I meet with so many Warriors who tell me they’re eating nutrient-dense foods, so they wonder if they need to take supplements too. I usually tell them that even if they’re consuming high-quality foods, they may not be getting the benefit from all the nutrients they contain. Why not?
If you’re taking any kind of prescription or over-the-counter medications or remedies, you should be aware that they can significantly deplete nutrients or mess with your body’s ability to absorb the good stuff that’s in the foods you eat. Surprisingly, almost everybody I know who gets their levels tested turns out to be low in more than one nutrient.
Here are 7 medications that are stealing your body’s nutrients.
Antacids: These over-the-counter or prescription medications are designed to decrease stomach acid, which is problematic because you need stomach acid to digest your food. Antacids also sap calcium, phosphorus, folate, and potassium.
Antibiotics: Any time you take antibiotics, they decrease B vitamins and vitamin K.
Diabetes medications: Prescription medicines that fight diabetes also decrease CoQ10 and vitamin B12.
High blood pressure medicines: Taking medicine to lower your blood pressure can reduce your levels of vitamin B6, vitamin K, CoQ10, magnesium, and zinc.
Anti-inflammatories: Over-the-counter options like ibuprofen decrease B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K, folic, calcium, zinc, and iron.
Cholesterol-lowering medications: Statins do more than lower cholesterol levels. They also cause a drop in omega-3 fatty acids and CoQ10.
Oral contraceptives: The pill is one of the worst offenders when it comes to robbing your body of important nutrients. Oral contraceptive decrease B vitamins, magnesium, folate, zinc, serotonin, and tyrosine (the amino acid building block for dopamine).
If you’re taking any of these medications, you need to get serious about replenishing your nutrients with supplements, such as a multivitamin, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and probiotics. I think of supplements like an insurance policy. You’re covering all your bases.
To find out more about medications that steal vital nutrients from your body and brain, listen to the “Do You Really Need Nutritional Supplements” on the Brain Warrior’s Way podcast. And use the promo code TANA21 to receive 21% off at the BrainMD store.
