Best Natural Supplements for Seniors

As you age, beauty products seem not to work as well as they used to. You may feel that your good health and beauty have passed their expiration date, but natural remedies can give you health and beauty benefits.

Don’t waste your money on high-end products that make unobtainable promises when you can get a natural health boost. Save the cash and slow down aging using supplements and healthy spices for better life insurance rates by outliving your current policy. 

Insurance Tip: Did you know that most term life insurance plans have a conversion clause in them? Once you’ve reached the end of a term life insurance policy, you can negotiate a lower premium for permanent life insurance.

What do supplements do?

Your body’s ability to take in nutrients decreases as you age, making even life-long healthy routines fall short of providing all the body needs. Maintaining a healthy diet for an organic source of energy will help keep you young, but there will still be gaps in your nutrition. 

Supplements are manufactured synthetically or extracted from food and herbs and are intended to make up for what could be missed with diet. Although commonly tied with weight loss, supplements are dietary, meaning that they are most useful in a dietary routine.

Everyday Supplements Older Adults Should Take

Supplements come in easy-to-take forms such as pills, powders, liquids, gummies, or bars that help make up for nutritional gaps. Needing benefits from supplements isn’t unique to the elderly. However, what’s to gain from implementing supplements into your diet becomes more significant as you age.

A few supplements that help ease side effects of old age include:

  • Boosting your metabolism – Vitamin D and magnesium

Magnesium aids absorption, making these supplements strongest when taken together.

  • Easing joint pain – Glucosamine, boswellia, and chondroitin

Because these supplements occur naturally in the body, they should not be taken together as they could be over-effective. All are anti-inflammatory, but one at a time is best for the most productive results. 

  • Increasing energy and focus – B12, iron, and L-theanine

All are found in everyday food and drinks, but most people don’t retain the recommended daily dose.

  • Aiding eyesight – Omega-3s, lutein, and zeaxanthin

These fatty acids slow down muscular deterioration to help preserve vision. 

  • Strengthening immune system – Elderberry, acai berry, and selenium

Even outside of flu season, we need our antioxidants. T-cell function slows down with aging, making older adults more susceptible to illness. Antioxidants aid cell structure, which keeps them stronger longer.

  • Helping dry mouth – Marshmallow root (althaea) and zingiber officinale (ginger)

Althaea and ginger are plants often used in capsules, tea, or raw form to stimulate saliva production. 

Even though aging side effects can make living uncomfortable, they are not life-threatening health problems and don’t usually require surgery. Using daily supplements to better your mind and body can help you lead a fulfilling life throughout old age without the need for serious medical attention.

Supplements as a Lifestyle and Treatment

Popular supplements may come from everyday foods, but eating enough citrus fruits and fish to get your daily dose of calcium, omega-3s, and vitamin D isn’t likely. 

By incorporating supplements and multivitamins into your daily routine, you can make up for what’s missed on your plate. For the days your diet doesn’t give you all the nutrients, supplements will provide additional aid to absorb nutrients needed and pass on what isn’t.

In addition to healthy living practices, taking daily supplements may lower your risk of developing health problems and ease symptoms for already developed ones. 

Although supplements won’t shield your body from unhealthy eating habits, they will aid in preventing conditions such as:

  • Age-related high blood pressure
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Dementia
  • Stroke
  • Heart disease
  • Broken bones

In addition to combating unhealthy habits, herbs and supplements can also be protective armor against medical treatments.

Insurance Tip: Though body mass index (BMI) isn’t always a direct correlation to the state of one’s life, insurance providers use BMI records to help determine an insuree’s potential risk. BMI doesn’t tell the difference between muscle and fat, so a simple detox before your medical exam could help lock in a low rate.

Supplements for Symptoms and Holistic Care

Medicine and procedures like chemotherapy can have adverse side effects while treating critical illnesses.  For those who suffer from physical health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, or immunocompromising conditions, supplements will help ease symptoms and unwanted medicine side effects. 

A list of supplements to use to combat some common side effects of medicine is:

  • Nausea and vomiting: Astragalus, thiamine (B1), and pyridoxine (B6)
  • Feeling fatigue: Vitamin B12 and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
  • Bruising: Pycnogenol and arnica montana
  • Losing your appetite: Zinc and fish oil

It is not uncommon for someone who is aging or undergoing draining medical treatment to suffer mentally in the effect of their circumstance. 

Feeling the physical effects of aging or treatment can cause a mixture of heightened anxiety, deeper depression, and additional stress.

Herbalism is a non-medical way to help improve your mood and mental health, and with supplements, these ancient practices are modernized and accessible. A list of herbs and supplements that ease anxiety, depression, and stress is:

  • Vitamin D
  • Rhodiola
  • Lemon balm
  • Creatine
  • Saffron
  • Passionflower
  • Valerian root
  • Ashwagandha
  • S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe)
  • Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

How to Buy Supplements

To live your best life as a senior citizen, you have to make your overall health a top priority.

If you’re unsure where to start, begin by asking your doctor what supplements your body may need. Not all supplements will be beneficial or should be incorporated into your diet daily.

When searching for the best supplement for you, read all of the ingredients before purchasing. It is common for supplement products to be made up of more than one element to supply users with more than one benefit.

Keep in touch with your doctors and monitor any physical or mood changes you have after taking new supplements.

Buying supplements doesn’t require a prescription. They can be found in common stores like your local grocery store, Target, Walmart, or Walgreens. You can even sign up for monthly subscriptions or order online through store websites and Amazon.

In the digital age, keeping your pantry stocked with the herbs and supplements you need to stay sharp is easier than getting those pesky prescription bottles open. 

Explore the world of holistic medicine by helping your body get what it needs to enjoy life.

Danielle Beck-Hunter writes and researches for the life insurance comparison site, QuickQuote.com. Danielle began studying herbs and supplements at 16 years old. She incorporates herbalism as a customary practice to stay healthy and combat illness.