Need some clarification/help with supplementation.

[Weontv]

Hello. I am currently in the transitional period of the ketogenic diet and I am kind of lost looking through some of the threads, because some of them are from so long ago and I know they have outdated information on them, I am basically just wondering what kind of supplements I should be taking currently to help with general health.

As far as I know I should be taking:

Fish Oil
Magnesium
Vitamin C
Colloidal Silver
Probiotics

Are these kind of the top 5 supplements, or am I missing something?

Something I have noticed being on this keto diet is that my gut seems to be upset. I am aware it is probably candida, but I also feel like my bowels may not be functioning properly, probably from the fact I have been dependent on fiber for so long. Is there anything I can be taking specifically for this? I was thinking about maybe taking some psylium husks to clean out my intestinal tract.

Any help is appreciated, as always.

 

[nicklebleu]

Something I have noticed being on this keto diet is that my gut seems to be upset. I am aware it is probably candida, but I also feel like my bowels may not be functioning properly, probably from the fact I have been dependent on fiber for so long. Is there anything I can be taking specifically for this? I was thinking about maybe taking some psylium husks to clean out my intestinal tract.

I definitely wouldn't take psyllium husks, as that's just another fiber. If you have been on fibres for a prolonged period of time, you'll have to wean your gut off of them. This will take time and you may expect some constipation for some time, which you can alleviate with magnesium and/ or vitamin C. Once you have fully transitioned to a KD, you will find, that your gut will slowly heal.

As to the supplements - these certainly are the main ones, kind of the "maintenance" ones. There is a bunch of other supplements that can be taken for specific problems during the transition phase. If you haven't read Emmerich's Keto-Adapted, that would be a good source in this regards.

Hope this helps!

 

[Meg]

Hi Weontv,

The book Fiber Menance gives the whole story on fiber. Most of his book is available on his website, gutsense.org

He also has tips on how to recover from fiber dependence. Restoring intestinal flora will also help.

Be sure to take a probiotic with Lactobacillus GG. Lactobacillus GG and its potential role in tolerance development

I'd suggest taking the amino acid glutamine. Enterocytes (gut cells) use to it to repair themselves. You can take up to 10 grams a day of glutamine for repair of the intestinal lining.

Also, bringing up your magnesium levels can take a lot of time if you are depleted. Using magnesium oil helps a lot with that. You can get magnesium chloride flakes and make your own . A simple recipe: 1/2 cup of magnesium flakes (you can get it cheap at Swansons Vitamins) mixed with 1 cup of water to start off with. If the mixture has too much magnesium, it can burn the skin. Start with the diluted recipe and build up to more flakes over time. You can rub it on your skin or get a spray bottle and apply it that way and spray yourself 2-3 times daily.

Best of luck :)

 

[Weontv]

I will definitely be looking into both of these suggestions, thank you for the prompt responses.

 

[Carl]

The 3 biggest important supplements when keto adapting are sodium, potassium, magnesium. Adaptation causes the loss of these 3 electrolytes while on the diet, and these tend to alleviate a lot of the symptoms. Sodium can be simply from salting your food (use a lot), although I tend to drink a lot of salt water as well, particularly when consuming caffeine from tea/coffee. Potassium can be from pills, "reduced sodium" salt, or in smaller amounts from foods like avocado. Magnesium pretty much has to be supplemented.

In addition to this, especially if you're losing fat (and therefore releasing toxins), you can optionally take the classic detox supplements:
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)
Milk Thistle
Vitamin C

As you can see the list is already getting pretty long, and there are PLENTY of other more obscure supplements for specific things. Take it slow and don't start too many things are once, because sometimes they can actually cause problems rather than solving them.