3 Game-Changing Supplements You Need Now
Taking What Works in The Mediterranean Diet and Applying it to Your Supplement Regimen
Having spent my entire professional life at the intersection of nutrition and health while living in the real world, I know that it’s tough to maintain this perfect eating program every single day. There are a few specific supplements that can support your health in ways that even nine servings of fruits and vegetables cannot.
Purified Fish Oil
I take 1,000 mg of a highly purified omega-3 fish oil supplement, because I can’t always get enough seafood. I would rather get a little too much omega-3 than risk not getting enough. Unfortunately, enough mercury is in the ocean food chain now that it can concentrate in fish oils, so only take fish oil supplements that have been purified using the “supercritical CO2” method. This process uses very cold carbon dioxide gas and no chemical solvents to extract the omega-3s from the fish oil. It leaves behind all mercury and other impurities.
Resveratrol
You have probably heard about the benefits of red wine. These benefits are thought to come from resveratrol, a powerful polyphenol and anti-fungal chemical found in the skin of grapes and also found in red wine, in small amounts. Resveratrol is one of the most exciting supplements around because of its power as an antioxidant and its role in slowing the rate of cellular aging. Harvard-educated researchers Dr. Christoph Westphal and Dr. David Sinclair conducted genetic research on resveratrol and call it the fountain of youth. But not all resveratrol is created equally.
Resveratrol in the “trans” form – the form the body can use – can be harvested in very high concentrations from other natural plant sources. This provides the resveratrol content equivalent of over 100 glasses of red wine in a concentrated supplement.
Lycopene
We know that Mediterranean people feast on the freshest fruits and vegetables, such as locally grown, ripe tomatoes. Unlike the store-bought variety we find here, the traditional Mediterranean diet calls for vibrant red, vine-ripened tomatoes. The carotenoid that gives tomatoes their distinctive color when ripe is called lycopene, and it is another powerful antioxidant. In the body, lycopene is known to support cardiovascular health, to protect skin from sun-induced aging, and to limit LDL cholesterol oxidation.
