The Lowdown on Supplements with Equi

How do supplements help?

Supplements can be game changing, but it’s vital to choose the right products when it comes to the quality of the ingredients and formulation. Your complex body needs much more than a multivitamin or collagen shot to show improvements and reach its optimum level for well-being.

Our digestive health is a crucial factor in our overall welling and should be giving the necessary attention. It is heavily impacted by our environment, with our diet, alcohol intake, stress, exercise and medications taking their toll on our the all-important microbiome. The impacts of this extend beyond our digestive system; 80% of our immunity is located in the gut, as is 90% of our serotonin production - the brain’s feel good hormones. The gut really is central to overall well-being, and a good supplement should give this proper focus with high quality ingredients such as probiotics, enzymes, anti-inflammatory botanicals and medicinal mushrooms.

Do we need to supplement?

Our busy urban lives take a toll on our bodies. In an ideal world our diets would provide everything our body needs, but in reality, we don’t always manage to eat what we need, when we need it. And even with a perfectly balanced and nutritious diet, the external stressors we face on a daily basis burn through nutrients that we often don’t replace; stress, poor sleep, rigorous workouts, alcohol, medication and environmental toxins (pollution/ cleaning agents etc) can all place excessive demands on our bodies and minds. Over time many of us can find that niggling symptoms can develop as a results of this - low energy (the most complained about issue to GPs) bloating, hormonal strife, headaches, bad skin, frequent colds, poor focus and bad sleep. These aren’t life threatening, but little signs that the body may be in need of more - which is where supplements can help.

Do supplements really work?

The truth is that it really depends on the product as to whether supplements can work well or not. Not only should a high quality supplement only contain ingredients that bring benefits, they should also be easy for the body to absorb and utilise. Unfortunately, the supplement market is awash with products packed full of fillers, binders, emulsifiers, sugars (gummy bear vitamin anyone?), artificial flavourings or simple ineffective and cheap ingredients that don’t give the body any benefit and can even be harmful - not to mention a complete waste of money.

It’s often not as simple as topping up vitamin levels with a stand alone pill either, for example, vitamin D works best in conjunction with K2 and vitamin A, but is rarely given in this combination. Additionally, only considering a singular part of the body, such as immunity, when it is so interconnected won’t help. For example, good digestion, balanced hormones and effective detoxification are all vital features of a strong immune system. Overall wellness depends on all parts of you working well and supplements should therefore work with all of you - and not just one part.

Interestingly, society is so used to supplements not working (thanks to the low standard in the mainstream market), that when good quality supplements do work, the placebo effect is raised. Science has shown the placebo effect is real - it has even been shown to work even when people take what they think are painkillers for their chronic pain, when in fact all they took was a placebo. Further research suggests that the body may actually produces its own natural opioid pain killers itself when we visualise it doing so. Amazing proof of how powerful our minds really are! So we see this as a WIN WIN - by taking a good quality, comprehensive, science backed supplement, the body should enjoy very real, positive changes, and may also benefit from the bonus of a placebo effect as well.

How are Equi products formulated to work with you?

Equi products uniquely nourish all of the body’s 10 systems and are a complex mix of bio-available vitamins and minerals with science backed herbs, botanicals and medicinal mushrooms and gut support, which have numerous benefits throughout the whole body and help bring longer lasting results.

This is why we’ve chosen to add in two award-winning products from Equi into the 10-Day Gut Cleanse. Equi nutritionists have decades of clinical experience coupled with a deep scientific knowledge of human physiology, essential when formulating effective supplements. Equi’s Formulas uniquely combine a full range of supplements into one jar - think of it as a trip to a nutritionist in a bottle, the equivalent of 10 different products, 48 science backed nutrients which have been expertly selected for you.

Equi Original Formula - Equi’s Original Formula is a revolutionary combination of 46 supremely pure and powerful nutrients:

- Adaptogenic Herbs + Vitamin B6: Support the regulation of hormonal activity.
Siberian Ginseng: Discourages ‘burn out’, restores and recalibrates.
- Advanced Multivitamins + Minerals: A high quality spectrum of bio-available vitamins and minerals to support immunity, energy, focus, thyroid and detox.
- Goji + Bilberry Superberries: Energises the body, mind and digestion with polyphenol-rich antioxidants.
- Vegan Probiotics, enzymes & turmeric extract: Support digestive health and diminish water retention.
- Milk Thistle: Supports liver health and detoxification.
- Cordyceps mycological mushroom: Supportive of immunity, gut & cognitive function.
- Supergrasses: Highly nutritious plant based nutrients, with an alkalising effect.
- Vitamins C, D + Zinc: Support the immune system and protection of cells from oxidative stress – caused by our modern lifestyles.

Together these nutrients work to provide equilibrium throughout the whole body supporting the gut, hormones, energy, immunity, detoxification and rejuvenation. With balance comes the power and energy that enhances your entire system.

Immunity Edition - These super smart capsules bring together the most effective ingredients proven to build resilience and help strengthen the gut:

- Vitamin D3 - D modulates the immune system to strengthen our defences and reduce inflammation. Also vital for the health of our microbiome.
- Elderberry extract – A source of vitamin C, A and antioxidants, all of which help to strengthen immunity and help the body fight against contagious seasonal bugs.
- Zinc - Essential for a wide array of body functions, being especially important for normal immune function as well as gut health.
- Andrographis – an Ayurvedic herb known as the ‘Indian Echinacea’ that contains active constituent andrographolides to help protect the immune system against seasonal sniffles, whilst also supporting the microbiome.
- Vitamin C - an incredibly nourishing all-round essential nutrient for the whole body - perfect when feeling run-down, or simply to help keep the body strong. Helps support the all-important gut membrane
- Olive leaf extract – A rich source of polyphenol antioxidants (oleuperin) which has been shown in studies to help reduce the number of sick days taken, helping the body get back to fighting fit.
- Reishi mushroom extract – Contains 400 bioactive compounds, that have been shown in research to reduce inflammation & to help our immune system better fight against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Also a prebiotic to aid gut health.
- Lactospore® probiotics - to support our microbiome, essential for gut function as well as immunity, mood, skin and hormones. For references click here.

A note on getting started with Equi:

If you’re new to supplements or have been sensitive to new things, we recommend starting with a half dose of Original Formula for the first week and building up to a full dose. Original Formula is a powdered supplement that should be mixed in the shaker with either cold water, juice or nut milk and taken after lunch. Immunity Edition can be taken with your afternoon snack, or after dinner. If you have questions about combining these with other supplements let us know and we can advise.

*Please note that the shaker included in the programme is not dishwasher friendly.*

Click here to book in for your meal plan and 3-Day Reset, and get your hands on a free 10-Day Original Formula set.

Check out Equi London here.