Supplementation Sensation Hits The Nation

The relentless low-carb weight loss success story Kent Altena is back again with another one of his informative "how to do Atkins/low-carb" videos on a subject that is extremely important within the context of livin' la vida low-carb: SUPPLEMENTS!

One of the questions that inevitably comes up when I start talking about my low-carb lifestyle is vitamins. People ask me, "Why do you need to supplement your diet with vitamins if you are eating healthy? You should be getting all the vitamins you need from the foods you are eating, right?"

HA! I just love the flawed premise of questions like this. It assumes that there is a way for people to make changes in their diet alone that will enable them to get all the nutrients their bodies need to perform at their very best. Don't you wish?!

But anyone who researches this subject even a little bit already knows it is next to impossible for you to consume enough foods these days to adequately supply your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs. Even with the most nutrient-dense diet you can possibly eat, you still need supplementation to your diet. There's just no getting around it!

Most interestingly to me about supplements are all the forces at work trying to get them banned. The big pharmaceutical companies REALLY don't like people taking vitamins because people are getting healthy without the use of drugs. Oh no, we can't have that now, can we?!

But as I state in one whole chapter of my book "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb," vitamins are vital for a healthy lifestyle and can make your low-carb experience that much more enjoyable and effective. Isn't that a part of the transformation process that happens inside of you when you make permanent life-changing actions? Yes, it most DEFINITELY is!

Let's see what Kent has to say about this topic in his video today which was actually in response to a question posed to him by a woman who e-mailed him regarding her experience just starting off on the Atkins diet.

Here's what she wrote to Kent:

“I’ve been very faithful and am over the Induction flu, but now I don’t have ANY energy. I slept great last night and I feel like I could lay down right now and take a nap. I’m not skipping meals, I’m taking a multivitamin, and am drinking loads of water. What can I do to get my energy back up?”

This gave Kent the perfect opportunity to discuss this topic.

ATKINS DIET: ROLE OF SUPPLEMENTS



VERY interesting stuff, isn't it? I really wish I had known about all of this BEFORE I started the Atkins diet back in January 2004, but I have learned a lot about it ever since. That's why I proudly post my weekly menus which include the supplements I take along with my diet and exercise routine.

Here is what I am currently taking:

3 teaspoons of liquid multivitamin (no iron)
1 brick men's multivitamin (no iron)
200mg Co Q-10
200mcg Chromium Picolinate
250mg Acetyl L-Carnitine
1 brick B Complex Vitamins
6 tablets Shaklee Super Calcium Magnesium Plus
2 caplets Fibercon
2 softgels Atkins Essential Oils
3 softgels 1000mg each Fish Oil Concentrate

Kent hits on most of these supplements and talks about why every low-carber should at the very least be taking a multivitamin, chromium picolinate, biotin (which is usually included in some multivitamins), L-Carnitine, CoQ-10, and omega-3 fish oil supplements. These are all basic supplements for anyone who is livin' la vida low-carb and you should really consider adding them to your diet if you are not already taking them as part of your low-carb lifestyle.

Regarding the question he received from the woma with no energy on Atkins, Kent said she is probably still getting used to the low-carb lifestyle as she is very early in the diet and that taking the right supplementation could actually help boost her energy significantly.

Also, Kent encourages her and anyone else starting out on a low-carb program that this way of eating provides the added benefit that you are "off that train" of blood sugar spikes that can zap your body of the energy it needs to survive. In other words, you will notice a steady surge of energy levels once you get your body into a ketogenic state and fat-burning commences.

Plus, when the weight loss comes (and it will!), you'll experience that much more of a boost just when you need it. It's the beauty behind livin' la vida low-carb that makes me proud to be associated with this healthy nutritional approach!

Kent provides a boatload of links at his blog to articles about the various supplements he recommends to help educate you further about why they are important. I encourage you to check it out and post your comments regarding this video to his blog.

Do you have a question that you would like Kent to address in a future "how to do Atkins/low-carb" video? He would be happy to hear from you and possibly feature it in a future video. Click here to share it with him and be sure to tell him "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" Man sent you. THANKS again for the educational videos, Kent!