Guides
Supplement timing guides for your routine
Your routine changes when supplements work best. If you do shift work, train, fast, travel, drink coffee in the morning, or take several supplements at once, the timing shifts even when what you take does not. These guides cover when to take, what to pair, and what to space, for the way you actually live. Educational only.
For people taking five or more supplements
How do you time five or more supplements without them clashing?
Spread a large stack across two or three windows instead of one handful. Keep competing minerals like iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium about two hours apart, take fat-soluble vitamins with a meal containing fat, and move calming nutrients to the evening. The aim is fewer items per dose so each absorbs cleanly.
Read the guideFor coffee and tea drinkers
Which supplements should you keep away from coffee and tea?
Coffee and tea contain compounds that bind some minerals, so iron is best taken at least an hour away from them, and it is sensible to space a large coffee from calcium and zinc too. Most other supplements, including fat-soluble vitamins, are unaffected. If you drink coffee on waking, take iron later in the day.
Read the guideFor shift workers
When should shift workers take their supplements?
If you work shifts, time supplements to your own sleep and wake, not the clock on the wall. Take stimulating nutrients like B vitamins after you wake, fat-soluble vitamins with your first real meal, and calming nutrients like magnesium glycinate in the hour before you sleep, whenever that falls. Consistency to your routine matters more than the time of day.
Read the guideFor intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating
When should you take supplements if you do intermittent fasting?
If you skip breakfast, fat-soluble vitamins like D3, K2 and E and omega-3 absorb best with the first meal inside your eating window, not on an empty stomach. Water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C and most others can be taken any time. Minerals still need spacing from each other, regardless of when your window opens.
Read the guideFor timing around workouts
When should you take supplements around a workout?
Timing around training is about windows, not the clock. Many people take fat-soluble vitamins and omega-3 with a post-workout meal, keep stimulating supplements before training rather than after, and place magnesium in the evening to align with winding down. None of this needs a change to what you take, only when.
Read the guideFor travel and jet lag
How should you time supplements when travelling across time zones?
When you change time zones, shift your schedule gradually toward your destination's meal and sleep times rather than your home clock. Keep fat-soluble vitamins with meals and calming nutrients before your new bedtime. For anything sleep-related, follow the same timing principles and speak to a professional before changing a routine.
Read the guide