Kristen Blake Wellness

After earning a health coach certification, a Masters in Clinical Nutrition and Human Performance (with a hefty focus on herbology and detox), reviewing thousands of labs and protocols over the years, and being a former chronic illness patient - current health thriver, I've become pretty picky about supplements.

Because while they can be incredible tools to help move our body in the right direction - there are some TERRIBLE quality supplements out there, and not all supplements are right for certain individuals and their needs. So they need to be treated with caution and respect.

Now because I don't know you, dear reader, and your exact needs - this isn't a one size fits all post. But these are some of the ingredients I most commonly recommend avoiding—or at least taking a closer look at. Save this to come back to it later. And make sure you talk to your personal medical professional before making any changes to your supplement routine.

I Avoid:
✔️ Vitamin D3 without K2 (to avoid artery deposition)
✔️ Folic Acid (a cheap synthetic B9)
✔️ Cyanocobalamin (a cheap synthetic B12)
✔️ High-dose zinc for long periods of time (for copper balance)
✔️ Supplements loaded with artificial dyes, fillers, and additives (because that's just cheap junk you don't need!)

Quality matters.
Forms matter.
Dosage matters.
And context matters.
And if you're taking supplements daily, it's worth understanding exactly what you're putting into your body.

Ps more supplements doesn't always mean better results! Sometimes the biggest upgrade isn't adding something new...
It's replacing a lower-quality version with a better one.

💾 Save this post for your next supplement purchase.

📤 Share it with someone whose supplement cabinet could use a little spring cleaning.

One of the biggest misconceptions about a functional approach to health is that we need run every test under the sun and hope something sticks.

That's not how we work.

In fact, the first step in working with us at KB Wellness is a comprehensive discovery process designed to understand the full picture. We start with a mini application to make sure we're not wasting time if it's not going to be a good fit. Then we move into the strategically designed intake forms and Discovery Call where we really dive in and see - can we help? And if so what will that look like? What labs have the biggest chance of success giving us answers?

We look at things like:
What are your symptoms?
When did they start?
What have you already tried?
What testing have you already completed?
What patterns are emerging?
What does your health history tell us?

From there, we use a combination of clinical experience, strategic questioning, intuition, and data to determine which pieces of the puzzle are most important to investigate first.

Sometimes that means focusing on thyroid function.
Sometimes it's insulin resistance.
Sometimes it's low iron hiding behind "normal" labs.
Sometimes it's hormones, gut health, inflammation, or toxin burden.

The goal isn't to order every lab available.
The goal is to get the RIGHT answers as efficiently as possible so you're not wasting time, money, or energy chasing the wrong thing.

That's why every healing plan we create is different.
No templates.
No one-size-fits-all protocols.
No handing you a list of supplements and hoping for the best.
Just strategic detective work designed to uncover what's driving your symptoms and create a plan that actually makes sense for your body.

If you're a woman over 35 who's tired of being told everything looks normal while knowing something still feels off, we'd love to help.

Comment HELP below and let's talk about how we can get you answers. ❤️

You're counting calories.
You're hitting your protein goal.
You're walking every day.
You're lifting weights.
You're doing everything you can think of...
And the scale still isn't moving.

Before you blame yourself, ask a different question:
👉 Has anyone checked your fasting insulin?

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people relying solely on glucose or A1C to evaluate metabolic health.

But insulin resistance can develop YEARS before glucose or A1C become abnormal.

That means your labs may look "normal" while elevated insulin is already:
❌ Making fat loss more difficult
❌ Increasing cravings
❌ Driving inflammation
❌ Contributing to stubborn belly fat
❌ Increasing future risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease

In many cases, fasting insulin is the earliest warning sign that something is off.

And yet it often isn't included in routine bloodwork.

When I review labs, I don't just want to know:
"Is your blood sugar normal?"

I want to know:
"How hard is your body working to KEEP your blood sugar normal?"

That's where fasting insulin comes in.

For many adults, I like to see fasting insulin around 5. But on average I see it closer to 15 - 20 in individuals with weight lose resistance.

If you've been struggling to lose weight despite doing all the right things, this may be one of the most important conversations to have with your healthcare provider.

👇 Have you ever had a doctor check fasting insulin?
Yes or No?

When most people think about heart disease risk, they think about cholesterol.

But cholesterol is only part of the story.

This client came to us with multiple cardiovascular risk markers moving in the wrong direction. While the LDL was elevated, what concerned me even more were the markers that rarely get discussed:
🫀 ApoB
🫀 Remnant Lipoprotein
🫀 hs-CRP (inflammation)
🫀 Triglycerides
🫀 Lipoprotein(a)

Over the course of our work together, we achieved:
✔ ApoB: 126 → 86
✔ Remnant Lipoproteins: 274 → 161
✔ hs-CRP: 7.76 → 1.03
✔ Triglycerides: 141 → 64
✔ LDL-C: 167 → 103

And here's the important part:
These changes aren't magic - they're something you can achieve too.

They happened because we took a strategic, data-driven approach to improving metabolic health, reducing inflammation, supporting healthy weight loss, optimizing nutrition, and targeting the specific risk factors that were driving the results.

Given the history and family risk factors, I referred her for a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan—which ultimately revealed early plaque formation (and she is only in her 30's!!).

That's exactly why I believe in being proactive.

The goal isn't just to get better labs. The goal is to identify risk early, intervene early, and give yourself the best possible chance of avoiding a heart attack or stroke years down the road.

If you've only had a standard cholesterol panel run, there may be important pieces of the puzzle missing.

Comment HEART ❤️ and let's talk about what testing you've had, what may be worth discussing with your doctor, and how we can help you build a proactive plan for your long-term heart health.

*This content is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace medical advice.*