As a whole, approaching the world of vitamins can be incredibly intimidating and hard to decide where to start. To offer some guidance, we partnered with HUM Nutrition, who provides clean, clinically proven nutrients for skin, hair, body, and mood. HUM takes out the guesswork and makes it easy to understand what you need for your goals. They provide personalized solutions and free nutrition advice by certified RDs. We were lucky enough to speak to Jessica Bippen, HUM Nutritionist, MS, RD to help break the ice and begin the conversation for you. Read up on some of the basics below and check out HUM for yourself.
What is your approach when determining what a client needs or is lacking in their current routine?
“Everyone has unique needs, which is why a personalized approach is so important. Taking the time to ask questions in regards to current nutrition and lifestyle habits, along with any concerns or specific goals, is key to better understanding what nutrients someone needs.”
“At HUM, we make it easy to understand what you need for your goals. By taking a 3- minute quiz on our website, we can get to know you better and identify potential nutrient gaps. From there, you are assigned to a Registered Dietitian who sends you a personalized report with nutrition advice, lifestyle tips and product recommendations.”
What are some of the most common concerns or complaints people are looking to improve?
“Gut health, skin health, and stress are the top three concerns. This isn’t surprising since stress and gut imbalances tend to show up as digestive issues and skin issues. In regards to skin health, breakouts make the top of the concern list, but a combination of diet and gut health play a large role in skin clarity. Digestion and gut health are essential to feeling great. However, many people feel bloated by the end of the day—or after every time they eat. If this sounds familiar, it could mean your gut bacteria needs a little TLC.”
“Stress takes a toll on the body physically and mentally. This can show up as anxiety and constant worry or more physical symptoms like breakouts and poor digestion. For many individuals, incorporating ways to manage their stress can help improve their skin and digestion. Some examples include meditation, journaling, yoga, good nutrition and supplements like Big Chill.”
Why is gut health so important for the entirety of the body?
“There are trillions of microorganisms living in your gut. These bacteria and other microorganisms help keep your system working correctly. The bacteria are essential for helping to digest food, produce vitamins, regulate hormones, and excrete toxins among many other things, to keep your gut healthy. Your immunity, stress response, sleep, mood, behavior, metabolism, weight, hormones, and skin health all depend on the health of your gut. If there is an imbalance in your gut microbiome, you’re going to feel off or even have unwanted symptoms like decreased immune function, skin issues, breakouts, gas, bloating, and weight gain—just to name a few!”
How does an individual determine what supplements they do and do not need in their routine?
“First, it’s essential to understand that your diet, lifestyle, and goals will play a role in your overall nutrient needs. For instance, certain eating styles and restrictions may lack essential vitamins and nutrients. Vegetarians, vegans and plant-based eaters risk B12 deficiencies. Paleo and dairy-free eating may need alternative sources of calcium and vitamin D. Gluten-free eaters can miss vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in whole grains.”
“In terms of lifestyle, numerous factors can impact your levels of critical nutrients. Such factors include but aren’t limited to age, geographic location, season, sun exposure, stress levels, sleep habits and more.”
“Lastly, it helps to be clear on any specific beauty or wellness goals you have. Are you looking for clear skin, healthier hair, more energy, improved digestion, or sounder sleep? Once you’ve narrowed down your concerns you can look for supplements to address your needs.”
“We understand choosing supplements can be overwhelming, which is why you can take a quiz on our website to get recommendations. Additionally, our solutions at HUM are goal-oriented and contain a unique blend of clinically-proven ingredients formulated for specific results, making it easy to understand and choose from.”
What are some of the more universally helpful supplements for overall optimal health?
“There are four supplements I consider universal for optimizing overall health. These include a multivitamin like Base Control, a probiotic like Skin Squad, a vitamin D supplement like Here Comes the Sun, and omega-3s like OMG!. Base Control is the perfect addition to your regimen and fills in any potential nutrient gaps. Think of it as an insurance policy for your daily nutrients. This multivitamin provides 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 14 essential nutrients like Vitamin C, B12, and Iron.”
“Then, one of the best things someone can do for their overall health is to start a probiotic. Skin Squad is a pre and probiotic designed to balance digestion and support clear skin by nurturing your gut microbiome. It has 40 billion colony forming units (CFUs) of nine probiotic strains for a truly potent skincare product that works from the inside out. Having the proper balance of good bacteria is essential for proper digestion, skin health, mood, and immunity.”
“Here Comes the Sun is our vegan vitamin D3 formula. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for our health and most people aren’t getting enough! It acts as a powerful antioxidant to help fight free radicals in the body and is critical for bone health and giving your immunity and mood a boost.”
“Finally, OMG! Omega The Great—HUM’s fish oil blend—provides the perfect ratio of the active ingredients EPA (800mg) and DHA (400mg). These omega-3 fatty acids are essential, meaning you need to get them through your diet. However, it can be hard to get enough through food alone. Omega-3s help reduce redness in the skin, play a role in general dryness and support healthy brain function.”
Is it okay to take multiple supplements to address multiple concerns?
“It’s perfectly fine to take multiple supplements together to address different concerns. That being said, it’s important to be mindful of not doubling up on certain nutrients. Some nutrients have upper limits set. Most HUM supplements are perfectly fine to mix and match but we do have a guide on our blog for product pairings to avoid as a basic guideline. Then, your HUM nutritionist can also help to ensure your personal selections pair well.”
“You may also consider starting off with only a few supplements at first (3-4 is a good max). This can help you pinpoint which supplements are working best for you. It’s also more manageable. The key to supplements is consistency. It’s much easier to start with a few supplements until taking them becomes a habit. Once you’re in a good routine, you can always add more to address an additional concern.”
How long should you wait to see if your supplement is having an effect on you?
“HUM supplements need time to work with your body. Just like making diet and lifestyle changes, you can’t expect it to work overnight. HUM recommends giving your supplements at least 4-6 weeks in order to take full effect. This is especially important with probiotics, skin supplements and adaptogens.”
“An exception is digestive enzymes, like Flatter Me. These work immediately as they actively help breakdown food during the digestive process to help reduce gas and bloating. If you are still finding you’re bloated after a meal while taking digestive enzymes, it could be an underlying gut issue that digestive enzymes don’t address.”
What are some signs you suggest looking for to gauge if the supplement is helping or hurting?
“Consistency is key when it comes to seeing results with your supplements. It’s also important to check-in with yourself. Based on your main concerns, how are you feeling? Are you noticing improvements? It can be beneficial to keep a symptom journal. This way, you can keep track of the concerns you’re looking to address and how they’re improving over the month of starting your supplements.”
Should you need to talk to a doctor before implementing these in your routine?
“Most healthy adults can make minor nutrition and lifestyle adjustments, including adding supplements into their daily routine. However, if you have any underlying health conditions, are on medications, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, it’s best to speak with your doctor before starting any new diet or lifestyle changes including a supplement routine.”
Daily Cleanse
Daily Cleanse by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $25
Hair Sweet Hair
Hair Sweet Hair by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $25
Skin Squad Pre + Probiotic
Skin Squad Pre + Probiotic by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $40
Red Carpet
Red Carpet by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $25
Beauty zzZz
Beauty zzZz by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $10
Big Chill
Big Chill by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $20
Here Comes the Sun
Here Comes the Sun by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $12
Flatter Me
Flatter Me by HUM NutritionNeed This Now| $25
(Pst… use code CHILLTIMES15 for 15% off your order on chillhouse.com)
