When it comes to your vitamins, I want you to put food first.
You might find this surprising, since I am building a supplements company. But it is important that we do not get it twisted — some things are best left unsupplemented.
My priority is wellbeing. This means everything from improvements to my diet and lifestyle, to consistent exercise and self-care. I do this in the pursuit of the highest level of physical and mental performance that I am capable of.
In an ideal world, we would get everything we need from the food we eat. All of us should aim to get as much as we can from our diet. But the reality of our fast-paced lives means that this is not always possible.
I have noticed that even when I make an effort to eat well, it can still be difficult to get certain highly beneficial compounds from food alone. I can find myself opting for fast food, processed food, or even skipping meals in order to save time. Despite my best intentions, it can be difficult to meet all of my nutritional needs.
Many of us reach for multivitamins to try and fill the gap. But what most people do not realize is that generic supplements are often ineffective. The vast majority of mainstream multivitamins on your supermarket shelf contain an imbalance of nutrients, are of inferior quality, and are not tailored to your individual requirements.
HERE IS WHAT I MEAN WITH FOOD FIRST
It is simple. You should aim to meet most of your nutrient needs through the food you eat. You should opt for meat, fish, eggs, or beans over protein powder. You should opt for fruit, vegetables, and nuts over supplementing with Vitamin C or other essential vitamins and minerals. Similarly for macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). There are many things we can get from food that supplements alone cannot provide.
Try eating as many colorful foods as you can, and fewer white, processed foods. You will be shocked by how nutrient-packed colorful and whole foods can be.
My personal preference is a high-fat, medium-to-high protein, low-carbohydrate diet. I tend to fast for around 14–18 hours and opt for carbs later in the day. I occasionally eat burgers and drink alcohol. I have found that after years of eating like shit and testing my way forward, a moderate approach, where I try and eat a balanced diet but do not completely exclude all ‘unhealthy’ foods is what works for me.
I try to get my fats, proteins, and carbs from sources with as few processed steps as possible. I eat a lot of butter, ghee, and olive oil. I eat quality meats and fish. I eat quality white rice (not Uncle Ben’s) and potatoes. A lot of greens and fruits.
SO WHY VITAMINS?
Even when we put food first, our busy lifestyles, dietary restrictions and genetic variations mean it can be nearly impossible to get absolutely everything we need from the things we eat.
There are 13 essential vitamins that your body’s cells require to function properly: vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins; B6, B12, biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine. A large deficiency in any of these vitamins could lead to serious health problems.
Let us not forget the additional 16 essential minerals your body needs. Minerals can be broken down into macrominerals, the minerals that your body needs in relatively large amounts, and trace minerals are those that your body needs in smaller amounts. The essential macrominerals are calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. The trace minerals your body needs are iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, manganese, and selenium.
All of these vitamins and minerals play an important role in your body. Let us take magnesium as an example. Magnesium plays a vital element in over 300 biochemical reactions, ranging from nerve function to protein synthesis. It is also one of the minerals in which the western world is most deficient.
(I will go into detail about the wonders of magnesium in future posts.)
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GO BEYOND BASIC NUTRIENTS?
When we look beyond the basic nutrients, there are some really interesting categories that can hugely benefit your wellbeing. The most common ones are nootropics, probiotics, and adaptogens.
Nootropics are a class of substances that enhance brain function, the most common nootropic being caffeine. A few notable mentions include L-Arginine (a naturally occurring amino acid), and nicotine. Nootropics can be found in a wide range of botanicals.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that have health benefits when consumed, and are often referred to as ‘friendly bacteria’. They are known to improve gastrointestinal health and there are studies showing the positive effects probiotics can have on your skin too. Probiotics are most commonly found in fermented food like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha.
Though Nootropics might bring to mind a sketchy substance similar to the pill in the movie ‘Limitless’ with Bradley Cooper, or Adderall, luckily this is not the case. The beautiful thing about nootropics is that they are found in a lot of different botanicals and fruits — meaning that they do not have to be synthetically made in a laboratory.
Synthetically-made prescription nootropics like Adderall and Ritalin have the most significant effect on attention and memory. Natural nootropics like caffeine and L-Theanine are typically more subtle and slower-acting. This is why natural nootropics are often taken in a combination to boost their effectiveness. I prefer natural nootropics due to their added value which contain polyphenol and adaptogens.
Polyphenol and adaptogens are a category of plant compounds that provide various health benefits. Polyphenols are often found in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. They are common in foods like berries, cacao beans, tea, and red wine.
The main advantage with Polyphenols is that they act as great antioxidants, neutralizing harmful free radicals that can otherwise damage cells, and they are also known to reduce inflammation in the body. Polyphenol-rich extracts from fruits have been found to have cognitive-enhancing effects.
Adaptogens are often found in plant roots and herbs. They are similar to polyphenols, and it can be argued that polyphenols can act as adaptogens as well. Adaptogens are believed to help the body adjust to physical, chemical, biological, and psychological stress. The most common adaptogens are Ashwagandha and Ginseng.
WHY LEGACY VITAMINS?
Legacy Vitamins do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to supplements. We ask you questions about your lifestyle and put together a curated blend of vitamins that is designed to meet your needs.
We have chosen to curate our vitamin blends as a double edge sword — tackling some of the most common deficiencies but with a focus on powerful ingredients that you cannot get from a healthy diet. We give you an advantage that goes beyond what you could source from food alone.
WHAT LEGACY VITAMINS GIVES YOU THAT A HEALTHY DIET CAN’T
- Let us start with our favorite: Ashwagandha, which is a powerful root extract from India. We have chosen a patented version ashwagandha due to its award-winning properties. It is backed by 24+ clinical studies, 14 years of R&D, and it is clinically proven to reduce stress, enhance memory, muscle function, and sexual performance. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory.
- Vitamins D and K. Vitamin D is something most people in the west are deficient in, due to a lack of exposure to sunlight, and it is hard to obtain via diet. Legacy Vitamins contain an optimal dosage of both: 2,000 i.u. of the patented ingredient Vita-algae D3™, and 75μg of the patented version of Vitamin K called K2VITAL® DELTA.
K2VITAL® DELTA is the world’s most bioavailable, all-trans Vitamin K2. It greatly improves both bone and heart health via the regulation of calcium balance in the body. Furthermore, it ensures calcium is not deposited in the arteries, where it can build up and cause serious cardiovascular risk.
- Our nootropic Cognizin®, a proven and patented version of the brain nutrient citicoline, which not only gives you better focus and concentration but also provides your brain with long-term nourishment.
- Panax Ginseng is a power-packed root extract from Asia. It is commonly referred to as the ‘True Ginseng’ and is the most researched of all Ginseng varieties. It can be effective for mood, immunity, cognition, exercise and a healthy libido.
- L-Theanine is an amino acid that stimulates the release of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. It has a relaxing effect without the drowsiness. Found primarily in green and black tea and some mushrooms. Numerous studies have shown that L-theanine helps reduce stress and anxiety.
- Grapes have been used as traditional treatments in Europe for thousands of years. They contain powerful antioxidants with strong cognitive and memory benefits. We added them to our formula when we discovered the patented grape seed extract, Grap’Inside™ with its high bioavailability and clinical studies.
- Saffron has long been promoted by Persian and Ayurvedic medical practices as an effective mood stabiliser. We added it to our formula when we discovered the patented saffron extract, Safr’Inside™, which has the highest concentration in real Safranal for serotonin amplification.
CONCLUSION
Though all of us should aim to get as much nutrition as we can from the food that we eat, when we look beyond basic nutrients, there are some incredibly effective dietary supplements that can hugely benefit your wellbeing. These elements can act as ‘super ingredients’ for your body and mind.
Legacy Vitamins aims to provide the best nutrients and ingredients to improve your individual pursuit of wellbeing, while encouraging you to take a holistic approach to your diet and testing out what works for you.
Vitamins are not a substitute for a great diet, and food should come first, but Legacy Vitamins looks at your personal needs in order to supercharge your nutritional intake and make sure you are not missing out.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LEGACY VITAMINS
Thanks for making it to the end. To learn more about Legacy Vitamins please visit takelegacy.com or reach out to me at ruben@takelegacy.com. I am happy to chat.
Thanks to Amanda Gerle and Rasmus Flink for reading drafts of this.