Episode 281: Understanding Vitamins and Supplements

It can feel overwhelming to look at shelves full of supplements and try to figure out what is best. But today, we're going to give you some simple guidelines for what you and your family needs when it comes to vitamins and supplements.

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful and simple, everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field.

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Today, we're excited to talk to Justin Harrison about the importance of vitamins and supplements in your life.

doTERRA: Justin, thank you so much for being here with us today.

Justin Harrison: Thank you. It is my privilege and pleasure.

doTERRA: I am so excited to talk about this topic, because supplements are things that I don't think get talked about enough.

So, I wanted to start off by discussing why is it that taking supplements and vitamins is important, even if someone is already eating a whole food diet?

Justin: I love that question and I love that we're talking about supplements because yes, doTERRA is an essential oil company, but even after being here with doTERRA for 15 years, I still meet people from time to time that don't even know that we have supplements in doTERRA. It's like what? What? Like we have the best supplements in the world and you're an essential oil company. I'm like, yes, but our supplements have essential oils.

And so there you go. So, I'm grateful that we're talking about this today, because there are a large number of people out there that don't realize that we have this amazing benefit, this amazing blessing, if you will.

And so, the reason it's important that we be taking supplementation is simply the fact that we do not have in our modern food chain—our modern food supply—we do not have the nutrient density that we've had in the past, as a culture, as a society. There are numerous articles and research papers out there and studies documenting that even if you are eating healthy—which, we're not even talking about the junk food diet that many Americans are on.

Even if you're eating healthy, even if you're eating organic, you're still not getting the nutrient level that your body really needs. It's better. It's definitely better, but you're not getting all of the nutrient content that you should be getting.

And so, supplementation is not a luxury. And some doctors and nutritionists do expert, "Oh, you can just get it all from your food." Probably not unless you're eating vast amounts of these particular foods. So, otherwise you're going to have to supplement to get that nutrition.

Let's accept it. Supplementation is necessary, is needed. It's powerful. It's a blessing. And let's embrace it. And by the way, when you add essential oils into that combination it's super powerful.

doTERRA: And I think that is the piece the fact that it is necessary is the piece that is a little bit shocking to most people because they think, "Well, I eat vegetables and I eat fruits and I try and balance everything." But like you said it's still not quite enough.

Justin: That's right.

doTERRA: So you mentioned that doTERRA supplements have oils in them. What else makes them stand out as opposed to other supplements that are on the market today?

Justin: Oh goodness. We can spend a lot of time on this question.

I think one of the biggest challenges, if you've ever gone to a health food store, which I'm sure probably everyone listening to this has, and you go to the supplements section, it's very easy to succumb to supplement overwhelm because there's so much. Like, it's not just a little teeny section of the aisle—it's aisles and aisles, and there's so many options and so many choices, and so it becomes overwhelming. And we get distracted by the labels. People will look at a label and they think, "Well, the more that's in this, the better."

And that's not necessarily true because you have to have a couple of different things. You have to have enough of that particular nutrient to actually cause change in the body. So, there has to be enough. Just because it's on the label—you can have a very impressive label with hundreds of ingredients, and none of them be present in high enough quantity to do anything for you.

So, if it's on the label on a doTERRA supplement, that means that there is enough of that ingredient of that nutrient present to actually cause benefit to you.

So, that's number one. No "fairy dusting," as Rob Young used to call it, back in the early years of doTERRA. He would always say, "There's no fairy dusting in doTERRA," meaning: we're not just going to have 700 ingredients in a product to make it look impressive on the label. It's there in a large enough dose or it's not in there at all. So, that's number one.

And then number two, and this is really huge, is absorption. If the body cannot actually absorb and utilize those nutrients then there's no point in taking them. They go in, they go out. They go out, and you have expensive urine, basically. So, absorption absorption, absorption is paramount, is key.

And so many products on the market literally go in and out the same, and your body gets no benefit. So, to have something that you know is being broken down, being utilized, that is critical critical critical.

So, those are the two things that you have enough of each nutrient to cause change in the body, cause benefit in the body, and that you have the ability to absorb the nutrition that's there and utilize it in the body.

doTERRA: Absolutely. I think those two are definitely key. And I want to touch on kind of that supplement overwhelm that you mentioned because it definitely can happen when you're seeing aisles and aisles of supplements. But I also think it happens when people are new to doTERRA supplements. We have so many incredible options. So, I want to dial it in to: which doTERRA supplements do you recommend, that people are using every single day their foundation?

Justin: Awesome! Love this question.

Foundation is key and this is really going to depend on you, the individual, because all of us are in a different place with our health. As far as the quantity of supplementation, the amount of supplementation that you're doing, because it can become a little much, if you're trying to do everything once.

For me, the foundational products in my own personal experience and from my own study and research are the doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack. Obviously, you have your three products that are there. You have your omegas, your vitamin, mineral and your antioxidant, combo. They're so very, very powerful. That's been our foundation for the last 14 years. It's phenomenal. We could talk for a full hour just on that product alone. So, Lifelong Vitality: number one.

The new PB Restore that just came out. If you have not experienced this, friends, it is off the charts, freaking awesome. Awesome awesome awesome. The stories that we're hearing about this product are phenomenal. I had a doctor tell me just last week that the PB Restore is the best supplement doTERRA has to offer, but for sure was his favorite because it's replenishing the probiome in your whole body. And we don't think about this, but it's connected to so many different aspects of wellness.

So, the PB Restore, and then the TerraZyme. The TerraZyme, guys, we often don't talk about the TerraZyme product. It is loaded with all of the digestive enzymes needed to digest our foods. Most of our foods, the enzymes have been cooked out or processed out, or they're dead foods. And so, we have to supplement our enzymes to be able to digest the sugars and the proteins and the fats and all of that stuff. And so, TerraZyme, to me is definitely foundational.

And then my fourth one would be the MetaPWR Advantage. The Advantage packet to help in the maintenance of your metabolism. Keeping things regulated and running as they should be.

So, to me those four are like the foundation: Lifelong Vitality, PB Restore, TerraZyme and MetaPWR Advantage.

doTERRA: Yes, such a powerful group of products. If you just add those in, I think you're giving yourself a big leg up from nothing.

Justin: Absolutely. Absolutely.

doTERRA: Now, another area where people have a lot of confusion or hesitation is with kids or teens. People are unsure of which supplements they should give them or if they should be giving them any supplementation. What are your recommendations in that area?

Justin: Yes, yes. Give them supplementation.

Those of you that me know my wife and I, we have a large family. We have ten children. We have nine sons, and then finally a new baby girl. Uh, yep, it took ten tries, and she's the caboose.

So, yeah. So, my oldest son is 23 years old, and of course, the baby girl is six months now at this point. So, super excited about that.

And yes, our children use the supplements and highly recommend them. Now, the most important, we already talked about this a little bit, but the most important supplement that your children can be taking, once they're old enough, is the PB Restore. It's going to be a great benefit to them.

They can also take the PB Assist+, which is the powder, and that's a great one. Even my two-year-old takes that. Generally under two, I'm not really focused in on them taking this, but from two years on they're getting the probiotics for sure.

Omegas are vitally important. The omega-3—the benefit—if you do a little research, go online to your favorite search engine, do a little research on the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids for children and your mind will be blown. It is phenomenal. It is amazing, the benefit. And not just for kids, but for us adults too, but especially for our children.

And so, my older kids all take the xEO Mega product from the Lifelong Vitality, because it's got more than just the omegas. It's got all those essential oils in there and astaxanthin, and all these other powerful carotenoids are in there.

And so my older children will take those softgels, the little red softgels, and then the younger kids will do the liquid. The liquid IQ Mega, which has a yummy orange taste. And you just take it in a teaspoon, and so we'll get their omegas in that way.

And then also the kids A2Z Chewable: we call it "the smiley face vitamin." It's the chewable. And guys I do a whole webinar just on this little chewable, actually, that just runs through everything that's in it. And it's so impressive the amount that are in this little chewable tablet. And it's got a smiley face on it, so, the kids are happy to eat it. We call it their happy vitamin—their smiley face vitamin. And so, they get that every day, as well.

And then my older kids, of course, my adult children, they're taking their Lifelong Vitality, just as an adult would. But for the younger ones, the probiotics, the omegas—those are going to be the most critical. And you will see some fascinating changes in our youth.

Guys, it's a struggle. Their diet, even if you're feeding them well at home when they're not at home . . . yeah . . . We all know, we remember. We've been there. And so, they need this stuff. They need this stuff.

And so, my older kids take the TerraZyme as well, you know, to aid in digestion. Especially, guys, if your kids or adults struggle with gluten or lactose, TerraZyme is going to be very friendly to them.

doTERRA: I love that and that's so helpful. I feel like, as parents often we stress about, "Are we feeding our kids the right things? Are they getting enough nutrients?" And so having those supplementation options is such a relief and can be such a burden off, to know that your kids are getting what they need.

Now, before we end, I want to touch on something you mentioned earlier. You said that supplements—what we need are going to be different for every person based off of where they are, what they need. Do you have any tips for how people can know which supplements are right for them?

Justin: Yes, how long do we have?

When it comes to the doTERRA supplement lineup, there's so much to offer. We talked about the foundation, and really my biggest tip that I would give is: start with something.

You may not be able to start with everything. In fact, it could be overwhelming to your body to start with. And so, start with something—whether it's the PB Restore, the Lifelong Vitality, the Advantage—start somewhere and then build upon that.

And then, for me personally, like, like I'll just tell you my daily routine. I take Lifelong Vitality in the morning. I do the whole thing—all of it. And I take PB Restore with breakfast because you need to take it with a meal. And so, I add that with breakfast. I take one TerraZyme with every meal. Then I get all of the nutrient breakdown from the food.

I take Turmeric in the morning—the Turmeric softgel in the morning and the Copaiba softgel in the evening. I do these because both of these products are so helpful for my body to manage the normal inflammatory processes in the body. So, Turmeric in the morning, Copaiba in the evening.

And then as needed. Guys, you have so many great tools in your toolbelt, if you will, to aid in supporting the body's natural defenses. Whether you need the doTERRA On Guard+ softgel for supporting the body's natural defenses or immune function. The new doTERRA Serenity Sleep System—oh goodness, it is amazing.

So, these are as needed, so not generally taken every day. They can be—they're safe to be, but it's more of an "as needed." So, if you need help with sleep or staying asleep. The Mito2Max product for an increase in energy, if you're, not looking at the caffeinated options. The Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex kind of falls in to a similar category as the Turmeric and the Copaiba, in helping the body manage those responses.

Let's see: the MetaPWR Assist and the MetaPWR oil itself, the softgel, to help the body just manage things properly like it's supposed to. And then supporting the body's natural metabolic function is so critical. We've talked a lot about this in the past.

So, those are some of the "as needed" options. But, it can get overwhelming. Because there is a lot. So, to simplify it, pick somewhere and start somewhere.

If you were only going to pick one item, I would choose Lifelong Vitality. If you're going to pick two: Lifelong Vitality and PB Restore. If you're going to pick three Lifelong Vitality, PB Restore and MetaPWR Advantage. And then of course, throw the TerraZyme in there as well, as soon as you can. And that's going to give you that foundation.

And guys, one word of caution, I guess, or one tip that I'll give you here as you walk into this world of supplementation, you're going to notice changes. You're going to feel changes, initially, over that first month. It doesn't usually happen overnight. It takes a little bit of time for these nutrients to build up in the body and for the benefit to be noticeable.

But what will happen is it will become your new normal. So, that new you will become you. And sometimes when that happens down the road, we're like, "Oh, I don't need my Lifelong Vitality next month because, I'm good, I'm feeling good." And so, you forget to order it or you don't order it and then you don't take it for that month, and then you start to notice because your body's not getting the nutrition it's been used to, and the old you starts to come back.

And so that's my warning or my caution is don't make that mistake. As you build up these nutrients inside you, you want to maintain those levels so your body's functioning optimally and not falling back to the old you, if you will.

So, sorry, that was a very long answer to a short question, but that was my tip.

doTERRA: I think you're absolutely right. And that is such a critical tip for people to have. Just don't lull yourself into a false sense of security, thinking that your body will take care of it on its own. These supplements are the things that are making you feel that different experience.

Justin: Absolutely.

doTERRA: Justin, thank you so much for sitting down with us today, teaching us more about vitamins and supplementation and how crucial they are to have as an everyday part of our life.

Justin: Thank you so much for the invite. Guys, if you haven't started, start.

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.