The Fasting Method Podcast · The Fasting Method

Supplements: What Your Body Actually Needs (And What It Doesn't)

·32 min·2 clips

On magnesium labels, the smaller number is elemental magnesium and the larger number is compound weight.

Terri Lanz brings Coach Lisa back for a second recording after her computer failed to save part of the first one. That makes the episode feel like version 2.0, which fits the tone here: practical, a little informal, and focused on what people can actually use. Terri says the fasting community keeps asking what the body needs, how to get it, and how to tell when something is off. She starts with a simple image. Enzymes are the workers, hormones are the managers, and vitamins are the tools. From there, the conversation stays grounded in function instead of supplement hype. Vitamin C comes up first as an example of how the body responds under stress. Lisa explains that when someone is sick or under pressure, the body can absorb more vitamin C, so the amount and the timing both matter. She also prefers split dosing over taking one large dose at once. Electrolytes get the same treatment. Lisa says they work best when they are absorbed slowly through the day. Magnesium becomes another example of that approach. She notes that many people do better taking magnesium three times a day, especially if they are also watching salt intake and hydration. The discussion then turns to mineral competition. Magnesium, calcium, and zinc can get in each other's way if they are taken together, so spacing them apart by at least two hours is part of the advice. Zinc leads into copper. Lisa says copper usually becomes an issue when zinc has been taken for more than three months under a doctor's instructions. Iron gets the most detail. Lisa calls it one of the most mismanaged supplements because people often take it with foods and drinks that reduce absorption. She recommends taking iron on an empty stomach with vitamin C for better uptake. Coffee, tea, dairy, calcium, and high-phosphate foods can all block absorption. Grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds can also interfere unless they have been soaked. Even eggs at breakfast can make a difference if iron is taken too close to the meal. She also says it helps to keep iron at least two hours away from meals, thyroid medication, antacids, or calcium. Omega-3s come up more briefly, with a reminder that some people may already get enough through food alone. The episode keeps circling back to the same point. There is no one supplement rule that works for everyone. Lisa says circadian rhythm matters. Phase of life matters too, including whether someone is in their fertile phase or post-menopausal. Those shifts can change both need and timing. Terri and Lisa close by treating all of this as part of a larger algorithm, not a tidy checklist. They also point toward a future conversation about probiotics during fasting, which Lisa says would need the support of a functional doctor.

As heard by us

A practical look at supplement timing, absorption, and why one routine does not fit everyone.

Terri and Lisa keep the focus on fit, timing, and absorption instead of treating supplements like a one-size-fits-all routine. The main practical point is simple: split doses can matter, and minerals often need space from one another. Iron gets the sharpest treatment here.

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Why you'd press play

You want supplements to feel less random and more like a clean system.

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