Which Supplements Should I Take? Dr Chatterjee’s Guide

The list of supplements Dr Chatterjee recommends is much shorter than most people would guess. Here’s what makes the list – and what he suggests is left on the shelf.

Start With Food. Always.

Before you buy a single supplement, ask the harder question first: are you eating the foods your body needs?

The focus should always be on trying to get as much nutrition and fibre from your food as possible. That is my professional view and one most other experts would support.

When it comes to food choices, I tend to focus on one basic question: is this a food my grandparents would have recognised? As a framework it’s not 100 per cent perfect, but I’ve found in more than 25 years of helping people that it cuts down on a lot of bad decisions – and improves the likelihood of healthy ones.

Much of what’s marketed as food today wouldn’t make that cut. Ultra-processed foods or UPFs, energy-dense and poor in nutrients and fibre, now dominate supermarket aisles. So the first step of any health change I recommend isn’t a supplement, it’s fixing the food on your plate.

But here’s where it gets more interesting.

Two Reasons Modern Diets May Fall Short

I support a food-first approach. At the same time, I think two modern realities can leave even careful eaters with sub-optimal nutrient levels.

1. The Modern Nutrient Gap

Modern food production and farming practices mean we don’t have the same level of nutrients in our food today as we used to.⊕ Even with the best intentions, it's harder to meet your needs with whole foods alone, since you would need to eat more and more of them.

The broccoli on your plate is not the broccoli of 50 years ago. Soil nutrient density, harvesting timelines, transport, storage – every step of the modern food chain shaves a little more off what remains in the food. The dish looks the same, but does it still nourish you?

2. Chronic Stress Shuts Down Absorption

This one’s more surprising. Even if the nutrients are on your plate in adequate amounts, you have to absorb them. Optimal absorption depends on a digestive system that’s working well.

Digestion tends to work best when your body is calm and in balance, without the constant stressors of modern life pulling you in different directions. Many of us are eating on the go, juggling work and family. I get it. Staying stress-free isn’t easy.

When Supplements Actually Make Sense

If you live a calm, low-stress life and eat a varied, whole-food diet (grown in nutrient-rich soil and cooked and eaten at a leisurely pace), you’re unlikely to need a supplement. But how many of us can really say we live that life?

My own example is one a lot of people will recognise. When I started drinking AG1, I had two young children and I was caring for my elderly mother . It was a very busy and stressful time in my personal and professional life. And so I knew, despite having always focused on my nutrition, I was probably not going to get everything I needed from my diet.

Of course, my goal wasn’t to replace food. It was to cover the basics on days when food alone wouldn’t. One of the reasons I began taking AG1 was to make sure my bases were covered. It gave me confidence to know that when life got busy, even if I didn’t get to home-cook three meals, I was still getting the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients we all need to support our body and mind.

So that’s the question I’d ask anyone considering a supplement. Not “will this fix my diet?”, but “does this offer some health insurance for my day-to-day life?”

The Five-Point Filter for Spotting Quality

The supplement industry isn’t well regulated. That’s the awkward truth. Two products on the same shelf, claiming the same thing, can be wildly different in quality, dosage, and even purity. Here is a quick guide to increase the chances that what you are buying is worth your money.

1. Third-Party Testing

This is the single most important factor. Independent labs verify what’s in the bottle and what isn’t.

Personally, I look for the third-party testing logos you can rely on: Informed Sport, NSF, and the Cologne List.

The problem with buying supplements that haven’t been rigorously tested? First of all, you could be wasting your money because you may not be getting what you think. But beyond that, there’s the risk of consuming ingredients you don’t want to – such as banned substances that are harmful to your health.

2. Clinical Research on the Finished Product

Clinical research is rare but important – not just on individual ingredients in isolation, but on the finished formula you’re buying.

There are companies these days doing clinical research. They’re trying to prove the science in humans, which is a huge step forward because for a long time, the supplement industry hasn’t held itself to account.

How Long to Give a Supplement

Many people start taking a supplement for a week, don’t feel transformed, and stop. But, sometimes, we won’t feel the benefits that quickly. I generally tend to try things for at least 3 months before assessing their effectiveness.

But Aren’t Supplements Expensive?

Cost is one of the most common issues people raise when they ask me about supplements, and it's a fair question. The companies trying to do this well, with proper testing, real research and quality sourcing, aren't cutting corners. This is why their products sit at the higher end of the shelf.

I ran the maths for AG1 myself one morning. A simple black coffee at my local coffee shop was £3.10. AG1 is significantly under £3 a day.⬥ For a lot of people, that turns the question on its head. It stops being "is this expensive?" and starts being "where am I already spending this without thinking about it?"

That's the principle I'd apply to any supplement. Not whether it's cheap, but whether what you're paying for makes sense. Third-party testing, clinical research, a brand that's been around long enough to know what works – these are what separate a thoughtful, valuable supplement from a marketing trick.

Final Thoughts on Which Supplements to Take

So which supplements do I truly recommend? Well, as with most things, it depends on the person and the context of their health and wider lives. But, for most people, I believe AG1 is a supplement that will support their short term and their long term health goals.◊

Others worth considering depending on your situation include: vitamin D through the winter months; omega-3 if you don’t eat oily fish; magnesium for sleep.