I think Cordain said you can take 2 supplements.

1. Fish Oil - to mainly make up for feed lot beef if you have to eat it.
2. Vitamin D3 - the nation has low D epidemic.
(3.) Multivitamin - maybe taking 1/2 a pill once a week would not hurt.

But I really came to write about longevity pills.  After further reading resveratrol showed no signs to increase lifespan of middle aged mice.


longevity pills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUnUv5jos68&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu87vid-uK8&feature=related

Naysayers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuxeefmhDdU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J--MNwjlm4&feature=related

Belly Fat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtJ_EEid6Zg

Why is it selfish?   The most selfish is not to have a stable population.  Thus I am for abortion and for taxing large families.  The population of the United States is 300 million.  I wish it were 100 million.  I don't want to see war or famine, I want to see the population stabilize and then drop.  I would like to see people live to 150 or longer as long as you are in good health.

Your 42, the average lifespan in 1900 was 40.  I think you should be happy it raised.

BTW, the above pill does not seem to work.

I agree, PaleoRainy. We are meant to eat food, not pills. With fresh air, sunshine and real food, no supplementation should be needed.

One of my goals in life is to live to 100 healthy with no medical insurance or costs.  The author of The Paleo Diet, Loren Cordain,  recommends Vit D and Fish Oil. Mainly due to low Vitamin D epidemic and quality of our meats, vegetables, and fruits. You probably can do without them.  The reality is I most likely will be cut down in my 60s, 70s, or 80s.

Probabily the problem is not that the above pill doesn't work, but that pills don't work!

If your eating well, you don't need fish oil, vitamin d or a multivitaminic, if you are aware something is missing from your diet and can't replace it ok, otherwise...meat has all what you need.

I agree, PaleoRainy. We are meant to eat food, not pills. With fresh air, sunshine and real food, no supplementation should be needed.

While I like the idea of getting all of my nutrients from food there are certain supplements that I do take to try and bridge the gap between our ancestors environment (food/water/air/culture) and our environment. So I actually take supplement to try and be more paleo. I do try to get the most from food sources by eating organic: veggies, fruit, grass-fed meats, omega 3 eggs, free-range chicken and wild fish.

Things that I think have changed that need to be considered:
• depletion of minerals from the soil in which our food comes from
I think even the soils that organic foods are grown in are likely to have much less mineral content than the soils that our ancestors gathered from because our farmers soil is used over and over which depletes mineral content.

• depletion of minerals in our water - especially magnesium
magnesium deficiency is common in today's population

• many chemicals that are very common and that most people are exposed to on a daily basis (bromine, chlorine, fluoride, etc) displace minerals in our bodies and make it harder for our bodies to absorb minerals - especially iodine. But having adequate amounts of minerals can also flush these toxins from our cells and block the absorption of toxins into the cells.

To address this depletion of minerals I add Trace Mineral Drops to reverse osmosis filtered water. It is concentrated salt lake water with most of the sodium removed. I use this instead of a mineral tablet because I think nature is better at balancing ratios than vitamin manufactures. I also like the way it makes my water taste. You can read more about it at this website...
http://www.traceminerals.com/products/drops.html

Other things I do, other than supplements, to address these issues:
Eat dried seaweed on a regular basis to get enough iodine to try and make up for our polluted environment
Filter my drinking water, use toothpaste without fluoride, and use a shower filter (not only to prevent chemicals from being absorbed in my skin but also to protect my lungs from absorbing the toxins from breathing in the steam). Here is a link to the shower filter I use...http://www.yourethecure.com/cart.php?target=product&product_id=198&category_id=290

I also take a spoonful of fish oil and a spoonful of cod liver oil each night with dinner. I take these because I don't think I eat seafood as often (about once a week) as our ancestors and with the pollution of our oceans I'm not sure it would be safe to. Because mercury is water soluble instead of fat soluble fish oil should have less mercury contamination than the protein in fish. Plus the company I buy my oils from is supposed to remove impurities and contamination.

I take cod liver oil for it's natural balance of vit D and vit A. I do try to get sun everyday but I'm sure I don't get anywhere close to the amount our ancestors did.

So while I agree that it would be best to get all the nutrients we can from food I think it's important to remember that we live in a different environment than our paleo ancestors did and to try and balance out those differences with some supplements might not be a such a bad idea.

I tried taking calcium at one point and it caused muscle soreness and stiffness…pretty much like when you’re sore after working out, except my muscles NEVER recovered even after plenty of rest.  I tried two different brands and then bagged it.  If the general population feels anything like I did while taking sups it’s no surprise people don’t want to make the time for activities/exercise…if I wouldn’t have known I felt like that from the cal, I probably would have chalked it up to “normal” for my age, yikes!  I would think vitamin/mineral levels change all the time depending on what’s eaten, activity, season, location etc. so ups and down would be normal.  I don’t take any sups (or other pills) and don’t plan to experiment with sups again no matter what the next latest greatest study is but that’s just me.  I think the negative side effects can creep up rather slowly and taking many of those might not be as benign as we’re lead to believe.  Probably quality of sups could make a difference and also the binders used but personally I think healthy foods are still the safest bet.       

From what I've read though, supplements do not get absorbed by the body anywhere nearly as well as food. Especially hard pills/tablets, I've heard that they can pass right through your system completely unabsorbed.

I agree - this is why I take all of my supplements in liquid form.

Also, I've read that it can throw off the correct balance of vitamins/minerals to take supplements, because in foods they occur in combination.

I also agree with this statement and that is why the supplements I take are with the other minerals/vitamins that they are made with by nature. The trace minerals is sea water. The oils are from fish. Does that mean that we should not use lard or tallow because it too is rendered fat?

Anyway, that's just me, I'm old fashioned and just really don't like the idea of ingesting something that's doesn't seem to be food.

I guess I do see these things both as food and as a supplement. I see fish oil in the same category as lard or tallow and mineral water in the same category as well water or as sea salt - it basically is sea salt in water minus the sodium.

Especially the "longevity pills" - I wouldn't take those myself.
If it works for you though, and you feel it's improving your health, then go for it!

I don't see fish oil, cod liver oil, or liquid minerals as longevity pills. Do you?

I agree with filtering water, I'd love to do that for my shower especially! Unfortunately my shower head is welded on and I live in a rental house... :-(

That is a bummer. If you like to take baths there is a filter designed for that. I've never used one but here's a link if you want to check it out...http://www.gaiam.com/product/eco-home-outdoor/water-quality/shower-bath-filters/bath+ball+faucet+filter.do

I tried taking calcium at one point and it caused muscle soreness and stiffness…pretty much like when you’re sore after working out, except my muscles NEVER recovered even after plenty of rest.  I tried two different brands and then bagged it.  If the general population feels anything like I did while taking sups it’s no surprise people don’t want to make the time for activities/exercise…if I wouldn’t have known I felt like that from the cal, I probably would have chalked it up to “normal” for my age, yikes!

Yikes indeed - unfortunately a lot of people do take calcium pills. I don't think this is a good idea either. Most people already have an improper balance of calcium, not that they are necessarily getting too much calcium but that they're getting too much in comparison to other minerals - especially magnesium. The balance is off. This is why I take a mineral combination that is made by nature. The fact that taking these supplements caused you problems quickly enough for you to know it was the calcium pills (luckily though so you knew to stop taking them) - leads me to believe that your body was already lacking sufficient magnesium before taking the pills - which most Americans are - I've read in multiple books that 70-80 percent do not get adequate amounts of magnesium. The symptoms that you had are signs of magnesium deficiency.

I would think vitamin/mineral levels change all the time depending on what’s eaten, activity, season, location etc. so ups and down would be normal.     

I agree with this. But the mineral content in our food depends on the soils that they are grown from/eat from and because our soils have been depleted even the 'ups' most likely fall short of the minerals our ancestors got from their food. Most of us also cook most of our food - unless you are eating/drinking all of the drippings and juices - mineral content is lost there too. For example if you steam your veggies and do not drink the water left in the pot most of the minerals will be washed down the sink.

I don’t take any sups (or other pills) and don’t plan to experiment with sups again no matter what the next latest greatest study is but that’s just me.       

While I can understand that you've had a bad experience with supplements in the past I think this statement is a bit bold. After all if you hadn't been open to information about the paleo diet and the studies of what our ancestors ate you probably wouldn't know to eat this way and would miss out on all of its benefits.

I think the negative side effects can creep up rather slowly and taking many of those might not be as benign as we’re lead to believe.  Probably quality of sups could make a difference and also the binders used but personally I think healthy foods are still the safest bet.       

I also think that the negative side effects of mineral deficiencies or insufficiencies can creep up on people too. I'm definitely not saying to listen to every new study that comes out and try everything, or listen to everything you read or hear. But the things that have been proven like that our soil/water mineral content has been significantly reduced is something to read about, think about, and then decide if you should supplement with a natural source. We as paleo eaters are used to giving up a lot of foods to try and come closer to what our ancestors ate. Why should we also not think of adding things back in our diets that we can no longer get in the same amounts in our food/water because of the environment we live in. I think it is easier to give things up - you just kind of do it. Adding things in is harder because it is hard to know if you are doing exactly the right thing. However with the knowledge that there are less minerals in our food and water than our ancestors should also not be ignored. I think a safer bet is to supplement from a natural source in a place where it used to be found. I put my minerals in water because there used to be more minerals in our water. I wish I had access to a fresh spring to gather water from or a well but I don't - I think adding minerals to my water is the next best thing.

All this being said all I'm asking is what I ask people when I talk with them about the paleo diet. Be open to the idea even though it's different and do some research to see if it is something that makes sense to you. See if any health problems you might have align with what you find. Perhaps you have already done your research and have made your decision. I'm totally good with that too - if not the best I can hope is that this sparks you to go through the research.

Quote

I don't see fish oil, cod liver oil, or liquid minerals as longevity pills. Do you?

How about an experiment?
You take your pills (or in any other way you like to call themù) and I take none, let's see who dies first or older.

I can see that I may have upset you which was not my intention at all. I wish you good health and I hope you and I both live healthy, long lives. I also hope this does not cause a lasting friction between us on future postings. I really was only trying to help.