Fast forward to today, and my medicine cabinet was literally overflowing with vitamins. My job has definitely given me a helpful push to actually start thinking about my overall well-being—but that push had manifested into my not being able to shut my cabinet without bottles tumbling out.
I’m not sure if minimalism is part of growing up or if my apartment is simply too small for excess anything, but it wasn’t until basically now that I decided to pause, reflect, and cut down to the essentials. So I had to ask: What essential supplements should make the cut?
To find out, I turned to Solgar’s long line of science-backed, rigorously tested supplements (they’re the ones with the gold label on the top shelf at like every specialty health food and vitamin store). They’ve got top-shelf status for a reason: The amber bottle helps protect the quality of the thoughtfully sourced ingredients inside. Plus, they’re recyclable and made from 50 percent cullet (aka, broken or waste glass).
From there, I chatted with registered dietitians Nina Dahan and Danielle LaFata to help me understand which MVPs deserve a permanent address in Alex’s Tiny Medicine Cabinet.
Keep scrolling for the 5 essential supplements that made the cut in my medicine cabinet.
Vitamin D
As an immune system supporter, vitamin D is a solid contender. It’s often called the “sunshine vitamin,” which is why I opted to stock up on it heading into winter.
Supplementation may be especially important during the winter months when our exposure to sunlight is limited, Dahan says. And, vitamin D is also a key vitamin for supporting healthy immune function (since it’s part of the metabolic pathway your body uses to make proteins that are involved in your immune response, she says), which is important year-round.
That’s good news, because I’m now taking Solgar Vitamin D3 Softgels, and I know this former weekly beach-goer could always use more vitamin D with these chilly, 5 p.m. sunsets.
Zinc
According to LaFata, zinc is involved in over 300 reactions in the human body. (And I thought I was dramatic.) One of those reactions is acting as an antioxidant to help fight free radicals. This is important because free radicals can lead to oxidative stress, she explains, and oxidative stress can lead to the premature aging of cells.*
So, by supplementing with it (like I’ve started doing daily) it’ll help fight free radicals and oxidative stress, according to LaFata.* I’m all for making smart moves now so future Alex doesn’t have to, so here’s to zinc for making the cut.
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