Sure, those health-food store folks talk a good game, but do they even use what's on their shelves? We chatted with Ed Levy, 32, of Nature's Corner Natural Market in Spring Lake Heights, NJ, to see how one store owner practices what he preaches.

Foundation for health
Levy grew up eating a Mediterranean diet that included lots of fruits and veggies and very little processed food, soda and candy. His grandparents planted the seeds of supplementing. "They were playing tennis well into their early 80s," says Levy. "I remember them taking nutritional supplements, and it piqued my interest." In college, he experimented with coenzyme Q10 for endurance (he practiced martial arts) and aloe vera (for stomach upset).

The fab five plus
Levy recommends what he calls "the essential five" to all of his customers: a multi, an antioxidant formula, an essential fatty acid (like fish oil or flaxseed), a calcium-magnesium formula and phosphatidyl choline (or lecithin). This last supplement, explains Levy, helps detoxify the body and is the precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which improves mental focus, mental capacity and attention span.

Recommending herbs before these "gap fillers," asserts Levy, "would be like skipping to chapter 50 before reading chapter one." But once people balance their systems with this five-part formula, he finds herbs can play an important role in wellness. His top three botanicals are ginger (for nausea, arthritis and allergies), garlic (for high cholesterol and triglycerides) and cayenne (for muscle soreness). Because both ginger and garlic are anticoagulants, or blood thinners, consult your doctor before using them if you are also taking prescription blood thinners or a daily aspirin.