Words: Zak Maoui
Supplements take many shapes. Pills, powders, capsules and caplets. Bars, droppers, gums and shakes. If you can think of a delivery system, it’s likely that one of the hundreds of emerging supplement brands has distilled vitamins, minerals – and all other manner of purportedly good stuff – into it. And they’re more than happy to sell you them at a hugely inflated price.
Why are we so skeptical? Because the supplement world is a shady place — a one-a-day, vanilla-flavoured grey area that seems scarily ungoverned by any official bodies. These aren’t medicines, so the FDA or MHRA don’t have to sign them off. But nor are supplements as powerful as medicines. They’re not intended to cure or heal you. Instead, as the name suggests, they’re meant simply to supplement an already healthy lifestyle.
So let’s cover our backs with a quick disclaimer: while some supplements will undoubtedly benefit you, none are necessary. With a balanced diet, your body will already get everything it needs — with supplements just a way to give you a little extra oomph in certain areas of your daily life. So, from sleep supplements to fitness boosters, these are the ones that will actually make a difference…
Sleep supplements will help you nod off, but not knock you out
Who doesn’t have a bit of trouble drifting off now and again? Tossing and turning your way through half the night and feeling far too dependent on coffee the next day as a result? Thankfully, our first family of supplements offers a solution. Sleep supplements may help you catch your forty winks, but they are not sleeping pills. Instead, they work by relaxing the body with naturally de-stressing ingredients, rather than knocking you clean and chemically out. Think of them as your late-night cup of chamomile tea distilled into a capsule or dropper.
Dr. Barbara Sturm’s vegan Sleep Food capsules are among the best — but they come with a considerable price tag. At over £1 per capsule, you’ll be treated to a blend of St. John’s Wort, valerian and purslane — that promises to promote the production of serotonin and dopamine in your body. Form Nutrition’s cannily named ZZZZs take a simpler approach; focusing on giving you magnesium; a mineral that helps to maintain healthy levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. Or, if you want a subtler nudge to nod off, The Nue Co.’s Magnesium Gut Barrier + supplementary powder blends magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium citrate, and magnesium taurinate to ensure optimal absorption and support your nervous system’s function, while lemon balm and chamomile enhance relaxation.
Fitness supplements will boost protein alongside a balanced diet
You’ve seen those men in your gym, right? The ones who don’t seem to be pushing themselves as hard as you are — but are twice the size? Well, regardless of what you’ve been saying behind their ludicrously muscular backs, it’s likely not steroids — and more likely a savvy supplement. Most protein and toning supplements take the form of powders, and work by introducing a more concentrated source of protein into your already balanced diet. A 100g steak, for instance, has around 25g of protein. But 100g of protein powder? That could contain up to 85g.
That’s precisely what Innermost’s The Strong Protein Powder contains. Created using seven protein-rich ingredients, this is a healthy, sustainable way to heal your body quicker and build muscle faster. Bodyism similarly uses pea protein to create its vegan offering — also infused with fibrous greens to flush toxins from your body, and formulated with spices including cinnamon and ginseng to combat sugar cravings. Or, if sweetness is what you’re after in a supplement, look no further than Form Nutrition’s Performance Protein, in Tiramisu flavour. Containing brown rice, hemp and whole algae protein, you consume this fitness supplement the same way as the rest — by simply mixing with milk or water.
Vitamin supplements can help vegans, vegetarians or those with intolerances
Whether you’re allergic or intolerant to certain types of food, or have decided to go vegetarian or vegan, there will likely be certain essentials your diet is lacking. Vegans, for example, should be supplementing Vitamins B12 and D, Omega 3, Zinc, Calcium, Iodine and Iron to ensure their bodies still function at their full potential. Thankfully, many wellness brands have cottoned onto this demand.
Anatomē’s Daily Essentials + Wellbeing Support Supplement tailors its formula to men with Bioflavonoids, Bromelain and Complex B Vitamins to enhance clarity of thinking and protect muscles. Or, for a simpler approach, Nutriburst's Triple Immunity gummies give your body a powerful blend of vitamin C (Liposomal), zinc citrate and vitamin D3 to keep everyday ailments at bay. Artah's Enhanced Synbiotic delivers live bacterial strains, digestive enzymes, and polyphenolic prebiotics from cranberry and pomegranate to enhance the good bacteria in your gut and support the microbiome, in turn boosting your immune system.
Supplements to boost your hair game
If you're feeling like your hair is lacklustre, limp and simply thinning, then hair supplements can help you out. Hims provides a chewable treatment that combines ingredients used for treating hair loss and hair regrowth, while Sons' Hair Growth Complex combines nine natural ingredients, including anagain, marine collagen, and biotin, to address hair thinning. Clean company British Supplements does a nice, biotin supp, which fuses 10,000ug and 360mg Silica (Bamboo extract) to give your hair the love it needs.
Skin supplements for a more radiant appearance
Sure, you might be getting a youthful glow and rested under eyes through your diet (leafy greens, 8 hours minimum sleep a night etc), but it's also likely that you'll want some extra help in ensuring your skin game is top tier. Dr Barbara Sturm's Skin Food promises to give your skin the boost it needs, and purslane, astaxanthin, coenzyme Q10, glutathione and bamboo extract have potent anti-aging benefits, while zinc and selenium contribute to the maintenance of skin health. Vida Glow's Radiance+ is powered by active Mela-tech French maritime pine bark, artichoke extract and alpha lipoic acid, and addresses the overproduction of melanin, in turn evening out your skin tone. Botanycl's 100 per cent plant-based SkinClear Elixir tackles the cause of oily, blemish-prone skin: the androgen hormones.
Looking for even more bulking boosts in the gym? Here’s the wearable tech that will actually improve your workout…
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