EXPERT ADVICE

Seven Supplements to Take for Optimal Health

We could all use a little nutritional help these days, no matter how healthy our diets are. Our food has fewer nutrients now than it once did for a lot of reasons: long-term use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxins; monocropping; and depleted and overused soil. So now, in order to get enough nutrients, we need to supplement. It's still important to eat a variety of foods – preferably from small farmers who use fewer chemicals – because when you eat a bunch of different vegetables, fruits, and proteins, you expose your body to a range of nutrients.

To me, supplements are a necessity, not a luxury. I think of them as medicine: Instead of asking a doctor to prescribe me a drug when I'm ill, I'd rather take something that can help me avoid getting sick in the first place. Here are a few that are key to my diet:

Launch Gallery » – Laird Hamilton