Navigating the world of supplementation, with its dizzying array of options (and an equally head-spinning assortment of health benefits), can be daunting — especially if supplementation is new to your health and wellness routine. But where to start?
According to Life Time’s nutrition experts, a good portion of us — regardless of our health status — could benefit from including many of the following foundational vitamins, minerals, and supplements. They help fill in the nutritional gaps our modern diets often miss. Consider this your guide to beginner supplementation. (Note: Always consult with your medical provider before starting a supplementation regimen.)
Jump to:
Protein Powder ⋅ Multivitamin ⋅ Omega-3s ⋅ Magnesium ⋅ Vitamin D ⋅ Digestive Enzymes ⋅ Probiotics ⋅ Creatine
1. Protein Powder
Optimal protein intake is critical for achieving our health, fitness, and performance goals, as well as for supporting various aspects of well-being. This includes muscle growth and maintenance, satiety, energy levels, healthy body composition, immune resilience, improved metabolism, and recovery.
Despite protein’s importance, many of us struggle to consume enough of this macronutrient: Life Time experts advise aiming for approximately one gram of protein per pound of your goal body weight daily.
Whole foods like high-quality meats, eggs, poultry, and fish are healthy sources, yet our busy lifestyles often make it hard to consistently meet our protein needs through food alone. Supplementing with protein powder is a convenient way to bridge any gaps.
There are a variety of protein sources and flavor options to suit different dietary needs and taste preferences. (Learn more: “Which Protein Powder Is Right For You?”) Not all protein powders are sourced and created equally though, so as with any other supplement, you want to be sure you’re choosing a quality product.
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Whey Protein or LTH Vital Vegan Protein
2. Multivitamin
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) shows that a large percentage of Americans are insufficient in nutrients relative to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). (It’s important to note that the RDA is looking at amounts necessary to maintain baseline health, not amounts considered optimal.)
“Put that in the context of someone who might be exercising, putting their body through extra stress, and is managing their calorie intake and now you’ve got the scenario where they’re in a complete nutrient deficit,” says Paul Kriegler, RD, CPT, director of nutritional product development at Life Time.
Taking a high-quality daily multivitamin is a straightforward strategy for supporting yourself with essential micronutrients. Optimal levels of a range of micronutrients are crucial for supporting a healthy metabolism, energy levels, and immune system function, among other aspects of health.
Even if your diet is nutrient-dense, experts emphasize that you can still benefit from supplementing with a high-quality multivitamin, as it has become increasingly challenging to consume enough micronutrients from an everyday diet alone.
“No matter what you eat, most dietary patterns are insufficient or deficient in several vitamins and minerals due to modern food cultivation,” Kriegler explains. “Soil quality, farming methods, and processing all play a role in this.”
The average person is also not consuming the recommended nine to 12 servings of vegetables and fruit daily. “A high-quality multivitamin gets these vitamins and minerals back into your body to support your health and immune system,” he says.
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Women’s Daily AM/PM Multivitamin, LTH Men’s Daily AM/PM Multivitamin, or LTH Performance AM/PM Multivitamin
3. Omega-3s
Omega-3s are an essential fatty acid that must be obtained through diet or supplementation. There are various forms, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
“Omega-3 fatty acids are crucially important to many factors in our health,” says Kriegler. “They can support cognition, cardiovascular health, eyesight, mood, inflammation levels, and bone and joint health.” He adds that cell signaling and cell-membrane function can’t happen normally without sufficient omega-3 levels. (Learn more: “Why Omega-3s?”)
Omega-3s also help our bodies with fat loss and controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels, according to Samantha McKinney, RD, CPT, national program manager for nutrition, metabolism, and weight loss at Life Time.
“Everything gets worse when we are deficient in omega-3’s,” says Kriegler.
Animal sources supply EPA and DHA, with the best sources being fish such as salmon, anchovies, sardines, and mackerel. ALA can be found in plant sources like flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and chia seeds, but Kriegler notes that humans are only able to convert ALA to the most useful forms of EPA and DHA at a rate of less than five percent.
Because most people do not eat enough of these fish sources (at least an 8- to 10-ounce portion a minimum three times per week is the benchmark, our experts note) and it’s challenging to meet needs through plant-based sources, supplementation becomes critical.
“The best, most economical, and most consistent source of omega-3s for people is to take a fish oil supplement,” Kriegler says.
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Glow Omega-3 Fish Oil
4. Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in more than 300 different enzymatic reactions in the body, impacting how we feel and function every day, McKinney says. It’s also the second most common nutrient deficiency behind vitamin D.
“Magnesium is involved in sleep, muscle function, nerve conduction, bone health, mood, blood-sugar control, immune function, regulating inflammation, cardiovascular health, energy production, craving control, hormone balance, cognition — it’s hard to find a body system that’s not somehow positively affected by magnesium,” says McKinney. “If someone’s even a little bit low, all those systems are going to be impacted somehow.” (Learn more: “Why Magnesium?”)
While magnesium can be found in foods including dark leafy greens, beans, nuts, legumes, and pure cocoa, it’s almost impossible to get enough of it solely from food. “There are so many things we’re exposed to that deplete our magnesium,” she explains. “Most of us aren’t getting enough from food sources, and we’re in an uphill battle against a number of factors that increase our needs, including stress, sugar intake, caffeine intake, heartburn medications, and alcohol use.”
McKinney advises choosing a chelated magnesium supplement as this form is more easily absorbed; her favorite higher-quality forms are magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate, and magnesium threonate.
Magnesium citrate can sometimes be preferred by those who struggle with bowel regularity, but she emphasizes avoiding cheaper forms of magnesium, such as magnesium oxide, as they can lead to digestive distress.
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Chill Magnesium
5. Vitamin D
As mentioned earlier, vitamin D is the most common nutrient deficiency in humans, which is especially concerning because of its importance in the body. “Vitamin D is a micronutrient that acts more like a hormone,” explains Anika Christ, RD, CPT, senior director of weight loss and nutrition at Life Time. “It does a lot of things as far as metabolism goes, and if your levels are not optimal, your risk of dementia, diabetes, getting sick, bone loss, and all sorts of things rises.
“Vitamin D can also help with energy, and it feeds the angiotensin system that regulates your blood pressure,” she continues. “Because it activates all these other hormones in your body — tied to your immune system, tied to your bones, tied to your sex hormones — if your hormones can’t pull from it, or aren’t able to rely on that to do their job, that’s when things fall off.”
One of the best sources of vitamin D, she shares, is your own production from exposure to sunlight. Yet getting enough that way can be challenging, especially for those in northern latitudes or with darker skin pigmentation. “We’re not outside enough anymore,” says Christ. “We recommend getting outside twice a day for 10 minutes with no sunscreen — it’s the best way produce optimal levels of vitamin D. For a lot of people, supplementation becomes a necessity because of where they live.”
While foods like fatty fish (such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel) and egg yolks do provide some vitamin D, Kriegler emphasizes that “food sources contain very little vitamin D, so dietary supplements are the way to go if you’re deficient.”
Christ recommends supplementing with 5,000 IUs of vitamin D per day as a general guideline, though it depends on how much sunlight exposure you get. Talk with your healthcare provider about testing your levels via a blood test; this can help you better understand how much you may need. (Learn more: “Why Vitamin D?”)
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Armor Vitamin D3+K2
6. Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes help our bodies properly break down the macronutrients — protein, fat, and carbohydrates — we consume. “While it’s not really a dietary supplement because there are no vitamins or minerals in them, digestive enzymes are a helpful source of the enzymes that your body makes and uses and that allow your body to access the nutrition in the food you’re eating,” says Kriegler.
As we age, our natural production of digestive enzymes declines, which Kriegler explains can seriously alter how your body breaks down food and absorbs nutrients. “Many believe these declines are caused by chronic stress, over-the-counter and prescription medications, and poor eating habits — all of which may contribute to diminished digestive activity.”
It’s estimated that around 20 percent of the U.S. population may have a digestive issue, with diminished enzyme activity being the most common cause of indigestion. “I’ve worked with many clients who make quality food choices but still suffer from digestive distress,” Kriegler says. “Common treatments don’t address the root of the problem; they just mask the irritation or symptoms and can further diminish nutrient absorption.”
To make up for the gap between what we need and what the body can produce on its own, many may benefit from a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme supplement. “Broad-spectrum” means it contains enzyme support that promote the breakdown of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and fibers.
“Without sufficient enzyme activity, the food we eat literally cannot nourish us,” Kriegler says. “A digestive enzyme complex helps your body properly break down and utilize proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in an efficient manner and helps you access the nourishment from the food you eat.”
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Digestive Enzyme Complex
7. Probiotics
Probiotics are living microorganisms that help us create and sustain a more diverse gut microbiome. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods as well as in supplement form.
“A healthy array of the right types of microorganisms in your gut does several helpful things, including manufacturing certain vitamins, using indigestible fibers to make short-chain fatty acids the body uses for energy, stimulating the body’s immune system, and regulating the integrity of the gut lining itself,” Kriegler explains. “It’s also known that over 90 percent of serotonin is manufactured by the bacteria in our colon.”
Disarray of your intestinal flora is associated with a significantly higher risk of developing several chronic diseases. Life Time experts also note that improper gut function can be linked to food sensitivities, autoimmune conditions, mood disorders, and digestive disease.
The gut microbiome regularly faces challenges due to our modern lifestyles. Research shows our microbiomes are becoming less diverse than those of our ancestors, and our diversity can be negatively impacted by antibiotic use, frequent reliance on hand sanitizer, and time in overly sterile environments. The regular consumption of low-fiber, high-sugar foods and a lack of sleep and movement can negatively influence gut health.
“Regularly eating some fermented foods and taking a broad-spectrum probiotic supplement are the best strategies to help promote a more optimal balance of ‘good’ to ‘bad’ bacteria in your colon,” says Kriegler. “Slowly ramping up your intake of prebiotic fiber (such as LTH Shift Fiber) to ‘feed’ your beneficial bacteria may also be helpful.” (Prebiotic fiber may be hard to tolerate if you’re dealing with acute digestive disturbances though, Kriegler notes. If this is the case for you, you may want to consult with a nutrition professional or healthcare provider for individualized guidance.)
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Balance Multi Pro Probiotic
8. Creatine
Among the common misconceptions about creatine, the most prevalent is its association with bodybuilding. Yet it’s one of the safest and most well-researched and beneficial supplements available, according to McKinney.
“Due to its support of energy production, creatine is well-known for its ability to positively impact power output, along with muscle force and mass,” she explains. “It is also commonly known for supporting protein synthesis and reducing fatigue.”
Though these are the nutrient’s most widely recognized effects, creatine may also offer support for regulating blood sugar, cognitive function, cardiovascular health, bone health, and neurological health. Its versatility makes it a valuable supplement to consider for enhancing overall health and performance.
While creatine is naturally present in foods like chicken, fish, or beef, McKinney notes that reaching beneficial daily doses — ranging from 5 to 20 grams per day — would require consuming impractically large quantities. Consumption through food is also particularly challenging for vegans, vegetarians, and individuals who prefer well-cooked meat (available creatine can be destroyed in thoroughly cooked foods). As a result, supplementation is often recommended.
Life Time Experts’ Pick: LTH Power Creatine Monohydrate
