ESSENTIAL ELEMENT: Essential Supplementation
Critical Concept: Food, Not Chemicals
Are supplements essential?
The quick witted Bonfire Member is probably saying “Hey, Doc, did our Paleolithic ancestors actually take their vitamins?” Great question. The answer, of course, is “No.” But our ancestors ate an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit, plenty of wild game, fish and fowl, and all of the nuts, seeds and berries that they could gather. They were not subject to the environmental and lifestyle toxins that we face every day. And they certainly did not keep the constant stressful pace that we all consider “normal” life today. Face it – our industrialized life has left us generally toxic and deficient.
The best way to reconcile these deficiencies is to compliment a robust nutritious diet style with high quality, essential nutritional supplementation. Notice the word is supplement, not replacement. The bedrock of a healthy diet is healthy, real food choices – not vitamin pills, potions or lotions. The Bonfire Diet Style is the most complete, genetically congruent diet available. But, all but the most steadfast followers must supplement their diet with essential nutrients if they wish to reach their health potential.
A nutrient is considered essential if the body requires it for health, but cannot make it on its own. In other words, these nutrients must be provided by our dietary intake. Bonfire recommends supplementing only those elements that are 1) essential, and 2) very difficult to provide sufficient amounts of in our regular food intake.
The Bonfire Essential Supplements include:
1. A Whole Food Supplement
2. Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acid (fish oil)
3. Probiotics
4. Vitamin D
This recommendation stands for everyone, of every age. These supplements are required by everyone for the promotion of optimal cell function and overall maximal health. As much as this may sound like a disclaimer, these recommendations are not meant as a treatment for a condition or disease. The Wellness Paradigm promotes the return to health through normalization of physiology, not manipulation through chemistry. These nutrients will support, maintain and promote greater health by contributing to the environment that allows for it.
Investing in high quality nutritional supplementation is money well spent. A common best practice is to redirect monies that are typically spent on things that were making you weaker and sicker toward the choices that make you stronger and healthier. People are typically shocked when they sit down and calculate the monthly cost of coffee, alcohol or cigarettes. The right nutritional supplements are an inexpensive way to reduce possible future health care costs. Staying well can seem expensive, but being sick will break you.
For the forgetful, try keeping your supplements with your toothbrush and make them part of your daily ritual. Or for the incorrigible, try leaving your car keys in the refrigerator next to the fish oil. Don’t leave home without it.
Using an auto-ship option is the best way to ensure that you don’t run out of your supplements. This efficient and effective best practice will keep you well stocked and on schedule – with one less thing to remember.
This may be the “best bang for your effort” recommendation yet. Adding these essential supplements to your lifestyle is such a simple and easy thing – but the rewards are profound and immediate.
Summary Checklist: At this point you should be:
- Drinking water as your primary beverage
- Eating plants first
- Eating lean cuts of high quality protein
- Consuming high-fiber, whole food carbohydrates
- Increasing your healthy fat intake
- Taking your Essential Supplements
