If you are reading this post, I’m going to assume that you are a believer of the power of supplements and you want to build a supplement regimen that most suit your needs.
So, you know that Vitamine is a startup that helps people take the right supplements at the right time. But how do we decide what’s right for each person? In this article, we are going to pull back the curtain and reveal our methodology in selecting the right supplements for our subscribers.
We call it the supplement pyramid system.
Vitamine Supplement Pyramid System: systematic approach to building your supplement regimen
Pyramid structure is a symbol of stability.
And as you go higher up the levels of pyramid, the size of the area shrink – symbolizing their lower importance to your health.
So if you are going to design your perfect supplement regimen, you need to do it from the bottom up, like a real pyramid.
Vitamine’s supplement pyramid system has three levels: Foundation, Personalisation and optimization.
The foundation level
The function of the foundation level supplements is exactly what its name suggest – to provide a solid foundation to your health. The supplements in this level are the most important ones and if you are using our quiz, we normally recommend 1-2 foundational supplements.
Supplements in this level are usually essential nutrients that our body can’t produce themselves. Example of supplements in this level are your multivitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics etc.
Personalisation level
The middle part of the supplement pyramid is your personalisation level supplements. This is where you get supplements tailored to your own needs.
The personalisation level supplements are “functional” in nature. In other words, they help you to improve an area of health that most likely affects you personally.
Glucosamine for arthritis, calcium for bones, red yeast rice for cholesterol reduction are all examples of supplements in this level.
Depending on your needs, you will find 1-3 personalised supplements recommended to you using our quiz.
Optimisation level
The top part of the pyramid is the optimisation level supplements. As the name implies, supplements in this level are not necessarily the ones which meet your medical needs, but are there simply to optimise your regimen.
The supplements in this level are normally extra antioxidants, adaptogens, or supplements to help you live longer, happier lives. These supplements are less important compared to the foundation and personalised level of supplements. You can usually do without them if you are strained on budget.
Depending on circumstances, our quiz normally recommends 0 -1 supplement in this level.
Essential Nutrients: Cornerstone of the supplement pyramid
Let’s talk a little bit about essential nutrients.
Essential nutrients are nutrients that our body need to survive/function everyday. Unfortunately, essential nutrients are also what our body can’t produce on their own. We have to get them from our diets.
Unfortunately, in today’s busy lifestyle, we no longer eat healthy like we used to. Packaged foods or takeaways might be able to provide us just enough essential nutrients to survive, but not thrive.
Even if you are eating healthy everyday, i.e enough fruits and veges and no processed foods, there is still no guarantee that you are getting enough nutrients.
Soil is turnover so quickly that it has no time to replenish the nutrients in it. Fruits and veges that come out of a nutrient-deficient soil will therefore be less nutricious.
Also, chickens we eat nowadays take an average of 48 days to grow to eating size, thanks to the use of growth hormones, antibiotics, probiotics and various other chemicals. 60 years ago, it used to take us on average 81 days to grow a chicken.
Look, we are not here to critisize the food industry, but what we are trying to convey is this: we can no longer get enough nutrients from our diet. This is why we need to take nutritional supplements. This is also why supplements that provide essential nutrients are the most important ones in our supplement pyramid system.
Foundation level: The must have supplements for everyone
Let’s get back to the pyramid.
So, the foundation level supplements are the same for most people. The purpose of taking these supplements is to build a strong foundation for our health. The supplements in this level are not meant to improve or correct a certain health condition, but they will definitely improve your overall health in long term.
The supplements in this level are not meant to improve or correct a certain health condition, but they will definitely improve your overall health in long term.
The first supplement that we absolutely recommend to all our subscribers is a multivitamin. A multivitamin is like a “catch-all” solution to make sure you at least get all the essential nutrients, whether or not you are eating healthy.
Another foundational supplement we recommend for most people is omega-3 fatty acids, which is also an essential nutrient. Fish oil is by-far the most cost-effective source of omega-3. Other sources include flaxseed oil (for vegetarians) or krill oil.
Check out this blog post if you would like an in depth comparison between fish oil, salmon oil, krill oil, flaxseed oil and cod liver oil.
The third foundational supplement in this level is a probiotic supplement. Probiotics are bacteria that lives in your digestive system that help you breakdown food more easily. Think of it this way, you can only be as healthy as your gut. Your health depends on your digestive system to extract nutrients from you food.
In other words, if your digestive system is healthy, you can get more out of your food. This is the reason why probiotics are included in the foundation level of the supplement pyramid.
Personalisation level: The right supplement for the right condition.
The middle part of the supplement pyramid is all about you. It’s about finding the right supplements to help you improve or prevent health conditions that will most likely affect you.
Unlike the foundation level supplements, the supplements in this level are “functional” or “purposeful”. They are not for your general wellbeing and should be included only if you have the needs AND if they are scientifically proven to work.
Here’s a list of supplements you can consider adding to your regimen:
| Condition | Supplements |
| Diabetes | – Gymnema – Fenugreek – Berberine – Bitter Melon – Chromium |
| High blood pressure | – Beet root juice extract – Grape seed extract – Garlic – Hawthorn Berries – Reseveratrol |
| Arthritis | – Glucosamine – Chondroitin – Boswellia Serrata – Type-2 Collagen – Curcumin – MSM |
| Sleep | – Magnesium – Tart Cherry Extract – Lavender – Theanine – Valerian Root extract |
| Bone Health | – Calcium – Vitamin D – Vitamin K2 |
| Liver Health | – S-adenosylmethionine (SAme) – Milk Thistle – Lecithin – Phospholipids |
| Memory and focus | – Berries extract – Caffeine and Theanine (combined) – Vitamin B Complex – Acetyl L-Carnitine |
| Eye health | – Lutein – Zeaxanthin – Omega-3 fatty acids (high in DHA) |
The Optimisation Level
The optimisation level supplements are what make of the top part of your supplement pyramid. Supplements in this level do exactly what the name implies – optimise. These supplements “optimise” your regimen.
One example of supplement in this level is extra vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and help to enhance the effect of many beauty/whitening/anti-aging supplements. Another good example is bromelain extract, it’s a strong anti-inflammatory and will work well with supplements for arthritis or heart. CoQ10 is another good example recommended for all with heart related conditions i.e diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol. It doesn’t help directly to improve the symptoms but it helps to improve overall heart health.
One thing to remember: The supplements in this top level of your pyramid are the icing on the cake. You should only consider taking them after you’ve gotten you foundation and personalisation levels supplements.
3 steps to building your own supplement regimen
Now that you have a framework to work with, it should be hard to start designing your own ideal supplement regimen.
Some simple rules to follow:
1.) Foundation level supplements should be prioritised over personalisation level and optimisation level supplements.
2.) Work on 1-2 most important health areas at a time. If you have more than 2, you will have to prioritise based on urgency and impact they have over your health.
3.) Your regimen should only have 5 or less supplements. If you have more, you will need to prioritise and choose the ones that are more likely to work.
1.) Choose your foundation level supplements
This step is very simple as the supplements are the same for everyone – a multivitamin, an omega-3 supplement, and a probiotics every 6 months.
Add these to your regimen.
2.) Personalisation level supplements
For this step, list down all the health problems you have, followed by health areas you would like to improve. For each problem, list down the health supplements for that condition (you can refer to the list above).
Go to websites like examine.com or consumerlab.com to research each and every supplement. Choose 2-3 that are most proven to work and add them to your regimen.
3.) Optimisation level supplements
Honestly, there is no step 3. You should have 5 or more supplements by now.
Unless, if you are smoker or are exposed to second hand smoke often, you might want to include additional vitamin C.
Or
If you have any long term heart-related conditions, a CoQ10 supplement.
Conclusion
Taking health supplements is like an investment to yourself. Like any other investments, you should do your own research before spending money on it. Also, like any other investment, you want to make sure you have a plan that suits you and works for you.
Finally, if you need help planning your regimen, you should consider using our quiz. It only takes < 60 seconds to complete. The quiz follows the exact same supplement pyramid building methodology you just read. And better still, we already researched all the supplements for you, so only the ones that are proven to work will be recommended to you.
