What's My daily Dose?

None, one or a handful? Our easy decade-by-decade guide will tell you how many supplements you should be taking for good health

- Lynn Here Cardy

Ask ten health experts what supplements we should be taking and you’ll get ten different replies, with maybe one saying you don’t need any at all. So to help clear up the confusion, we asked naturopath Sarah Bowles- Flannery to give us a no-frills guide to what we should take for good health, great looks and a sunnier disposition.

“Supplements are no substitute for a good diet, but even if we had an organic, fresh and locally grown whole food diet, we’d still need them as our soil is mineral-depleted. And of course, we’re only human. Even the odd glass of wine and piece of cake – nutrient-poor foods that need the missing elements to be metabolised properly – can actually rob our body supplies, leaving us with a nutrient debt. We lead such demanding lives that we need extra nutrients just to keep pace.”

To help you find your way through the vitamin maze, Sarah has come up with her idea of good health basics and added some herbs, tonics and Australian Bush Flower remedies (from health food stores) to help improve your mood.

“Flower remedies work on the mind, emotions and spirit,” says Sarah. “They may sound a little fanciful, but they’re good at releasing negative emotional patterns and helping to create a more positive state of mind. Just take seven drops twice a day – what could be easier than that!”

YOUR SUPPLEMENT BASICS

Regardless of your age or lifestyle, these really are a must for women. Adjust them as suggested when you meet those lifestyle and wellbeing problems.

Vitamin C A vital support to our immune system and a protective antioxidant. A good daily dose is 1,000mg, increasing to three times that a day during or at the first sign of a cold.