate to an unhealthy gut. To determine if you have a gut issue take this test.

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Bottom Line

If you want to feel and look your best then you need to make sure you have a healthy thyroid, and afterwards you need to check the health of your gut. The human body is an ecosystem and we want to make sure that system is functioning at it’s best, so we can live, thrive, and age well.

Till’ next time, be well!

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