hi there Malibu,

As a general base, it's good to take a quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement, plus extra potassium, calcium and magnesium. For the multi-, I recommend a "super" or "stress" formula, as these will contain extra B-vitamins.

Many people, not just low-carbers, take extra supplements to support various health and nutrition concerns. It's up to the individual to determine your own personal "need" for the supplements you choose to take over and above the base. I do think a person can go overboard ... I know someone who takes every supplement known to have antioxidant activity ... coQ10, beta carotene, selenium, garlic, lycopene, vit E, green tea extract, grape seed extract, and etc .. which is overkill as far as I'm concerned, but then it's their wallet.

RE- your list of supps:

- 850mg of magnesium seems a bit high. 450mg per day is the usual recommended amount. (although I take 600mg per day, since extra mag. is recommended for fibromyalgia)
- fish oils ... you might consider bumping that up to 3000 mg per day. Generally it's recommended to take 1 gelcap 3 X per day.
- vitamin E 1000 mg ... is really high, unless you have a specific health reason for taking that much. 400mg per day is what's recommended
- ephedrine ... is a thermogenic stimulant, and not really recommended to take it for prolonged periods of time. Mostly it's used by the bodybuilders and folks who are working out heavily to support their fat-burning efforts. You can read more about ephedra/ephedrine in the Exercise forum, in a Sticky thread by Trainerdan ... called "Thermogenic Info."
- chromium 600mcg is a lot ... that's the amount usually recommended for diabetics. 200 - 400mcg per day for non-diabetics
- the herbs and supplements for menopause symptoms are fine, and you won't need to take those forever

As for the ginko and ginseng .. it's up to you to decide if they make a difference and are helpful for you.

So, it's good and helpful for overall health to take the baseline nutrients. Over and above that is up to you and your own health needs.

hth,

Doreen