The ONLY 5 Supplements You Actually Need (Stop Wasting Money)

Berg dismisses the RDA of 600–800 IU as outdated and based only on preventing rickets, not on achieving optimal serum levels. He notes that many factors (body weight, skin melanin, age, latitude) increase demand. A 10,000 IU dose is equivalent to roughly 20 minutes of peak summer sun, but without the skin cancer risk. He underscores that this is a maintenance dose, not a loading dose, and that his own blood work consistently hovers at 90–100+ ng/mL, a level some practitioners consider upper‑normal but which he finds necessary to quell arthritis. He always requires K2 in a 1:0.01 ratio (10,000 IU D3 → 100 mcg K2) to handle the elevated calcium.

Berg highlights the mismatch between the original RDA and real‑world body sizes: at his weight, the RDA would already be ~600 mg, and he takes 1,000 mg for a therapeutic effect. He notes that standard serum magnesium tests miss the vast majority of the body’s magnesium because it’s intracellular; even a red blood cell magnesium test is flawed because RBCs lack mitochondria. Historically, people obtained magnesium from spring or well water, a source lost with modern city water treatment. He splits doses because magnesium is not stored in large reserves, and large single boluses are often wasted or excreted. The glycinate form’s 80% absorption makes it efficient and well‑tolerated.

Berg frames potassium as the most neglected electrolyte, noting that the RDA of 4,700 mg is rarely met, yet therapeutic needs may be even higher. He directly links low potassium to ‘keto fatigue’—the common drop in energy and stamina when starting a low‑carb diet. His personal experience is that without enough potassium, he lacks endurance and his heart pounds harder during exercise. The solution is an electrolyte powder high in potassium and free of maltodextrin, a filler that can spike blood sugar and undermine the metabolic benefits. He emphasises that food alone may not suffice because soil depletion affects potassium levels in crops, and many people don’t eat enough produce.

Berg attributes the modern omega‑6 overload to the pervasive use of seed oils in processed foods. He recommends aiming for a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio, but notes that most people are at 10:1 to 20:1. To compensate, he suggests taking 2–4 times the typical fish oil label dose, and he points to sardines as a nutrient‑dense whole food option (900 mg of omega‑3 per can). He notes that while eating salmon helps, sardines are ‘next level’ in omega‑3 density. There is no explicit personal story, but his strong endorsement of sardines suggests a practical, food‑first adjunct.

Berg attributes the trace mineral crisis to the NPK farming model—farmers only replenish nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, ignoring the rest. Over decades, this depletes soils. Glyphosate further chelates minerals and destroys the soil microbiome. The consequence is ‘empty, luscious, green grass’ that feeds livestock and ultimately humans with hollow calories. He notes that few people regularly eat the richest food sources (shellfish, liver, Brazil nuts), making supplementation indispensable. His personal protocol is to quadruple the bottle dose and monitor subjective benefits like energy, hair/nail quality, and overall vitality. He also highlights zinc’s role in testosterone and selenium’s in antioxidant defence.

Berg frames this as a ‘reset’ because modern food is depleted, sun exposure is insufficient, and RDA values are set only to prevent deficiency disease, not to create therapeutic effects. He notes that the RDA for vitamin D (600–800 IU) was set long before recent research, making it ‘completely ridiculous’ for achieving optimal blood levels. Similarly, the magnesium RDA was based on women weighing 133 lb and men 165 lb, so larger individuals need far more. For potassium, the 4,700 mg RDA is rarely met, and he believes a therapeutic dose often needs to be higher. Trace minerals are missing from soil due to NPK farming and glyphosate, so even a ‘balanced’ diet leaves gaps. This philosophy—take more than the RDA, use high‑absorption forms, and test or self‑experiment—is the thread that ties all five recommendations together.

He explains that vitamin D is one of the most potent natural anti‑inflammatories, and because he has significant arthritis, he needs higher levels to keep inflammation down. The RDA of 600–800 IU cannot raise blood levels to this range; 10,000 IU is analogous to about 20 minutes of full summer sun exposure. Crucially, he pairs D3 with K2 at a fixed ratio (100 mcg per 10,000 IU D3) to prevent the elevated calcium in the blood from depositing in arteries and soft tissues. Without K2, the higher D3 dose could pose a risk of vascular calcification. His personal biomarker target (90–100+ ng/mL) serves as a benchmark for those with similar inflammatory conditions.

Berg emphasizes that magnesium oxide (common in cheap supplements) has only 3–4% absorption and a strong laxative effect, while magnesium glycinate is 80% absorbed and doesn’t cause diarrhea. He bases his total dose on his body weight (195 lb), noting that RDA calculations assumed much smaller individuals, so even 600 mg would be his adjusted RDA—not a therapeutic amount. He splits the dose because magnesium is used constantly for ATP production and muscle relaxation; a steady supply prevents peaks and troughs. His personal biomarker is subjective sleep quality, which he rates as ‘really, really good’ on this protocol.

Berg breaks down the functional consequences: blood sugar dysregulation, high blood pressure, fluid retention, and—critically—muscle fatigue and heart palpitations. He notes that athletes and those on low‑carb or fasting regimens have even higher demands because potassium is required to generate electrical impulses for muscle contraction. Keto fatigue, he says, is largely an electrolyte deficiency, not a metabolic failure. He insists that any electrolyte supplement must exclude maltodextrin, a cheap filler that can spike blood sugar. The implication is that simply eating more vegetables may not be enough if soil levels are low, making a potassium‑rich electrolyte powder the practical solution.

Berg explains that the ‘luscious, green grass’ cows eat is empty nutrition because it’s grown on NPK‑only soil, and the animals—and ultimately humans—become deficient. He notes that the RDA for several trace minerals is already too low, meaning even a diet meeting the RDA may be insufficient. He personally quadruples the label dose of a trace mineral supplement and reports feeling significantly better. He links specific minerals to common issues: zinc to testosterone, selenium to antioxidant defense, iodine to thyroid function. While food sources like shellfish, liver, and Brazil nuts are excellent, most people do not eat them regularly, making a supplement the practical fallback.