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Photo: Crystal Martin
The Strategist beauty team tries a lot of stuff: Makeup, skincare, and hair care are our mains, of course. But the latest pills, gummies, and powders in the wellness world are part of our testing diet too. And, as it turns out, the whole team: senior editor, Crystal Martin, and all of the writers Krista Bennett DeMaio, Dominique Pariso, Tembe Denton-Hurst and me, are very in the gym, and running, and yoga-ing, and biking—you get the gist. So we thought it was a fun idea to share our supplement stacks, and most importantly, the details on how they’re really performing for us. That way, whether you’re as into working out as we are, or just trying to boost your fiber intake a smidgen, you’ll have some solid, tested recommendations as a place to start.
AA: To kick things off, I was wondering who’s taking creatine.
KBD: I’ve been on it for about a year and a half. I started at three grams and then went up to five. I tend to build muscle easily when I’m lifting, but I do think I’ve seen a difference in definition since starting it. I also learned I had to drink a lot of water with it. When I first went up to five grams, I was getting dizzy. I looked it up and saw you need more water than usual, so I increased my intake and the dizziness went away.
TDH: Did you load in the beginning? Every time I stop and restart, I take it twice a day to build it up.
KBD: I didn’t. I’ve heard that recommendation, but I didn’t do it. I feel good taking it every day. My best friend said it made her bloated, so she stopped, but I didn’t have that issue.
CM: I haven’t started yet. It’s on my list. So all four of you are taking it?
TDH: I’ve been on and off since the beginning of the pandemic. I train with a bodybuilder, so I got into it early in my gym journey.
KBD: There’s also research about cognitive benefits. It’s coming up in perimenopause conversations too, which interested me.
DP: I started about two months ago, so I’m new. My parents started too—my mom thinks it’ll help prevent dementia for my dad. It actually came up at Easter because I take Momentous and put my parents on it. My brother made fun of us for buying a $40 version when there are cheaper ones. He was dragging us because it is all the same molecule.
KBD: I use Thorne and think the same sometimes. It’s expensive, but it’s NSF-certified.
DP: I like the chews—they taste like candy. I’ve tried the powder, but the chews are more fun, so I stick with them.
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TDH: I use Optimum Nutrition. Connay picked it. I used Thorne before, then switched.
AA: I used Optimum Nutrition too, but left it for my parents. I’ve been trying gels from Cymbiotica. They’re supposed to be more bioavailable, but they’re not my favorite. I’ll probably go back to powder. It’s easier to mix into drinks.
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TDH: I just throw it in water and drink it fast.
KBD: I make a cocktail with mine—creatine, essential amino acids, and colostrum.
CM: So the verdict is: powder, yes. Gummies, maybe. Not the gels. Unclear if we need to spend $40.
DP: If you’re using powder, you don’t need to.
KBD: There are a bunch of creatines marketed “for women.” It’s a bunch of BS. Sometimes they add things for bloating, but it’s not necessary.
TDH: I’m team it either works for you or it doesn’t. Adding extra stuff isn’t helpful.
CM: I’ll try it eventually. I’m still adjusting to other things.
TDH: Do pre-workouts count as supplements? I drink Celsius. I’m addicted. I open my eyes in the morning and the first thing out of my mouth is, “Where is my Celsius?”
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DP: I had a phase with it. But I started drinking it at night to go out and got heartburn when lying down. But there is no cleaner high on this earth.
TDH: People call it “fizzy speed,” and they’re right. I couldn’t live without it. The vitamins don’t matter to me.
CM: Is it just caffeine?
TDH: It has caffeine—about 200 mg—plus B12 and biotin.
CM: I’ll stick with coffee.
CM: I don’t like sweet drinks. That’s why I struggle with protein powders.
TDH: Creatine will be easy for you then. It tastes like chalk dust.
CM: I can handle that.
AA: Do you take anything else for energy?
CM: Just coffee.
DP: Same.
AA: I tried Neurogum with ginseng and L-theanine during my long drive to Los Angeles. I didn’t want coffee because I knew I’d have to stop over to pee. It definitely kept me up.
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CM: I’m focused on sleep, so I avoid caffeine after 3 p.m. I’d try something that gives energy without affecting sleep, but that may not exist. Is anyone taking NAD?
KBD: I am. I started it around the same time as creatine last January. I read enough of their research that I started drinking the Kool-Aid, literally. It’s hard to say if I feel anything. When I started creatine and NAD, I did feel like I had more focus and more energy, but it’s hard to say exactly what did it.
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TDH: It’s like sunscreen—you don’t notice it working until you stop and all of a sudden you have melasma.
KBD: Exactly. I also started taking essential amino acids last August. It has less research than creatine, but there are branch amino acids and essential amino acids. Apparently, EAAs are supposed to help with endurance, muscle growth, and recovery. I started taking it because Liz Plosser, who was the editor-in-chief of Women’s Health, was posting about it. It doesn’t replace protein intake. It’s supposed to help muscles go into “build mode,” so I take it 30 minutes before working out. It’s also supposed to preserve your muscle mass that you do have and help with recovery. It’s another one of those things that I’m like, I don’t know if it’s working, but I don’t know if I want to stop taking it either, because I’m doing pretty well right now.
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CM: I’m taking a probiotic.
DP: The Halle Berry one?
CM: Yeah. Around week five, I noticed changes in appetite and regularity. I wasn’t as hungry or inclined to overeat, and I became more regular. I’ve tried many probiotics, and this is the only one where I felt a difference. I’ve started to look into it since then. What I’m starting to understand is that the gut microbiome, its diversity of bacteria, and its calibration, has a big impact on all these other things that we don’t really talk about much. There’s supposed to be a brain gut connection and a metabolic connection to the gut.
I’ve taken other expensive ones and drugstore ones, and this is the only one where I actually felt a difference. There are other strains in it, but the main bacteria strain is Akkermansia, which affects the gut lining.
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KBD: I’ve been taking colostrum. It’s supposed to work on your gut environment and strengthen the intestinal walls, but it’s not a probiotic. It’s also supposed to help with inflammation and immunity, and I saw hair growth after taking it. It doesn’t have a flavor, so I’ve been throwing it in my mix. Beyond that, I take vitamin D for my levels and sometimes magnesium glycinate for sleep and anxiety when I can remember to buy it.
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AA: I do vitamin D for my levels, too. I just bought the ones that my doctor recommended. And I have magnesium that I was sent. I feel like it helps with sleep and mood, but that’s when I remember to take it.
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DP: I use topical magnesium for muscle recovery. I do think the cream works. When I don’t take it, I’m definitely sore for longer. I just keep it on my nightstand, so I can smear it on before bed. I usually wake up in the morning feeling better.
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KBD: I’ve tried CBD for pain, and it helped, but I didn’t stick with it. You know what I was recently influenced by: those green gummy bears, Grüns. I’m bad at taking vitamins (the fact that I’m taking NAD is a miracle), so the gummy aspect helps. I also take them for regularity. They say it helps within a week. I’m focusing on getting enough fiber in my diet, but I’m still taking these, too.
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CM: That’s my last piece. I take a fiber supplement daily. I make sure to put it in my yogurt or smoothie.
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DP: I tried a supplement before — psyllium husk. I hated it so much. I couldn’t choke it down. I was like, I have to get it through food. prefer getting fiber from food. You have to go beans and seeds.
CM: That’s where you get your bang for your buck.
DP: Fruits and vegetables are great, too, but beans and seeds is where it’s at. Chia seed water is my go-to. It has a boba-like texture.
AA: I add chia seeds to overnight oats. Or if I’m doing a protein smoothie, I’ll add it to that.
KBD: I like that too but don’t always stick with it.
CM: What else is there? Is anyone doing protein powder? Are we just trying to get it through food?
KBD: I do it, but not regularly. I do it on a day that I’m like behind on my intake. So I’ll make a shake or I’ll put it in yogurt sometimes.
AA: Same here. I have one that doesn’t taste terrible and has fiber added in. It’s nice to have that assurance that I’m getting both.
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CM: Yeah. I’m just not there yet. I went through a phase that was like, fiber for life. But I know that I need more protein. I’m trying to get it through food at the moment. I tried a couple of protein supplements, but again, it’s the sugar thing.
KBD: Yeah, I have a hard time finding one that I like. I’ve tried some that are chalky or gritty. I just couldn’t do it. So now I’ve been doing Orgain, which I feel like is probably not great, but it’s not that expensive and it has limited ingredients. I was looking for something that doesn’t have a million different things in it and all the fillers.
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CM: Yeah, it’s tough. I’m doing a lot of edamame beans.
DP: One-two punch: fiber and protein.
KBD: I’m doing a lot of cottage cheese. I feel like a walking cliché—middle-aged lady with my weighted vest and my cottage cheese—but there’s like 30 grams per cup. It’s amazing.
DP: Also a big fish oil person. I’ve taken it for a long time, mostly for vanity purposes. My esthetician told me to take it. I do notice a difference when I stop, like if I run out and am waiting for the next shipment, I do swear that I can tell with my skin.
KBD: That’s supposed to be good for your heart too, right?
DP: Yeah, omega stuff. When I got my Function Health test, my omega levels were through the roof. It could also be all the tinned fish I eat.
CM: Yeah, I eat a fair amount of tinned fish too. I should get one of those tests. I thought I was taking fish oil at one point, but that was actually my dog.
TDH: I had fish oil once when I was like six or seven. I remember burping and was like, never do this shit ever again. I’d rather chew dried salmon skins.
DP: I have two brands where you don’t get that fishy aftertaste. I’ve taken VitaMedica forever, and also Momentous — no aftertaste.
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KBD: I remember one that said “reduces fish burps.”
CM: “Fish burps” is crazy.
KBD: Does anyone take hair supplements, like Nutrafol?
DP: Yeah. I’m on month four. My dad started it too and his hair looks completely different — so much fuller. I wasn’t sure if it was working for me, but my hairdresser noticed a lot of new growth and said it could be from that. It’s hard to say, though.
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KBD: It’s always hard to tell with hair growth.
DP: Exactly, but that felt encouraging.
KBD: I worry about risks with some supplements. Like biotin — too much can mess with cardiac test results and thyroid readings.
DP: Yeah, I’ve heard it can also cause breakouts.
KBD: There’s a biotin-free gummy one made by dermatologists. I’ve never taken hair supplements though.
DP: I will say, Nutrafol tastes really bad, by the way. And it’s four pills too. It makes fish oil look like a walk in the park.
KB: Does anyone take a multivitamin? I take those gummies, I guess that counts. My doctor always said to get nutrients from food instead.
DP: Same. Said it just makes expensive pee.
KB: Meanwhile, now I’m taking all kinds of supplements.
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