5 Supplements Every Beginner Should Know About

A customer asked me yesterday: "If I could only take five things, what would they be?" I get this question at least once a week. After almost 30 years of helping people in Montgomery figure this stuff out, my answer has not changed much.

1. A Good Multivitamin

Start here. Even people who eat well have gaps. I look for multivitamins with methylated B vitamins and chelated minerals — those forms absorb better than the cheap synthetic versions. And skip the gummies if you can. They taste like candy because they basically are. Less of the good stuff, more sugar and fillers.

2. Vitamin D3

Living in Texas, you would think we all get enough sun. I thought that too until I started hearing from customers whose doctors told them their levels were low. Happens more than you would expect. D3 is the form your body uses. I suggest 2,000-5,000 IU daily, but get your levels checked first — your doctor can do a simple blood test.

3. Magnesium

Almost everyone could use more of this. Sleep, muscle cramps, stress, and something like 300 other processes in your body. Magnesium glycinate is what I recommend because it does not upset your stomach and it absorbs well. Take it at night. Most people notice the sleep difference within a week or two.

4. Probiotics

Your gut runs more of your health than most people realize — immune system, mood, skin, all of it. A daily probiotic with multiple strains and at least 10 billion CFU is a solid start. Keep it refrigerated if the bottle says to. And take it with food. I had a customer taking hers first thing on an empty stomach and wondering why she was getting stomachaches. Problem solved once she moved it to lunch.

5. Omega-3 Fish Oil

Heart, joints, brain — omega-3s have more research behind them than almost anything else on our shelves. The trick is reading the label: you want the EPA and DHA amounts listed separately, not just "fish oil 1000mg." Those are the fatty acids that matter. Vegetarian? Algae-based omega-3 does the same job.

Quality Over Everything

Which five supplements you take matters less than where they come from. A gas station multivitamin is not the same thing as what we carry. Every product on our shelves has been third-party tested for purity and potency. I have been running this store that way since 1995 and it is the one thing I will never change.

Not sure where to start? Come by. I will help you figure out what makes sense for where you are right now. No pressure, no upsell — just honest advice.