Keeping your body healthy doesn’t end with eating the right foods. You need to make sure that your micronutrients are in check and ready for the day ahead.
It seems like everywhere you look now, there is always a new gimmick on the market to make you gain muscle, lose weight, or be healthier, quicker and easier than the others. If you believed half of the slogans that you read, you’d be out of a lot of money and it’d take you a long time to realize how utterly worthless a lot of these keto supplements are.
But, while most are a waste of money, we can find the quality in a few supplements here and there. There are supplements with proper scientific research behind it that shows why it works, and how it works. These are the ones that you rarely see at the front section of GNC, but the ones that are well hidden in the back that nobody goes to. None of this replaces food, and none of it replaces your doctor. If you take medication or you have a kidney, thyroid, or blood-clotting issue, run any new supplement past them first.
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General Health
Your body needs a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to perform the millions of processes that keep you alive on a daily basis. Ideally, we get all the vitamins and minerals we need just out of our diet, but with some of the foods we eat, it’s easier said than done. You have probably found yourself asking ‘Should I be taking a multivitamin’?
The quality of the foods that are put out is becoming less and less nutrient dense, which means that we can try to supplement the essential micronutrients into our diet this way. Check out my favourites below:
GARDEN OF LIFE VITAMIN CODE RAW ONE (MEN)
AFFORDABLE QUALITY WITHOUT THE FILLERS
Any and all holes that are left in your diet are properly taken care of by a multivitamin. Go for a high quality, natural one, and one you will actually remember to take.
Garden of Life has a great reputation, and the RAW One is a single capsule a day rather than the four the larger bottle asks for. It is a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals with 1,600 IU of vitamin D, as well as probiotics and enzymes to help with absorption.
GARDEN OF LIFE VITAMIN CODE RAW ONE (WOMEN)
GREAT QUALITY, ADJUSTED FOR WOMEN
For women, there is the female counterpart which adjusts the vitamins and minerals the body needs from a female standpoint, with iron and folate where it matters. Probiotics and enzymes are added to help with absorption, and it carries 1,000 IU of vitamin D rather than the men’s 1,600.
According to the CDC, who published research in 2011, over 25% of Americans are at risk of being Vitamin D deficient. The U.S. Endocrine Society reviewed Vitamin D in 2024, and for healthy adults under 75 they now point at the standard intake rather than the high dose capsules on the shelf.
If you get little to no sunlight, a modest daily dose on top of your multivitamin covers it.
NOW FOODS VITAMIN D3 & K2
TWO VITAMINS THAT WORK TOGETHER
Our body can’t produce vitamin D without being exposed to sunlight, and most of us are indoors for the bulk of the day. If that sounds like you, this is the one worth supplementing.
D3 raises how much calcium you absorb, and K2 helps direct that calcium toward bone. This one pairs 1,000 IU of D3 with 45 mcg of K2 in each veg capsule, and one capsule is the whole daily serving.
Check your multivitamin first, since the RAW One above already carries some. The K2 here is MK-4, not the MK-7 most of the research uses, so if K2 is your main reason for buying, look for an MK-7 capsule instead. If you take a blood thinner, ask before adding K2 in any form.
Not only is magnesium linked with food cravings, it has also been studied for blood pressure, maintaining healthy muscles, nerves, and bones, preventing kidney stones, immune function, and even stress.
DOCTOR'S BEST HIGH ABSORPTION MAGNESIUM
EASY TO ABSORB, GENTLE ON DIGESTION
Magnesium comes in many forms, and for a dose before bed you should go after magnesium glycinate. It’s bound to glycine, which makes it easily absorbed by the body and much gentler on digestion. Citrate is cheaper, but it is also the form people reach for when they specifically want things to move, which rather defeats the point at bedtime.
Take about 200 to 400 mg (2 to 4 tablets) 30 minutes before bed, as it’s a natural muscle relaxant and can help with sleep quality. Start at 2 and see how you feel. We’re choosing Doctor’s Best because they offer a quality chelated form at an affordable price.
Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential fatty acid, meaning the body cannot create this on its own and must be received through diet. Although most people will get sufficient Omega-3 on keto, it’s important to keep it in balance with your Omega-6 consumption.
Research shows that taking fish oil can help with inflammation, blood pressure, risks of stroke, and metabolic syndrome. Fish oil has also been studied for memory and cognitive performance.
NORDIC NATURALS ULTIMATE OMEGA
POTENT FISH OIL THAT DOESN'T SKIMP ON OMEGAS
There are two types of fish oil that you can use, triglyceride form and ethyl esters form. Studies show that the triglyceride form will absorb into the body better, and can be broken down more effectively than the ethyl ester counterpart.
You also have to take into account as to how much EPA and DHA each pill contains. The lower quality fish oil will end up having much less omega-3 fatty acids per pill, and that’s the reason that they can market the product cheaper. It’s well worth buying a quality supplement for your health, so I recommend the Nordic Naturals brand. Ultimate Omega gives you 1,280 mg of omega-3s in two softgels, which is a fantastic way to boost your health at an affordable price.
HI-LYTE ELECTROLYTE CONCENTRATE
AN EASY TOP-UP FOR YOUR WATER
When you cut carbs your body sheds water and minerals along with it, which is why the first couple of weeks can leave you headachy, crampy and flat. Sodium is the big one, so salt your food properly before you buy anything. A concentrate earns its place when you want sodium, potassium and magnesium together without measuring three things.
Half a teaspoon gives you 125 mg of sodium, 150 mg of potassium and 45 mg of magnesium, with no sugar and no carbs, and the bottle holds about 48 servings. That’s a top-up, not a replacement for salting your food. Squeeze it into a big bottle of water and taste as you go. If you’re on blood pressure medication or you have a kidney issue, ask your doctor before adding either mineral.
Workout Recovery
OPTIMUM NUTRITION MICRONIZED CREATINE
THE MOST TESTED SUPPLEMENT THERE IS
If you only add one thing for training, make it creatine monohydrate. Decades of trials and an unusually long safety record sit behind it, which is more than most supplements can say.
The sports nutrition research puts it first for short, hard efforts and for holding on to lean mass. It has no carbs and it won’t affect ketosis.
Five grams a day, one rounded scoop, stirred into whatever you’re already drinking. There’s no loading phase and no timing to get right, and plain monohydrate is the form to buy. Micronized is the same thing, just ground finer.
ISOPURE ZERO CARB UNFLAVORED
PROTEIN WITHOUT THE CARBS
Recovery starts with getting enough protein in the day, and a shake is just the easiest way to close a gap. Isolate rather than concentrate means most of the carbs and lactose are filtered out, so a single 29 g scoop gives you 25 g of protein, no carbohydrate at all and no added sugar.
It’s unflavored on purpose. It goes into coffee, a smoothie, or a bowl of whatever without turning it into dessert, and you’re not paying for sweeteners you didn’t want. If you’re already eating enough protein you don’t need this at all, but if you’re training and struggling to get there, one scoop is a lot less effort than another meal.
NOW FOODS SPORTS L-GLUTAMINE POWDER
OPTIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR GUT
Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the body and can be depleted with prolonged exercise.
The research looks most reasonable on gut barrier support, where the doses used sit around 5 g, which is why we point you at the powder rather than 500 mg capsules.
It is an optional extra rather than a foundation, so get your protein and creatine sorted first. If those are already in place and you want one more thing to try, a scoop after training is an easy addition.
Sleep
Many studies show that there is a connection between sleeping and appetite. To be more precise, there is a connection between sleep and a balance of leptin and ghrelin in the body.
Ghrelin is a hormone that’s produced in the stomach and is released when we are hungry. It increases our appetite and the need to eat. Leptin, on the other hand, is produced in fat cells and is released to tell our brain that we’re full. This, conversely, decreases appetite and increases our satiation (fullness).
In one study that was done on 12 men, doctors allowed 2 days of sleep deprivation followed by 2 days of as much sleep as the patients wanted. They monitored hormone levels, appetite, and activity level. In the days when sleep deprivation was encountered, leptin levels went down and ghrelin levels went up.
Because of this, their appetite also went up and the desire for higher calorie foods shot up about 45%.
LIFE EXTENSION MELATONIN 300 MCG
NATURALLY PROMOTES AND HELPS REGULATE SLEEP
Getting a good night’s sleep is becoming rarer and rarer these days. Melatonin is a hormone that we naturally produce in our body, but can also be purchased as a dietary supplement. Research shows that supplementing it can help you fall asleep faster and sleep better.
Life Extension keeps this one simple and cheap. The capsules are free of unnecessary chemicals and additives, and at 300 mcg they let you start at the low end rather than a full milligram.
Start low, somewhere in the 0.3 to 1 mg range, about 30 minutes before bed, and only go up if you need to. If 300 mcg genuinely does nothing, the NOW 3 mg capsule is the step up. Melatonin suits occasional, schedule-related use rather than ongoing insomnia, which is one for your doctor.
NOW FOODS L-THEANINE
CALM WITHOUT THE DROWSINESS
L-theanine is the amino acid found in green tea, and it has been studied for its effect on relaxation.
Research points to it taking the edge off a wound-up evening rather than knocking you out.
200 mg in the evening pairs well with the magnesium above, and it suits a busy head better than a body that will not settle. Again, we’re going with NOW Foods who offer affordable, quality, and reliable products all the way around.
Looking for something else? Head over to our recommended products page for more suggestions on the products we and the community use!