The supplement industry is a $40 billion dollar industry in the U.S. with very limited regulations. On top of that, supplements seemed to be advertised at every turn, but how many of us really understand why we need supplements and which ones to take? We get into all of this and more in this episode with Courtney Bursich. Courtney is an AADP Board Certified health coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner who has worked with clients for many years now on understanding their body and what supplement protocols they need. She talks with us about when supplements are appropriate to take, what to look for when buying supplements, and how to determine where to start with supplements. This is a great episode for anyone who is curious about supplements, but also intimidated.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole and Shanna share about their experience over time with supplements and how they've honed in on what to take by doing in depth testing with their doctors. They also talk about the importance of using supplements to fill the gaps of what you may not be getting from what you eat.

Episode Recap: Interview with Courtney Bursich - 1:34 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 47:27

Highlights:

• Courtney's advice on starting your wellness journey: start small, start somewhere
• Supplements on the market today have limited regulation and wide variety of quality
• Supplements should aid what you are already doing in the kitchen; you should be getting a lot of nutrients from your foods
• Over-farming can deplete the nutrients in the soil which means less nutrient dense foods
• Toxins in the body can also deplete some of your nutrient reserves
• Use supplements to fill the gaps where you aren't getting enough
• Some estimates show that 80% of people are Vitamin D deficient
• Courtney started her own supplement line to have a quality product on the market that she could feel confident recommending. As part of that, Courtney and her team ensure that the supplements:
• • Use real, whole food sources for their ingredients
  • Test the ingredients for identity, purity, and potency
  • Test for heavy metals, microtoxins, and mold spores to eliminate them
  • Minimal processing to maximize potency
• When looking at buying supplements, do the research into the companies selling them:
• • What are the company's values?
  • What is the company's vetting process?
  • Does the company share the products' certificates of analysis (COA's)?
• You can work with a professional to do functional testing to determine deficiencies in your body.
• Courtney's Top Three Tips for Starting to Use Supplements:
• • Take inventory of what you have and why you bought it. Do a purge of the supplements if the ingredients are questionable, the product is out of date, or you don't know what it's supposed to help you with
  • Write down some of the things that your body is telling you and talk with a trained professional regarding what you're experiencing and what supplements may help you
  • Get involved in the process of knowing what you are buying

Resources:

Where to find Courtney Bursich:

• Instagram: @organic_blondie
• Website: https://www.organicblondielife.com

Where to find Plant Rx:

• Instagram: @the.plantrx
• Website: https://www.plantrxshop.com/