I am going to reveal to you, now that I have enough experience in years and ‘field trials’ what I have learned about diet and illness. Of course, given where I live and what I have been informed about and exposed to, I may have missed some dietary options. Also, I have been through just so many that it will take time for me to discuss all of them with you.

So please, bear with me as I cover each one.

Also be aware that what did not work for me may very well work for you.

Before you attempt to change your diet you MUST consult both your general physician (GP or doctor), any regular specialists treating you, your regular pharmacist AND a QUALIFIED nutritionist. That is because they all know what they are talking about and your individual situation to advise on what may be detrimental to your health. For instance many people think they should stop gluten, dairy or sugar and they are wrong. 

I am doing this series for two reasons.

I want you to know what I have tried, on the off chance you are looking for something that suits you and you would be interested in trying yourself.

I am also doing it to say that somethings definitely help more than others. But for some people even the best answer may not be enough.

I’ve been vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, raw, natural, organic, 3 fruit and 8 vegetables daily, reboot juice dieting, nutritionists specific, low carbs, low sugar, no preservatives, no additives, no processed foods no processed meats, gut-bacteria modifying, acid-alkaline dieting and highly specialised supplementation programs over my life, and I can say they are all good to some extent but I can also tell you what is the most likely to work FOR ALL PEOPLE.

In due course you will find out what I now survive, yep survive, on. There are some things I will vehemently disregard and some I will recommend only with guidance. I will provide research to help where possible and tell you the best resources if you want to try.

I also want to add one last promise and that is that I am not sponsored or financially supported by any institution or company. No one is paying me to say these things. Sometimes I wish I was, as unwell students are at the bottom of the economic food chain.

Here we go. Supplements

Let’s talk a little about supplements first. 

For the larger part, you shouldn’t actually need to be taking these. If you put your big people pants on and start eating your fruits and vegetables in a variety of colours, seasonally, as all the health books and specialists recommend you should actually be getting most of your nutrients naturally.

A typical multivitamin has just over 20-50 nutrients in it. An apple has hundreds. Just saying. Plus you will save a bucket load each month.

The biggest excuse you hear from people is that they don’t like eating fruit or vegetables. That’s pretty weak. I used to hate them too but I decided my body and health were more important than debt and flavour. After a while you actually come to crave those flavours. and mixing things together actually makes it fun. They have a name for it. Salad. Cute right?!

The reason your urine turns so bright in colour as you take these supplements is that you are putting more into your body than you need and so a lot is wasted. Literally money down the drain.

Now I need to contradict myself and say something valuable. There are a tiny amount of supplements you need to buy. Did you know that the ground of Australia, namely Western Australia is some of the oldest in the world? Plants have been drawing the minerals and nutrients out of it for millions of years and some of the things we need like Magnesium and Potassium exist in unsatisfactory amounts.

So, yes, you do need to buy these ones. There may be one or two more, and it is worth researching in your area too for the exact ones. Also, it broke my heart to learn some of them cannot be taken with other medications, or with caffeine.

Supplements cannot simply be taken. They need to be looked into. A bottle of multivitamins a month isn’t the cure for you. It is an extra blanket on your bed in case it gets colder.

Learn what nutrients you need, what food you can get it from naturally and how much you need to eat of it, what it does in the body and if you can get it in the quantities you need locally before you get supplements. If you get supplements, make sure you are getting quality for quantity and price. Make sure you are taking them in the correct way and begin looking for alternative ways to supplement supplements as soon as possible so you don’t burn holes in all your pockets.