I don’t really like taking supplements of any kind. I’m a 35-year-old woman, in overall good health, and I prefer to just eat well. However, sometimes I worry that I may be making the wrong decision to not supplement, and it’s somehow going to “catch up” with me. Should I reconsider and start taking supplements? If so, what supplements and/or herbals would you recommend for my age?

I encourage all my patients to keep nutritional supplementation simple. They should be complements to-not a substitute for-a healthy diet.

Having said that, there is a growing body of scientific research that suggests that even with an ideal diet, it is not that easy to ingest the optimal doses of basic micronutrients that have been associated with reductions in heart disease and cancer.

The Chopra Center basic recommendations are as follows:

1. A high potency daily multi-mineral, multivitamin.
2. A bone health formula that includes calcium and vitamin D, particularly if you are a woman.
3. A blend of Ayurvedic herbs known as Rasayana. These are elite botanical allies extolled by Ayurveda as potent rejuvenative substances. Over the past decade, scientific research into some of these substances- ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), and amalaki (Emblica officinalis)-has confirmed they possess measurable immune-potentiating properties.

With love,
David