When it comes to feeling your very best before the big day, there’s one understated yet clever hack in the world of wedding wellness: nailing your supplementation. Specifically speaking, these are power pills packed with vitamins and minerals to address a number of common concerns, including hair and skin quality, bloating, low mood and lack of energy. But where to start?
The Wedding Edition’s beauty and wellness editor Olivia de Courcy asked Jessica Sepel, clinical nutritionist and founder of wellness empire JSHealth, the most-asked questions around choosing vitamins and supplements for brides, to demystify and equip every bride to start their pre-wedding wellness journey on the right foot.
Tell me about JSHealth – where did it all start?
I feel extremely lucky that from a very young age I was surrounded by health and wellness, in fact I was immersed into it from the day I was born! I had a very wholesome and spiritual upbringing. My grandmother and mother always cooked delicious meals at home, meditated, and encouraged my sisters and me to get outdoors and be active.
When I was 14, I distinctly remember my grandmother taking me to a health retreat where we listened to a nutritionist talk about the importance of leading a healthy life and what it meant to do so — I was immediately captivated. In that moment, I knew I wanted to be like her and help people live their own healthy lives.
Following my own personal struggles with food and body image, my eyes were opened once again to the importance of nutrition, moving your body and being kind to yourself. This prompted me again to pursue the need I had to help women and provide them with information and solutions to help them live an abundant life, free from the stress of fad-dieting. To do that I needed to gain as much of an understanding of the world of nutrition as possible, which is why I trained as a clinical nutritionist. From then on it has been an incredible journey, full of ups and downs, and one I couldn’t have done without my JSHealth community and my team. The early days of JSHealth started with blogging, which then led on to my three books, then to my app, our vitamin range, skincare and now haircare.
Why are you passionate about supplementation?
I’ve always believed in the transformative power of vitamins and nutrients. When I was in private practice as a health professional, I saw the way a good formulation could help my clients — although, I always found myself wanting to tweak the formulations to have higher doses or better forms of the ingredients for a more therapeutic effect.
JSHealth Vitamins was a natural extension of the JSHealth brand, born from my passion to provide high quality supplements to my community. The range is specifically formulated to address various concerns and needs — from skin health and bloating, to anxiety and sleep — to help restore the health and confidence that everyone deserves.
What are the common misconceptions about taking supplements?
That supplements do not work and there is no evidence to support them! Absolutely a myth. Really, there is almost too much evidence to support the power of individual vitamins and minerals on the human body. The anecdotal evidence says it all — take a look at the tens of thousands of customer reviews at jshealthvitamins.com and you can see how the right herbs and nutrients can be life-changing for many! The way I saw how pure vitamin formulas helped my patients in my nutrition practice was very eye opening.
Why should a bride consider looking to supplements in their pre-wedding wellness journey?
Beginning a supplement regimen ahead of your wedding is a wonderful tool to help you both feel and look your best come the big day.
How long before a wedding should brides be looking to supplements?
I would advise starting supplements about 3–6 months before your wedding for the best results.
How long before you can expect to see results?
I always encourage people to be taking supplements for 6–12 weeks to see optimal results. Although people report using certain formulas, such as the PM+ and Calm + De-Stress, with more ‘immediate’ results of feeling calm and having a better night’s sleep.
How can supplements complement a healthy lifestyle?
I have always seen vitamins as supplements for health. Here in Australia, supplements and vitamins are actually considered listed medicines. This aligns with how I like to think of them as “medicinal,” and to take them to address a certain concern alongside diet and lifestyle.
I have a very targeted and less is more approach to supplementing. For example, if you have a headache you take panadol. This is how I like to think of supplements, for example if you are struggling with metabolic health, taking premium Berberine+ supports blood sugar levels and metabolism wellness. If you are wanting a more radiant complexion, Vitality X + Collagen and Illuminating Peptide Eye Serum can give you a visible glow. If you are anxious and stressed, you may notice a huge amount of support taking our Calm + De-Stress formula alongside lifestyle adjustments.
A huge part of the JSHealth philosophy is truly about embracing balance in all of its essence. It’s about taking a flexible, well-rounded approach to your wellbeing. Diet, stress management, vitamins, movement and practising positive self talk and body love — they all matter. Sitting inside a healthy lifestyle, vitamins are just one incredible tool to feeling your absolute best.
I see vitamins as a way to use nutrients as medicine through taking a therapeutic dose when symptoms arise, or based on an individual’s state of health and their wellness goals. I prescribe vitamins to my clients as part of a holistic lifestyle solution. These herbs, beneficial bacteria’s and nutrients are generally not consumed in therapeutic doses from our diets, which is why taking vitamins and supplements can help deliver a truly powerful and medicinal effect where food intake alone cannot.
How can a bride choose which supplements she needs?
The JSHealth Vitamins Nourish Hub! Our free online destination that connects the community with our in-house Naturopaths and Nutritionists for personalised product guidance and support on general health, balanced dietary and lifestyle advice. It’s affordable, fast and reliable expert advice at your fingertips!
How can a bride use supplements to calm wedding nerves – both on the day and in the lead up?
A quality sleep supplement along with a formula targeted at supporting calmness would be my recommendation to calm wedding nerves, especially in the lead up to the big day.
Sleep is key for cellular repair and rejuvenation, as well as balanced mood. A good sleep routine with 7–8 hours of quality shut eye each night is the best way to support feeling and looking your best for your special day, and help keep rising stress levels at bay.
My favourite herbs and nutrients to support a good night’s sleep are lavender, passionflower, chamomile and magnesium. In supplement form, these can be taken about an hour before bed to help calm the mind and relax the body for slumber. I would recommend taking these a couple of months out to establish a regular sleep pattern and ensure your body is not lacking sleep approaching the wedding.
However if you don’t struggle with sleep, this may be something you opt for a couple of weeks out when the mind could be prone to being overactive before bed (due to excitement and/or nerves!), and definitely to have on hand the night before if you can’t get to sleep. Everybody is different, however I find many people can benefit from a sleep supplement in their life in general.
Specifically, from our range, I suggest the PM + formula, designed to calm the mind, ease stress and support restful sleep — what more could a bride want? Enjoy 1–2x tablets before bed, especially the day before the wedding!
As you get closer to your big day, you may like to consider additional stress support, with a therapeutic dose of passionflower, an incredible herb for calming the mind and nerves. I personally use and recommend the Calm + De-Stress formula.
Do you have any good examples of products that brides might want to look to address common concerns?
For skin, hair and nails, you can’t go past a quality collagen formula. Collagen contributes to skin physiology and structure, allowing its many functions to perform. The amount of collagen in young, healthy skin has been shown to be greater than 75%! Unfortunately, collagen production declines as we age. I prefer hydrolysed marine collagen for its superior bioavailability and kind of collagen (primarily type 1), compared with bovine or porcine sources. Supplementing with marine collagen can support and maintain beneficial collagen levels for healthy, youthful, hydrated and glowing skin, plus healthy hair and nails. I recommend 3–6 grams daily.
I also recommend taking a quality kelp-containing supplement. Kelp is a rich source of iodine, as well as fucoidan, to support hair growth and thickness, as well as healthy, shiny locks on the big day. The added bonus is that it will also support energy levels, which definitely comes in handy when you’re busy planning a wedding!
For bloating relief, fennel is my absolute go-to ingredient to supplement with, which can be really effective at reducing uncomfortable abdominal bloating. Other key ingredients for digestive health are turmeric and probiotics.
Specifically, my top picks from the JSHealth Vitamins range that feature these ingredients would be:
Our Skin + Digestion tablets, taken twice daily for 3–4 months, if this person is prone to breakouts.
Our Hair + Energy formula for hair growth, health and thickness — I would suggest taking 1 tablet each day for 3–6 months in the lead up to the wedding.
Our Vitality X + Collagen formula — again for the 3–4 months prior. We use a unique marine collagen, all the way from Norway that is 1.5x better absorbed and designed to support collagen formation, skin hydration and skin firmness.
Our Detox + Debloat formula contains ingredients that help reduce bloating, which allows for more confidence on the day.
Discover more: jshealthvitamins.com
Related Article: 9 Questions with Jess Sepal, Founder of JSHealth
