How are you feeding your body, mind and soul? In today's fast-paced world, the quest for optimal health often leads us to explore various dietary supplements promising quick fixes and miraculous results. While supplements can be valuable in supporting our health, they should not replace a well-balanced and nutritious diet. In this blog, we will delve into the importance of complementing supplements with nutrition for a holistic approach to overall health and well-being.
Supplements are concentrated forms of specific nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, or herbal extracts, designed to fill nutritional gaps or address particular health concerns.
We know the importance of providing our body with the nutrients it needs to perform. This is especially important during pregnancy and birth.
Some reasons include Nutrient Synergy – the concept that certain nutrients work better together. A common concern during pregnancy is anaemia - low iron. To make your iron supplementation more effective, Vitamin C is key. Drinking or eating oranges or dark veggies will mean vitamin C is absorbed much better than taking a vitamin C pill. This is known as bioavailability.
Gut Health – Eating fermented foods and taking probiotics all help ensure we have lots of friendly bacteria to support our microbiome.
In the same way, our nutrition and supplements complement each other; there are things in life that complement each other, too. Self-care complements your well-being; believe it or not, Relaxation complements Productivity. That’s why they say, “You can’t pour from an empty cup”. This month, I’d like you to think about what you need more of in your life and what you could complement it with to get what you need.
For me, having spent a much longer time than I’d anticipated away from face to face interaction with clients, I was feeling a little out of touch with birth work. Which is no good if I am supposed to be imparting wisdom and the benefit of my doula experience to future birth keepers!
As we eased/slid/ran screaming (delete as appropriate!) into the new academic year, I was determined to make some changes to get back on track with client work. That had to begin with connection. But, because managing my diary to meet up with perinatal colleagues is a massive challenge on its own, I had to find another way. So I complemented the supplement of connection with education. I have attended not just one but THREE workshops in person!
During and afterwards, I felt all of those feelings that I had been searching for. In the first, I actually shed a whole load of discreet tears – although that could have been my body complaining about the exercise that it was unaccustomed to!
I’ve also been out to events more than usual. I attended a stand-up show on my own, went to a LGBTQIA+ social night at a board games café and even got into the parade at our local Pride event. Supplementing new social connections with fun and queer joy.
So have a little think about something that is missing from your life right now. Do you need more friends, colleagues, exercise, mindfulness or good old raucous enjoyment? What can you bolt on to that to enhance the benefit? Good food + great wine on a night out or in, friendship + deep conversation at a book club, exercise + exhilaration on a dance floor. The choice, as always, is yours…