What Supplements Do I Take?

As a scientist who studies dietary supplements, the one question that I am asked ALL the time, it’s, “What supplements do YOU take?”

Now, as a developer of supplements (as well as a researcher), I may be a little biased and may favor some of my own formulas – but, hey – they’re all based on solid scientific principles and almost all of them will not only help improve mental wellness (stress, mood, tension, focus), but also physical health (inflammation, immune function, cellular efficiency, tissue repair).

The truth is that I take a LOT of supplements – and I also eat a relatively well balanced and vegetable-heavy diet and I exercise (a lot), but I also travel a ton (bad) and sleep too little (very bad, but I’m working on it) and work too much (nobody is perfect) – so the supplements help to nourish my body and mind while also helping me to adapt to stress and maintain stress resilience.

I fully realize that most people will have little/no interest in supplementing to the degree that I do – but I’ll outline my full regimen below FYI…

For others who are looking less for the “optimal” regimen – and more for the “best bang for your buck” approach, I would HIGHLY recommend taking a look at Amare’s FundaMentals Pack – which I formulated and which was just named “Best New Product” in the natural products industry for 2018.

FundaMentals is the first (and only) comprehensive approach to rebalancing the microbiome and optimizing the gut-brain-axis to enhance mental wellness (mood, tension, stress, etc) – little wonder that it was named “Best New Product” for 2018.

Early Morning (while the fresh-ground Sumato coffee is brewing):

• Amare FundaMentals – which includes MentaBiotics, MentaFocus, and MentaSync to optimize my entire Gut-Brain-Axis (and which was just named “Best New Product” of 2018 by New Hope Natural Media). I mix my MentaBiotics powder in a “shot” of 3-4 ounces of water or juice and use that liquid to wash down the 2 MentaFocus and 2 MentaSync capsules.
• Every couple of months, I will also do a Reboot to help keep my Microbiome balanced and my liver, kidneys, and GI tract functioning at peak performance.

Breakfast

• VitaGBX multivitamin (Amare) – 2 capsules provide all the essential vitamins/minerals at optimal levels and in bioavailable forms, as well as a blend of phytonutrients that not only directly protect neurons (brain cells), but also activate a wide range of CDRs (cellular defense responses) throughout the entire body to improve antioxidant protection (Nrf2 activation), inflammatory balance (Nf-kB inhibition), longevity enhancement (SIRT1), metabolism optimization (MTOR) and improved cellular efficiency (autophagy).
• Mood+ (Amare) – to balance out my mood and tension, while also improving my stress resilience.
• CoQ10 (CostCo) & AstaZine astaxanthin (Amazon) – to improve cardiovascular efficiency, enhance mitochondrial metabolism, and enhance heart-brain-axis function. (Currently, Amare does not include either of these nutrients in its product line, but may in the future to support heart-brain-axis metabolism – hint, hint).
• Relief+ (Amare) – to improve inflammatory balance and reduce muscle soreness/stiffness (especially if yesterday included a hard workout).
• Digestive (Amare) – I take this one at every meal – it has really helped me to reduce symptoms of acid reflux that have plagued me for years.

Lunch

• Digestive (Amare) – I take this one at every meal – it has really helped me to reduce symptoms of acid reflux that have plagued me for years.

Afternoon

• Energy+ (Amare) – is hands-down the BEST “energy” drink that I have ever used (or formulated) – it helps to improve not only physical energy and mental acuity, but also improves “mental awareness” – which helps me to be more “present” and “engaged” with whatever I am working on. I’ll often enjoy a few Energy+ drinks, especially if I’m traveling, giving a lecture, or working late.

Dinner

• VitaGBX multivitamin (Amare) – 2 capsules provide all the essential vitamins/minerals at optimal levels and in bioavailable forms, as well as a blend of phytonutrients that not only directly protect neurons (brain cells), but also activate a wide range of CDRs (cellular defense responses) throughout the entire body to improve antioxidant protection (Nrf2 activation), inflammatory balance (Nf-kB inhibition), longevity enhancement (SIRT1), metabolism optimization (MTOR) and improved cellular efficiency (autophagy).
• Digestive (Amare) – I take this one at every meal – it has really helped me to reduce symptoms of acid reflux that have plagued me for years.

Before Bed

• Sleep+ (Amare) – to help improve sleep quality – no matter how many (FEW!) hours of sleep that I get, I always wake up refreshed in body and mind because Sleep+ helps me to spend more minutes of every night in both Deep sleep (restoring my body) and REM sleep (rejuvenating my brain).
• OmMega (Amare) – an ultra-pure and super-potent fish oil that provides 70% omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce inflammation and promote brain and cardiovascular function.
• Relief+ (Amare) – which I’ll often take again on nights where I have had a killer workout earlier in the day – to help promote post-exercise recovery.
• Probiotics (Amare) – a multi-strain beneficial bacteria supplement that helps with numerous “general wellness” benefits including gut health, inflammation, immune support, and mineral absorption.

As many of you know, especially readers of any of my books, the dietary supplements are just one piece of my overall lifestyle regimen. The SENSE program that I developed almost 20 years ago incorporates a variety of complementary interventions to help restore balance across the body and mind to improve “psychological vigor” (the opposite of “burnout”).

Here is what each component includes:
Stress/Sleep Management – to improve relaxation, mindfulness, gratitude, and sleep quality.

Exercise – perhaps the most effective method of lowering stress and improving the body’s ability to handle cortisol (the body movement is precisely what our evolutionary stress response wants us to do).

Nutrition – eating a Mediterranean style diet with lean proteins, high fiber fruits/veggies, healthy fats, fermented foods (yogurt), lots of phytonutrients (grapes, apples, dark chocolate, red wine) – the fermented foods, fiber, and flavonoids can help to balance gut bacterial populations levels and especially help to mitigate many of the detrimental effects of stress on metabolism, microbiome, and mood.

Supplementation – (you get the idea from seeing my daily regimen above) – this is where targeted supplements can help to reduce stress (herbs like Kanna or Ashwagandha), or maintain gut health (both the balance of good bacteria and the integrity of the gut lining with specific probiotic strains and prebiotic fibers), or elevate mental focus and mood (which can cut carb cravings and restore energy levels with New Zealand pine bark or Pomegranate extract).

Evaluation – taking stock every week or so to see what is stressing you out and what you can do about it (e.g. make a plan in advance). Equally important is understanding the sources of stress that you cannot do anything about – and accepting them so you can make the best out of the situation.

Each of these aspects of SENSE are effective on their own, but are even more effective when added together in a coordinated regimen. When used as a complete system, my research group has shown in numerous studies over the years, that an approach like SENSE can help reduce feelings of stress and cortisol levels by ~50% and improve psychological vigor by ~25% (vigor is a combination of physical energy, mental acuity, and emotional well-being; basically the way that everyone should want to feel on every day of their lives).

As the science progresses, we’re able to measure additional aspects of how a coordinated lifestyle approach like SENSE can integrate mindfulness techniques and gratitude to change brain wave patterns; how proper sleep and stress management can improve nervous system “firing” (to enhance brain function) – and eventually neuron “wiring” (to improve brain structure); and how restoring balance in our “2^nd brain” (the gut, including the microbiome) can have implications for virtually every aspect of mind/body wellness.

Imagine someday, being able to answer a few questions and provide a few simple samples, and have a comprehensive lifestyle regimen “customized” for your unique needs. Imagine being able to improve your body, optimize your brain, and rebalance your biome – all toward the goal of ultimate mental wellness and physical health. That’s what our future looks like – and I think that looks pretty exciting – how about you?

Thanks for reading.

Shawn