Whole Truth Light Cocoa 24 g Protein Powder

Great taste no milkyness. Easy digestive. Easy mixability no excessive foaming. Clean protein content. Monk fruit sweetness is plus point so zero extra calories. Overall a premium whey protein experience.

felt amazing after having it.. no lumps, dislove easily..had other brand before having this one.. much happy with this..

Good product without sugar content

This is what both my wife and I take every morning. We are very consistent but always looking for advice. My wife is the only one taking the berberine. ​ The protein, moringa, mct oil, fermented beet root, mushroom blends, colostrum, glutamine, glutathione, NAD+, ground flax & fermented greens, are added to our AM shakes blended with fruit and 8oz A2/A2 milk (less gut issues). ​ Any brands you guys would swap? Remove a supp or add a supp? We kind of live in our own world doing the best we can when researching what to take or not too... without just turing our urine into expensive money wasting urine lol. ​ There's more we take before bed... magnesium gly, theanine, D3 mk7 (k2), but I'll leave that for another post. ​ Whatever anyone has, we're all ears! Appreciate you all!

So I'm in Miami for a week and yesterday my brother in law took me to C\*S. This was actually my first time properly browsing a US supplement shelf in person and I've been thinking about it nonstop since I walked out. ​ ​ For context: I'm indian and my extended family owns a natural herbs and supplement distribution firm in Mumbai, (India)., and I worked there during my college days for a bit of extra pocket money. ​ ​ There was a bottle of ashwagandha sitting at the front. 60 capsules, 500mg each. So 30 grams of material in the whole bottle. The price was $34. Now, plain ashwagandha root powder, bulk wholesale where we are, is around ₹800 to ₹1000 per kilogram. That works out to roughly $8 to $10 USD per kilo. So the actual ashwagandha inside that $34 bottle costs maybe 25 to 30 cents of raw material. Even if it's the proper standardized extract, raw material works out to about $1 in the bottle. Capsules themselves are about 1.5 cents each so 60 caps = 90 cents. Bottle, cap, label, desiccant, another dollar or so. Real cost to make: probably $3 to $4 per bottle. And this wasn't even the premium shelf brand. ​ ​ Turmeric was actually worse. $28 bottle, claiming 95% curcuminoids. Turmeric extract at that grade is maybe $40 to $60 per kilo bulk. The whole finished bottle probably costs them $4 to make. And then I saw moringa for $22. Moringa. BROOOOOOOO we use moringa leaves for chicken feed sometimes, I'm not even joking, the tree grows like a weed in half of India. Bulk powder is maybe $5 to $8 a kilo. Look, I get it, brands have costs I'm not counting. Marketing, Amazon fees (I keep being told Amazon takes 30 to 40% by the time everything settles), warehouse fees, FDA stuff, returns, salaries, third party testing if they actually do it. All real money. I run a business too. ​ ​ But two things are sitting badly with me. ​ First, I literally cannot tell from looking at the bottle which brands are actually testing their material and which ones are just slapping a nice matte black label on bulk powder they bought from the same exporters I see at trade fairs in Mumbai. The label looks the same either way. In India we have FSSAI numbers you can look up. Here you're supposed to trust the brand because... the typography is nice? I mean FSSAI is not great but at least there is SOME accountability. Second, the dosages. Half the bottles I picked up had 250mg or 300mg of extract per capsule. We wouldn't bother selling that in India, nobody would feel anything from it. ​ WE EAT THIS STUFF WITH SPOONS MAN (with honey or jaggery of course). ​ A proper dose of KSM-66 ashwagandha is 600mg per day, usually split into two. So you're taking 4 capsules a day out of that $34 bottle and the bottle lasts you 15 days. Which means you're spending about $68 a month for what is maybe $6 of material in a nicer container. ​ It's just disorienting coming from a place where the same ingredients, often from the same factories, sell for a tenth of the price. And the Indian export-grade stuff has to meet EU standards anyway because Europe buys more of it than the US does. ​ ​ Sorry for the rambling, bit of jet lag plus culture shock combined. Curious what people here thinm

The protein is light with great mix ability. Label is clean. And taste good

Couple of notes: \-I take most of these daily, except D3/K2, which I take every other day or every third day. \-Due to a family history of cardiovascular disease, a few months ago I added psyllium husk, bergamot, a low-dose statin, and CoQ10 (to help mitigate potential statin-related muscle aches). \-I'm considering dropping the mushroom supplements. I'm still optimistic about them, but I find the literature less compelling than some of the other supplements in my stack. \-I recently started Avmacol for its sulforaphane content and potential antioxidant and cellular stress-response benefits.

Light and effective

Not only light as water and goes down easily, it is as bland as water and doesn't need a "Light Cocoa" flavor option coz it anywas tastes super bland and there isn't any real taste to enjoy. I would rather go for unflavoured and deprive me of the flavour officially! Clean ingredients and was easy to drink. Packaging was good n all. I would like it be sweeter and would like the flavour to be sensed.

Great taste when have with milk

Got back into the weightlifting and want to start seriously taking care of my health and get looking good. Put this supplement stack together and wanted some feedback on it in case I have any blind spots. Been running it for about a month while I slowly add items. For background, I’m 23M, 160lbs, 5’10, \~15% body fat. Trying to cut down to 12% before I start my bulk, so I’m currently running a caloric deficit. \~4 weeks in and expect about 10 weeks of deficit to go. I train weights an hour a day 6x a week in the morning. Morning (Before Gym): • Celsius or Kirkland energy drink (\~200mg caffeine) • L-Theanine 200mg • L-Citrulline Malate 6g • Beta-Alanine 3.2g • Collagen Peptides 11g + Vitamin C 250mg • Fish Oil — Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega (2 softgels, \~1,100mg EPA/DHA) Morning (After Gym): • Creatine Monohydrate 5g (in protein shake) • 2 scoops of transparent labs dark chocolate whey protein isolate • HMB 1g Afternoon (with Lunch): • Vitamin D3 5,000 IU • HMB 1g Night (with dinner): • KSM-66 Ashwagandha 600mg (2 weeks on / 1 week off) • HMB 1g Night (before bed): • Magnesium Glycinate 120mg • Zinc Picolinate 15mg On the bench (bought but haven’t started yet, unsure on effects): • Boron 3mg, planned to cycle 2 weeks on / 1 week off synced with ashwagandha but the evidence for testosterone or performance in young men seems weak. Curious if anyone’s actually seen results from it. Also considering: • Semaglutide at a low dose to take the edge off hunger during the cut. Staying in a deficit is the hardest part of this whole thing and I’d rather use a tool than white-knuckle it every day. • Enclomiphene to push testosterone beyond what ashwagandha alone can do. Last bloods came back at 730 ng/dL which I’m happy with, but I’m curious about optimizing further without shutting down natural production or dealing with real side effects. Any feedback? Anything I’m missing?

the product so good, it made me take protein everyday, the taste is amazing, since I'm from India my protein intake is already cooked, this product helped me alot. try with milk...heavnly

Hi all, Can someone help with the best times/general tips about taking some supplements? My husband and I are both looking for advice. I would like to start taking: \- Whey protein \- Collagen Peptides \- Psyllium husk powder I tend to be a bit constipated though I do have regular BMs daily. My husband is already taking: \- Magnesium Glycinate (night) \- Fish Oil (morning and night with Effexor withdrawal symptoms) \- Creatine (when he works out) He would like to incorporate: \- Whey Protein \- Psyllium husk powder He has loose stools in general. We think it's because of the SNRI/SSRI's he's taken over the years. We're up to date on our general check ups. I understand that these do not replace a healthy balanced diet of whole foods. We usually have greens and proteins for dinner and a more carb heavy lunch and sometime during the day we work in a banana + whatever frozen bag of fruits we have smoothie. We also do snack a bit but nothing crazy. Thanks in advance!

Title is kind of a joke… and the whole post might come off like bragging, but: I recently did Function’s comprehensive lab testing (15 vials of blood + urine sample). \*Technically\* I passed out right around vial #15 and spent the neck hour throwing up, but let’s not focus on that. Where I’m going with this is that my Biological Age showed up as a whopping 12.9 years YOUNGER than my calendar age. Pretty cool. Anyways — Something I’m doing is clearly working, so I thought I would share: I don’t eat breakfast, so I spread these supplements across lunch and dinner (usually lunch OR dinner, other than the ones I take twice a day). Not trying to advertise for specific brands but I’m going to include the brand names in some places since that’s what I’m actually taking. One-A-Day Men’s Vitamin Gummy (x2) Be-Live Turmeric Ginger 500 mg Gummy (x2) Artoa Labs Nitric Oxide Beet Gummies (x2) Just Nutrients Sea Moss Gummies (x2) Now Vitamin D-3 5000 iu (x1) Bronson Vitaman K Triple Play (x1) Now Lutein & Zeaxanthin (x1) Fish Oil (x1) Nature’s Truth Tart Cherry Gummies 2000mg (x2) Magnesium Glycinate (x1) if I remember Somewhere in there is the fountain of youth ;) Function said my Omega 3s were still way too low so I went up to twice a day on that now, and my B Vitamins were low so I’m added Life Extension B Vitamin Complex. Addendum: I only sleep like 4 or 5 hours a night, but I have cut out all alcohol for the last 9 months, so factor those in accordingly if you want

Interesting new meta analysis published last month. Analyzed 78 studies on protein supplementation + resistance training. [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12862422/](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12862422/) Key notes are: \- Only collagen and whey were found to significantly increase strength and lean mass. Not casein. Not soy. 13 total supplements analyzed. Egg protein notably absent. \- Collagen was superior to whey in both strength and FFM increase categories, BUT the only head-to-head for both found whey to be superior for muscle even when the collagen supplement added leucine to match the whey's leucine content. And collagen studies specifically on muscle usually find modest results. My takeaway: collagen worthwhile for connective tissues, whey worthwhile for muscle. Other powders probably lack the digestibility or amino-acid profile to be worth my money. Probably another win for whole-foods, but I'll look to add a scoop of collagen a day as my diet doesn't usually include foods high in collagen.

I just started taking protein powder and didn’t know what brand or which powder I should start with. I tried coxmic’s Indonesian cocoa but I didn’t like it. It has a after taste and thn i got this light cocoa and it is good. Doesn’t have aftertaste. Didn’t feel heavy or bloated. Powder is really light and has very mild taste not sugary at all.

Alright, so, backstory. The adults of my family across houses have all had some kind of collagen supplements for coffee and whatnot, especially my grandfather, who had like, months worth, but then he read this book. I haven’t read what he sent my mom, but I know it also pushes celery and i’m suspicious any time a wonder, one fits all, whatever diet is pushed but that also kind of applies to collagen too. My main question is: Is there a healthy way to consume collagen/collagen supplements? Is it worth it/good for you? Please infodump. Edit: I’m pretty sure it’s written by this medial medium Anthony Williams Edit 2: Alright, feel free to pitch in but the case has been closed. The book was nonsensical and written by a medical medium who just claimed collagen was bad and did not achieve what it was supposed to, which is just a generally proven helpful protein. Edit 3: I think the book is either Medical Medium Liver Rescue or Cleanse to Heal

I hope this post won't be refused because the information is worth reading. I am sure that this is probably the majorities experience anyway. Few years ago any time I read a post or advice from this subreddit I was like "YES! I want this!" It was a bit like looking at a catalog online. Who doesn't want more energy, more vitality, more motivation, more happiness, drive... Who doesn't want to be bigger, faster, greater? We all do. Yet the reality worth reminding is that supplements are not drugs, and if you have a healthy diet and lifestyle you don't need them. An effect or "success" someone else has doesn't mean it will have the same effect on you. Because you may not be lacking that at all. And you may not respond to it the same way. In many cases having too many shit in your system is counter productive, making your body overreact, have more brain fog, depression etc. (Yes, you can find many of those stories here) Supplements work if you lack a particular vitamin or nutriment aka supplement that you dont get in your diet. And even then it is a matter of If since your body has a great way of using only what it needs and being smart. I tried almost every one I saw promoted here and a huge majority of them did nothing at best. While subreddits like this are by nature "promotional" and motivating you to buy more it is worth reminding yourself what a miracle of nature your body is and how it deals with nutrients and "chemicals" in your body. It is incredibly intelligent and efficient. Also it is worth reminding yourself the impact your mind and attitude has or even your lifestyle as a whole. Most people here have an automatic response that goes like this: "oh I need motivation, lets take a supplement" They dont ask if the cause is psychological or if it has to do with lifestyle or basic life choices. Just getting a supplement may not change the core cause. Also so many people are experiencing placebo effect... My advice is to first check your actual needs. Test one or two every few months and adapt. Otherwise you're just throwing your money and polluting your system with chemicals and confusing your brain and body. Your body and wallet will thank you <3 Now if I had to truly pick one or two I would say vitamin D for people who don't have enough hours in the sun and probably l-theanine for the calming effect on caffeine, making you feel less stressed when taking caffeine therefore making you feel more sharp mentally. Zinc is very important for men. But you may already eat enough. Another great one: Protein. Its part of countless processes of the brain and skin and body. Even serotonin etc. (But most people eat enough, so it's a niche one) Every nutriment or vitamin is great but the point is that supplementing on what you don't need is just waste at best. I always try to remind myself of the athletes from very poor country. They almost eat anything at all yet end up being champions of the World. Same for Buddhist monks or Indian Yogis having extreme diets, defying all knowledge. (I am not saying to go in this extreme but more is not always better... ) Hope this helped someone :D Because I know how impressionnable we can be, thinking more is better. Associating more with "better health" etc. But for me it wasn't the case. I tried so many stuff and for most of them they weren't worth it at all. But once again: check your basic needs, don't just buy stuff because you read a good story.

I came across something recently that genuinely surprised me, and I’m honestly wondering how many people are taking vitamin D the “simple way” without realizing there’s a whole system behind it. A lot of people assume vitamin D is just vitamin D …you take it, you get the benefits. But the truth is, vitamin D does not work properly unless you also have enough magnesium and vitamin K2, and if you are missing those, you may not only be wasting your supplement, but you also be unintentionally increasing certain risks. Here’s the breakdown of how the system actually works: **1. Vitamin D3 helps absorb calcium** Vitamin D3 increases calcium absorption from food and supplements. If you’re low on vitamin D, calcium absorption is poor which is straightforward. **2. Vitamin K2 tells calcium where to go** This is the part most people miss. Vitamin K2 acts like a traffic controller, directing calcium to: Bones and teeth and away from arteries and soft tissues Without enough K2, calcium can end up depositing where it shouldn’t, which can contribute to **arterial calcification**. **3. Magnesium activates vitamin D** Magnesium is needed for the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. And here’s the kicker: about half of people are magnesium deficient, which means even if you’re taking vitamin D, it might not even be activating properly. **So what happens if you take D alone?** Taking vitamin D without magnesium and K2 can: Increase calcium absorption without proper regulation Stress your magnesium stores Reduce vitamin D effectiveness over time Potentially contribute to arterial calcification. I’m not trying to scare anyone, but this feels like one of those things that’s so common and so overlooked that it deserves a bit more awareness. If you’re supplementing vitamin D, it might be worth checking whether your routine includes the other pieces that actually make it work.

Me right now: 38 yrs old Male Goes to gym 3-4 times a week Job requires me to sit whole day Elevated uric acid Low in vit D Lactose intolerant I also have a scheduled half marathon on May 2026 and Hydrox on the 2nd half of 2026 Quite tired of swallowing capsules AM supplement: Lion's mane + coffee - only if I need some cognitive support. Example I will be busy that day or I feel some brain fog. Noon after lunch Fish oil CoQ10 D3+K2 Multi vitamins TMG After dinner or work out: Whey protein isolate with lactose free milk Blue berry or cherries with Kefir Before sleeping Cherry tart GlyNAC Magnesium Depends on activity or mood Ashwaganda - if stressed. I seldomly take this. This bottle has been with me for a while Citrulline - 1 hr before workout Camomile tea - if mind is still active on sleeping time Skipping creatine on purpose because it ruines my sleep. I'll stick to my anecdotal experience than 'science'. I'll post a different one for this. But maybe will give creatine another try soon. Goals for supplementation: Make my uric acid and vit D in normal levels Keep my blood tests results normal Do normal functional activities - I see many men my age struggling even picking up things on the floor Perform well at work. Learning curve and focus is going down hill as I get older Keep my partner happy *wink. Also going downhill as I get older 🤷 Maybe get pregnant next year

I opened my cabinet the other day and realized I’ve somehow built a whole shelf dedicated just to vitamins, powders, gummies and random must try bottles I don’t even remember buying. Half of them are half empty the other half I’m not even sure if they ever did anything. It’s getting to the point where I feel more overwhelmed than helped. I’ve got stuff for sleep, stress, hair, gut, immunity but I can’t tell what’s actually working and what’s just taking up space. Feels like I keep adding things hoping for some magic fix instead of figuring out what I truly need. Anyone else hit that point where your routine feels more confusing than helpful?

Guys!! Please tell me what does that could mean. Im 28 yo male, exercising, taking vit d magnesium thorne basix nutrients, pantethine. Started to taking vital proteins collagen powder after workouts. Immediately noticed: very good improvement with libido/erections, more desire to music/life, more active, when play table tennis - more calm and focus, just playing better. Much better. But… one problem. It sometimes kills my sleep. I just cant sleep. Normally, i have no sleep issues. Immediately falling asleep when laying down. I tried to stop… and sleep became normal. But…. Described positive effects disappeared too. Whats the clue with sleep? How to fix and what’s the reason ? and could somebody give an scientific explainations - why collagen gave me this insane libido, and focus/better mood etc?

It is not wise to choose flavonoid supplements or “extracted” powder forms, because only consuming the whole thing will deliver the *whole complex* without losing un-researched elements and their *synergistic* effects Prioritize organic products (which in many cases you don’t have a choice with supplement products) and soak/wash them thoroughly to remove possible pesticides Don’t grind or juice them, because (1) it will raise the blood sugar (pre-breaking up the necessary fiber) (2) the act of chewing solid foods itself is scientifically beneficial to the brain, even known to prevent dementia My recommended daily mix is: blueberries (anthocyanin), broccoli (sulforaphane), apple (pectin), carrot (β-Carotene), lettuce (chlorophyll), orange (hesperidin), grapefruit (naringin), etc. (Warning: citrus is known to interact with prescription medicines if you’re taking any) Just needs to be discussed more

Across conditions that look unrelated — obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, hypertension, dementia — the same fingerprint keeps appearing: **mitochondrial dysfunction, low cellular energy.** Recent research makes the point clear: - [Reversing cognitive decline by powering up mitochondria (Nature Neuroscience, 2025)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02032-y) - [COVID-19 as a mitochondriopathy driving systemic dysfunction (ScienceDirect, 2025)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231725002794) The pattern seems hard to ignore: fragile energy is the common denominator. That makes me wonder if we’ve been asking the wrong questions. Instead of focusing on which diet or supplement might help, shouldn’t we be asking what **drives cells into low-energy states in the first place?** A credible upstream switch should meet six criteria: - **Reproducible mechanism** — directly lowers ATP and impairs mitochondria. - **Ubiquitous exposure** — not a rare toxin, but nearly universal today. - **Redundant triggers** — stays active even if one input is removed. - **Historical alignment** — rises in lockstep with chronic disease curves. - **Actionable/testable** — modulating it improves multiple endpoints. - **Unifies incomplete models** — explains why calorie, hormonal, and inflammation theories each hold part of the truth but don’t explain the epidemic alone. A few ideas hit some of these. But one pathway checks all six: **fructose metabolism.** - **Mechanism:** Unlike glucose, fructose bypasses checkpoints, rapidly depleting ATP (via KHK), generating uric acid, and downshifting mitochondria. - **Ubiquity:** Fructose exposure is unavoidable in modern life. It’s not just sugar and HFCS. Whole fruit adds seasonal doses (though fruit is often protective thanks to fibre, potassium, and polyphenols) — but here’s the bigger reveal: **common foods like refined carbs, alcohol, and salty processed snacks all trigger endogenous fructose synthesis**. This explains why debates about “carbs vs. alcohol vs. salt” have each seemed partly right — they’re all hitting the same switch through different doors. - **Redundancy:** Even if diet is cleaned up, the pathway doesn’t fully turn off. Dehydration, hypoxia (like in sleep apnea), stress hormones, and obesity itself (via osmolality and oxygen shortage) all trigger endogenous fructose. This redundancy shows its original purpose: a survival mechanism designed to conserve energy and water under multiple stresses. - **History:** For millennia fructose was scarce and seasonal. Industrial sugar, HFCS, and processed foods made it constant — and the disease curves climbed in parallel. - **Actionable:** Essential fructosuria proves the pathway is optional. KHK inhibitors and natural modulators like luteolin improve liver fat, insulin sensitivity, and blood pressure. - **Unifying lens:** Calories matter — but fructose drives the cravings and fat-trapping that make excess unavoidable. Hormones matter — but insulin and leptin resistance are downstream of energy depletion. Inflammation matters — but uric acid and oxidative stress trace back to the same source. **Hyperinsulinemia could almost fit the criteria, but fructose sits further upstream, explaining why it develops in the first place.** Put together, the model is almost absurdly simple: **fructose reduces metabolism → fragile cells → fragile organs → fragile systems.** What we call “different diseases” may just be different faces of the same low-energy biology. In response to the rigorous underlying science, one review concludes: *“Excessive fructose metabolism not only explains obesity but the epidemics of diabetes, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity-associated cancers, vascular and Alzheimer’s dementia, and even ageing. Moreover, the hypothesis unites current hypotheses on obesity.”* https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2022.0230 This demands rigorous debate and experimentation. > **Is chronic disease basically a survival switch stuck ‘on’ — with fructose metabolism as the upstream engine keeping cells in low-energy mode?** If not, what alternative mechanism fits all six criteria more cleanly? For anyone interested in the full model, here’s a [**whitepaper series**](https://liv3health.com/blogs/white-paper/metabolic-energy-failure-framework) and a recent [**Boost Your Biology podcast episode**](https://open.spotify.com/episode/7honYUtWK641ybrkuTwUjs?si=218fd5a4df7e45f2) that explore it further. --- # DIY Challenge Copy and paste the following question into your favorite AI. I suspect you'll find that Fructose metabolism arises as the best candidate for a root cause of the metabolic epidemic. > ***Which single biochemical pathway unites obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, hypertension, kidney disease, dementia, and cancer by producing the same early fingerprint of cellular energy failure — ATP depletion, mitochondrial suppression, uric acid generation, and cravings — and, being triggered both by diet and endogenous stressors, makes the strongest candidate as the causal driver of the metabolic epidemic? If true, what strategies, molecules or nutrients may directly modulate the stressor?*** Edit: Apologies - quite a few of my replies are stuck in Automod purgatory. Hopefully they'll be unlocked. --- **TL;DR** - The four pillars of chronic disease — metabolic, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and cancer — share the same fingerprint: **low cellular energy**, progressing from fragile cells → fragile systems. - While many stressors can cause this, **fructose metabolism is unique**: universal, redundant (dietary + endogenous), constant, and often stacked with other stresses. - This makes fructose metabolism the **most likely root cause of modern metabolic dysfunction**, unifying other disease models. - **Lifestyle fixes have been tried for years**; they unknowingly help by reducing fructose load (including endogenous production) or by supporting energy recovery — but they are highly restrictive and fail at scale, especially given the pathway’s redundancy. - The pathway is **validated**: enzyme assays, animal models, human RCTs — reinforced by evidence from **nature, history, and economics**. - **Luteolin**, a natural polyphenol, shows near-complete validation as a safe way to modulate fructose metabolism, paralleling the benign phenotype of essential fructosuria. - Existing strategies focus on energy recovery. **Modulating fructose metabolism targets the hole in the bucket.**

Open to advice. This all my supplements plus psyllium husk

Seems like a lot of people are researching Menerals here on Reddit. Figured doing an AMA as the founder would make things easier for anyone skeptical or curious. And before you ask: we source in the USA. Manufacture in San Diego. We test everything at ISO 17025 standards. We test for all bacteria and heavy metals. We have a 40+ page white paper backing up the science. We invite people to challenge the product since there are a lot of misconceptions out there and we'd love the opportunity to present real science, truth, and transparency about the supplement industry as a whole whether you buy from us or not.

Have been struggling with finding a good protein. Its really confusing. No other option but to try them all. This list is more from a taste point, than from a recovery point of view. I trust the brands, so I trust their experts. This is a personal opinion, I am not vouching or speaking for any brand. Same is for what I didn't like. You may end up loving it. Some observations: - Brand matters, but the flavour also matter. Pick the brands that you trust and try finding the right flavour. I loved Light Cocoa, but absolutely hated Cold Coffee from Whole Truth. - Here is the list: Absolutely the best: - The Whole Truth - Light Cocoa | Mixes well with milk, tasted yum (more like brownie chocolate). Consume chilled. Also has Monk fruit, which is a natural sweetener. Stevia has an after taste, but I prefer natural sweeteners. Ordered the trial pack twice. Will order the 1kg now. - Cosmix No-Nonsense Plant Protein | Mango - Mixes well with Water. Tastes good. Slightly powedery. In the best list as its plant based. Okayish - Cosmix No-Nonsense Plant Protein | Indonesian Cocao - Mixes well with chilled milk. Tastes decent. Can notice significant powedery. Good part is that there is a trial pack for all flavours. Tried 3, 3 to go. Yuk (Personal Opinion) - The Whole Truth - Cold Coffee | Not sure whats wrong with this. I like coffee generally, but this tastes weird. Tried with both milk and water. Good part is that there is a 6 sachet trial pack available. Ordered the same but had a difficult time completing. - Cosmix No-Nonsense Plant Protein | Chickmagalur Mocha - Tastes weird with chilled water. I dont' have a problem with lactose, so this one with water was very powdery. - Tata GoFit Plant Protein - Very powdery. Had to throw this away after briefy giving up on protein.

I lived with 24/7 nonstop fight or flight from ptsd and other issues for years, dissociative symptoms and OCD symptoms due to extreme anxiety that would not go away no matter what I did. Ssri and buspirone did absolutely nothing. I also couldn't experience joy or most emotions. I started researching supplements and after about 6 months of careful trials of different supplements, this is what is working really well for me right now. My mind feels so much better now and my life is genuinely enjoyable again for the first time in like 15 years! Supplements I take every day: *** NAC *** -has a long list of health benefits for everyone to take and no known risks to take it long term. For anxiety, it can help balance glutamate levels, and has been studied clinically as a treatment for OCD, anxiety and several other mental health issues. I saw a HUGE improvement after being patient through an adjustment period of maybe 4 days (I took it at bedtime so I could sleep through the adjustment symptoms; not everyone has these symptoms but it basically just made me feel a bit "icky," and Ive read that this can happen because it is basically doing a detox at first). Since then, I feel so much better every day after I take it. I started at 600mg of extended release (Jarrow makes one called NAC Sustain- this extended release makes it gentler than absorbing all of it at once and I take it religiously now), and am increasing it to 1200mg daily (one around 8am and one around 3pm) because 1200 is closer to the recommended therapeutic range for mental health. So far so good! *** Methylated B-Complex or Methylated Multi with the complete spectrum of Methylated B Vitamins *** - I'm taking Pure Encapsulations O.N.E and felt AMAZING mood and energy lift with my first dose. A lot of people have issues with methylation and I highly suggest getting a fully Methylated multi to see if you can feel a difference. If your system has methylation issues, it can cause a whole slew of mental and physical health symptoms due to it causing various deficiencies. I really like O.N.E because it also has *inositol* which is a great supplement for anxiety too, as well as a decent dose of CoQ10 which can also help! It honestly has a whole bunch of useful supplements included. If you look for it on Amazon it might look like the $45 option is the main price, but the 30 pill container is only $23, you just have to click the listing to see that one as an option. *** PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide) *** This one has been a complete game changer for me. When I feel overwhelmed, anxious or stressed (or OCD) I start fixating on all my body aches and discomfort. PEA basically erases all of those aches and feelings of discomfort. It has been studied for things like fibromyalgia, nerve pain, anxiety/ocd/depression, autism related sensory issues, brain fog and neuroinflammation, and I absolutely love it. I dont necessarily "feel" anything when I take it (which is good), but i feel very obviously achey and generally uncomfortable when I dont take it. I'm taking Nootropics Depot PEA, one before bed every night and one around 8 or 9am every morning (I wake up around 6 most mornings). *** multi-strain probiotic complex *** a lot of mood and mental health stuff can be supported with probiotics since the gut has a "brain" in it I'm taking a brand called OMOGS Women's Probiotic, but it's a cheap brand and I'm going to look for an extremely well rounded brand when I run out of these. I'm also taking Jarrow S. Boulardii, and until recently was taking Akkermansia. I intend to keep all of these in my daily routine, and it has made a huge difference in my digestion which has helped me feel less uncomfortable and therefore reduced anxiety, but also there are many mental and mood conditions that are caused by bad gut health *** A good quality L Theanine *** I'm taking Life Extension Theanine XR Stress Relief, which is an extended release L Theanine. I like it so far. I've also bought mints with L Theanine in them and liked that too. L Theanine is good as a daily supplement or as-needed. The mints seemed to make me a little bit on the drowsy side, but the extended release one is working great as a daily supplement and I love it. *** Good quality Magnesium Complex (with Magnesium L threonate) *** Some complexes come with magnesium malate and/or magnesium taurate in it. I change up the brand from time to time but always make sure L Threonate is in it. These are usually 3 pills in a 200mg serving, and I take the 3 pills split up throughout the day to keep from getting drowsy, but I can take 2 at once just fine if I'm not sleep deprived. Days when I miss the magnesium always tend to be more painful, uncomfortable, moody and stressful. If I take it late, I can feel a huge difference when it kicks in!! Ive tried 3 brands so far (from Amazon): MagTech (with taurate, and my favorite brand so far) MagEnhance (with taurate) Amandean Magnesium Complex (with malate)- currently taking this one and I have been feeling really mentally good lately so it might be better than MagTech but seems more subtle *** Magnesium Bisglycinate at bed time *** I take this religiously at bedtime. Sometimes 100mg and sometimes 200mg depending on how much sleep aid I feel I need. It makes me a bit too drowsy during the day but makes a HUGE difference in my sleep quality and I dont feel as relaxed without it at night and wake up a lot more without it. It is the only sleep aid ive ever tried that doesnt make me sleepy the next day or want to sleep through my alarms. My go-to brand of bisglycinate is NutraBio !!Magnesium citrate and oxide can give you sudden, explosive diarrhea so I would avoid those. *** 1 mg liquid melatonin *** I dont like how melatonin makes me feel, but if i take .5mg - 1mg of liquid melatonin along with my magnesium at night, they work really well together without feeling too strong. Also, it helps prevent night time reflux! *** D3/K2 *** I had a slight D deficiency, and found out you need to take it with K2 and Magnesium for absorption/balance. I take 4000iu D3 (with K2) a day. I started out taking Nordic Naturals, which I liked. Recently I'm trying Thorne liquid drops, and I add the drops to a bottle of water every morning and sip it somewhat slowly and feel a noticeable boost from that! AS NEEDED supplements: *** GABA (not gabapentin) *** is an EXCELLENT go-to for extreme anxiety and stress, if you are okay with possibly feeling a little sedated. I would typically wait until like 2 or 3 hours before my work shift ends, when my brain is fried and im already going to be suffering the rest of the shift anyway if I dont take something, and the slight sedation isnt too much to be able to still do my job and it really does help. *** L Theanine *** Useful as-needed for high stress but more subtle than GABA *** Mushroom Complex *** I have been taking a Transparent Labs Mushroom Stack combo that has Lion's Mane, Cordycep and Reishi. Before I reduced my SSRI, it was too stimulating for me to take it unless i was really draggy and fatigued. On fatigue days, i use it as a pick me up so i dont have to rely on caffeine *** Ginseng *** Same as the mushrooms, it's stimulating so if my anxiety is high i avoid it, but if i need a caffeine type boost i take this and it works pretty well without the caffeine downsides Useful supplement but I stopped taking it because I am feeling better and dont need it now: *** Shoden Ashwaganda *** At first i took this as-needed but felt a bit wonky when I would take it. Eventually I started taking it daily (usually in the late afternoon when stress from the day had built up) and after a while it felt really stabilizing to take every day. But I stopped because things like NAC, methylated vitamins and a couple OTC meds had balanced me enough I dont need it anymore Nootropics Depot makes a Shoden Ashwaganda that is affordable and I liked that one. Mood Mingle also makes one, but it has B vitamins and i didnt want to take non methylated B vitamins. - also I want to suggest sticking with the Shoden type. Other types might be worth trying (and might even work better for you)! But Shoden was the only one I personally have enough experience with to recommend OTC meds that helped me enough to mention: *** H1 allergy meds *** My anxiety has turned out to be linked to a histamine imbalance in my body, and if you have any allergies or regular sinus symptoms like sneezing, runny nose etc, I highly recommend trying Claritin and Nasacort to see if it cuts down on your anxiety symptoms. Sounds weird, but histamine overload can cause anxiety! I notice an enormous difference when I take H1 histamine blockers (claritin, allegra - both non-drowsy, zyrtec can be drowsy for some people, but more on that later) and Nasacort. *** Pepcid (H2 histamine blockers) *** if by any chance you might have similar anxiety triggers to mine, Pepcid is an H2 histamine blocker that works in the digestive system. If you ever have heartburn, I strongly suggest avoiding things like Tums and switching to Pepcid (test out the strength that seems to make a difference for you). It also really makes a difference in my mood and ability to relax. Prescriptions that are not typical anxiety meds that have been game changers: *** Ubrelvy or another gepant *** This one was a complete accident discovery. It is a migraine med, if you have headaches just ask your doctor about it. Whenever I take a Ubrelvy, I can be having the worst OCD meltdown ever and Ubrelvy just FIXES it like magic somehow!! I did some digging and found out it also helps glutamate similar to NAC. As far as I know it is not researched for anxiety, but I can say that for me it is a lifeline. I asked for a prescription for Nurtec or Qulipta because Ubrelvy is an as-needed gepant, but those other two are daily meds. Even though it’s not approved for anxiety, it: Reduces neuroinflammation. CGRP is tied to stress signaling. Helps prevent overstimulation. Might improve dopamine availability, especially if CGRP is disrupting reward/motivation circuits Some researchers even argue that CGRP antagonists should be explored for depression or anxiety actually! Tied to the glutamate thing is the histamine issue: When histamine is high, it tends to push serotonin up (through indirect pathways). If serotonin gets too high, especially in certain brain regions, it can flatten dopamine and increase obsessive thoughts or anxiety. It can cause numb emotions, anhedonia, obsessive spiraling, etc Most anxiety meds raise serotonin. I was cracked out when I was taking Lexapro because they just kept raising my dose when it didnt work. I got switched to Wellbutrin that only works on dopamine and norepinephrine, and reduced my lexapro, and it magically reduced my anxiety and racing thoughts by at least half. I also found out I have ADHD (i got medicated for that before I tried all the other stuff) and from my experience, guanfacine is way more effective at reducing overwhelm- induced anxiety than my stimulant (vyvanse). I consider guanfacine a necessity for me too for anxiety. A lot of doctors seem to only give it to kids but id rather give up stimulants than let guanfacine out of my rotation. These meds are very useful but without the supplements and OTC meds I mentioned above, id still be a scattered nervous wreck who can barely function, always feels like something is wrong and is miserable every waking hour. I'm adding this note about Zyrtec: I accidentally tried Zyrtec one day when I meant to take Claritin. Not everyone has drowsiness from Zyrtec, but I do. But it isnt like benadryl, it's actually kind of like a pleasant mild sedation that takes the edge off. I cant overthink even if I tried with the Zyrtec. I just feel really chilled out, like when youre slightly intoxicated, but it's safe to take every day if needed. I will probably start using this as a go-to for extreme situations when being drowsy is safe and I just need an emergency chill pill. I definitely am going to trial it for my night regimen to see if it helps with sleep and maybe (crossing my fingers) the anti-anxiety effect will be a bit tamer the next day when I wake up but still taking that edge off, because I really like it!! Things I'm trialing at the moment, tbd if they will stay: *** Nordic Naturals Memory Support *** I think i might have gotten the last bottle of this in existence but in case it ever comes back into stock: I wanted a well rounded omega complex, and this one has your basic EPA and DHA, not as complete as I really wanted. BUT it does also have phosphatidylserine (PS) which i was dying to try it (it's used for anxiety, brain fog and even ADHD treatment), and also has curcumin and Huperzine A. Ive been leery of the Huperzine A causing too much energy but it's going okay as long as I take it like 11am or so. I feel like the first time i took it close to bed, my brain was too alert. Definitely no brain fog!! Lol *** quercetin phytosome (with luteolin) *** Just got this one today for neurological support and I'm so excited to try it!! I also have come and gone with taking a daily amino acid complex, creatine, protein powder isolate and green banana powder which help me feel good but I always forget because I have to mix them as a shake and I unfortunately get lazy lol For my histamine sensitivity i take a DAO supplement which also ties into my anxiety My boyfriend thinks Im overmedicated because he wont even take tylenol when he has severe pain, but i feel like a functional person for the first time in a decade so....no ragerts :)

For the longest time I have always focused on magnesium like many people here, obsessing over forms and wondering why one form wasn't working or another was better but truthfully, I never paid attention to the intake of electrolytes like potassium, sodium from salt, and calcium. After being routine in my fitness journey I noticed I just felt weaker over time and my strength wasn't growing too fast, and I needed more rest days, no matter if I got my calories, protein, and carbs. And as a side note, magnesium over time didn't work like it used to, I was thinking I built up a tolerance and kept seeking that same feeling I once had. Turns out it was my continued imbalance that I just kept digging myself into! I kept seeing "electrolytes" coming up again and again and didn't think too deeply about it. But then I realized what they consisted of (the minerals listed above) and I just assumed I was getting them in sufficient quantities but after looking at my diet I wasn't! I also realized how critical it was for calcium and magnesium to be in balance. Too much magnesium without calcium caused me to feel weaker and my body just wasn't at ease anymore. I started getting anxiety when I never had any, my mind wouldn't focus, my thoughts racing from random fixation to another worry and just be stuck in a weird loop. Once I started getting my daily amount of calcium I felt way better. My mind and body genuinely relaxed, assuming the cal:mag balance is what did this. I needed 1000mg a day and realized based on my diet, I wasn't getting that. So I increased my dairy and supplemented a little to meet that mark. Look up all the sources that have it to find what works for your dietary restrictions. Next was salt. I realized I was sweating a lot and drinking lots of water, but my salt intake never went up. I started adding 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp daily to my diet and I felt incredibly better and more energetic. For potassium, I just assumed eating a banana a day was enough, but it only has 400mg of potassium and your daily RDA is damn near 4 grams! It was a lot. So I started to eat more potassium based foods, more bananas and even supplemented more with potassium. It does so much including how important it is for your digestive system. Just look up what each of these do for your system, digestion, nervous system, hydrating, etc and each of them individually and as a group has alleviated so many emotional issues for me and the state of my mind and I feel like lacking any of these or an imbalance of too much of one or another causes a lot of problems for people, and their search to alleviate these issues further leads to frustration. With these changes, I not only felt sustained with my energy levels, but I became more hydrated! I guess water alone is not enough. My system worked better and I didn't crash after drinking caffeine, or didn't crave sugar for energy anymore. My hope is people get their electrolytes in check to see if it helps you. Look up how much you need a day and look at your diet and see if you meet it. As a disclaimer this is not intended as medical advice, please consult a healthcare professional before doing anything as I am not a doctor and this is just my personal experiences.