My Current Supplements: Useless or a Massive Help?

I often come across the view that supplements are pointless and a waste of money and that we should focus on getting our diet right so that we can get the nutrients we need through our food. I would agree up to a appoint, except that I often eat the wrong foods because I like them, I am a very busy mum and I get very tired and there just isn’t enough sun here to get the Vitamin D I need a lot of the time.

I have been taking supplements since I got married in Pakistan 15 years ago. I came back from Pakistan having lost weight and feeling run down and after some research decided to start taking Royal Jelly capsules. Since then I have stopped and started a number of different supplements, with some having a more noticeable impact than others. My current supplements are:

Multi-Vitamins – I have tried a few brands: Centrium, Healthspan, WellWoman and to be honest haven’t noticed that much difference between them or even whether they have much of an impact. When I have taken them it has been in conjunction with other supplements, so it’s hard to tell if any energy boost comes from the multivitamin or the additional supplement.

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Vitamin D – I became low in Vitamin D in both my fourth and fifth pregnancies and was prescribed the generic high-dose vitamin D capsules by the Doctor. They helped take away the intense aching in my legs that the deficiency had caused. I was later asked to do a review of D-Drops and sent a bottle to try. These were great and I could feel a little “lift” in energy when I used them, I got some for my mum-in-law and she reported the same. I really like these, but they are sometimes difficult to find on the high street, for this reason I am taking Vitabiotics Vitamin D tablets at the moment as an alternative.

Children’s Vitamins – I love the little jelly sweet vitamins for children, but I have found that most of them have gelatine and are not halal. I recently found one brand that does halal gummy bear vitamins: Herbal Traditions. My older kids won’t eat them, but the babies like them and have one a day, Gorgeous refused to have them at first and then started happily taking them until I realised he was giving it to his grandmother every day and telling her it was a sweet. My doctor advises that all children in the UK should have their diet supplemented with Vitamin D up to the age of 5, but Little Lady and Little Man are also low in Vitamin D so need a top up. 

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At the moment I am trying these these Wellbaby Vit D drops with the babies and this DLux Junior spray with the older children. The only way I could get Gorgeous to take the spray is by getting him in a bear hug and telling him he can open his mouth or he can have it in his ear, but I don’t relish wrestling with him daily. Both of the babies also liked D-Drops for babies, but again sometimes they are hard to get hold of and the cost is a factor too.

Royal Jelly – This was the first supplement I started taking and the one I value the most. The main issue I have had is that the casing often used for these products is gelatine based, but I have come across some versions that are suitable for vegetarian or halal requirements (i.e. where the casing has fish product, it is halal but not vegetarian). I have used Healthspan’s Royal Jelly for years and I am convinced they have contributed to my energy levels and also having no lines on my face yet at 36. I like the Healthspan brand both for its service and because you can filter the products to see what is halal (I used to like them for their free delivery too, but they no longer offer that). More recently I have started taking Vivid Health's Royal Jelly with Bee Propolis (details below).

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Bee Propolis – I read somewhere that bee propolis is great for energy. I tried a brand I can’t recall previously and found this to be the case. In the end I found the cost prohibitive and baulked at taking too many different tablets, so stopped. It was only when I was looking for Royal Jelly supplements and reading reviews that I came across Vivid Health's Nutrition Royal Jelly & Bee Pollen with Bee Propolis which combines bee propolis with Royal Jelly. I have been taking it for a few weeks now and I really like this product. I can be lazy about taking for a few days it and then notice a difference as I feel more tired by the end of the day. When I take it regularly I feel energised and my skin looks bright.

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Spirulina and Chlorella – these are green algae described as superfoods that are supposed to have numerous benefits. You can get them as a powder, but I have neither the time nor inclination to drink the stuff although I have seen work colleagues use it in their drinks and you can see the glow of health they get. I have previously tried them as a supplement from Holland and Barrett. I am usually quite good at getting tablets down, but the Holland and Barrett ones were just too big and dry and defeated me. I also tried the Rainforest Foods Organic Combined Chlorella and Spirulina, but you have to take quite a number of tablets per day and again I gave up, partially because I didn’t see a significant effect. At the moment I am using Herbal Traditions Organic Chlorella capsules. These are easy enough to take (if a bit smelly) and I feel as if I am benefitting from them, but too soon to be sure.

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Wheatgrass – another superfood with a long list of benefits that I came across. It is supposed to contain all of the minerals known to man and have a healing and detoxifying effect. I tried the Rainforest Foods Organic Barley Grass and Organic Wheatgrass capsules and again had the issue of taking lots of tablets more than once a day. I can’t remember experiencing a significant effect from these, but may not have stuck with them long enough (they had an unpleasant taste also). As with the Spirulina and Chlorella the powdered version is supposed to be much more potent than the capsules. Because of the long list of benefits, this is one that I may try again in the future after careful consideration of other people’s experiences.

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I would love to know what supplements Sisters take. What has benefitted you? Or do you think the whole idea of supplements is pointless and a waste of money?

Disclaimer 1 – I have tried to describe as accurately as possible the products I use and the effect that I have experienced when using them, it may not be the same for everybody. I would also recommend that the first port of call if you think you are deficient in a nutrient, have any questions or feel tired all of the time, is your Doctor.

Disclaimer 2 – The links to Amazon in the post are affiliate links which means if you click through and buy some of the products I get a small amount for them. However, this does not affect my review and I have endeavoured to be as honest as possible in my opinions on these products.