Linda's Morning Stack: The right supplements to start your day!
Updated: 6 days ago
Whole Body Collagen + Tri Mag Active Muscle + Creatine Monohydrate
You can simply mix the powders into a glass of water, or turn them into the smoothie recipe below.
1. Whole Body Collagen: bones, joints, skin and connective tissue
Whole Body Collagen combines three specialised collagen peptides: Fortibone®, Verisol® and Fortigel®.
Each has been studied for a slightly different area of connective tissue health.
Fortibone® has been specifically investigated for bone health. This is particularly relevant as we move through perimenopause and postmenopause, when maintaining bone strength becomes increasingly important.
Fortigel® provides specific collagen peptides studied for joint cartilage and joint function, while Verisol® has been studied primarily for skin structure and elasticity.
Collagen also provides amino acids that can contribute to our overall daily protein intake and provide building blocks for connective tissue.
2. Tri Mag Active Muscle
My morning stack also contains Tri Mag Active Muscle, providing a total of 360 milligrams of elemental magnesium from magnesium glycerophosphate, magnesium aspartate and magnesium citrate, 3 gm taurine and 150 mg Nicotinamide Riboside (NR).
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of enzymatic reactions throughout the body and plays an important role in normal energy metabolism, muscle contraction and relaxation, nervous system function and electrolyte balance.
This is one of the reasons I particularly like magnesium during the day rather than thinking of it only as a “night-time mineral”.
Magnesium glycerophosphate also makes this combination particularly interesting for bone health. Magnesium itself is an important component of normal bone physiology and works alongside nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D in maintaining skeletal health.
Combined with the Fortibone® collagen peptides, this gives the morning stack an additional focus on supporting both muscle and bone.
Taurine is an amino-sulfonic acid found in particularly high concentrations in metabolically active tissues, including the heart, skeletal muscle and brain.
It has important roles in calcium handling within muscle cells, mitochondrial function, cellular hydration and antioxidant defence. These functions make taurine particularly interesting when we are considering both cardiac and skeletal muscle performance.
Taurine also has an important digestive role. It is used by the liver to conjugate bile acids, helping form bile salts that assist with the digestion and absorption of dietary fats and fat-soluble nutrients.
So while taurine is primarily for cellular, heart and muscle support, I also like its connection with healthy bile physiology and digestion.
Nicotinamide riboside is a precursor used by the body to produce nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+).
NAD+ is an essential cellular coenzyme involved in energy metabolism. It plays a central role in the reactions that allow our cells to convert nutrients into usable cellular energy.
Levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide can decline with age, which has created considerable research interest in nicotinamide riboside as a nutritional strategy for increasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide availability.
I particularly like including nicotinamide riboside in a morning formula because its role is fundamentally linked with cellular and mitochondrial energy metabolism.
3. Creatine Monohydrate
Finally, I add 5 grams of creatine monohydrate every day.
Creatine is no longer something we should think of as being useful only for bodybuilders.
Skeletal muscle stores creatine predominantly as phosphocreatine, which helps rapidly regenerate adenosine triphosphate, the immediate energy currency used by our cells.
A daily dose of around 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate is widely used to support muscle creatine stores, particularly when taken consistently.
For my patients, I am increasingly interested in creatine across midlife and beyond because maintaining muscle mass, strength and physical function becomes so important as we age.
The brain also has substantial energy requirements and contains its own creatine system. Research into creatine supplementation has therefore expanded beyond exercise performance into areas such as cognition, memory and brain energy availability.
This makes 5 grams daily a very practical addition to a morning routine that is already targeting muscle and cellular energy.
Put it all together
You can mix your morning powders into a glass of water, or make them into a smoothie.
Morning Stack Berry Smoothie
Combine:
1 serve Whole Body Collagen
1 serve Tri Mag Active Muscle
3 grams taurine
150 milligrams nicotinamide riboside (NR)
5 grams creatine monohydrate
250 millilitres coconut water
½ cup frozen berries
½ cup plain Greek yoghurt
Blend until smooth.
Top with a sprinkle of hemp seeds and fresh mint.
What about the protein?
The protein in this smoothie comes predominantly from the collagen peptides and Greek yoghurt, with a small additional contribution from the hemp seeds if you use them.
The exact protein content will depend on the serving size and protein content of your Whole Body Collagen and the particular Greek yoghurt you choose.
For example, ½ cup of Greek yoghurt will commonly contribute approximately 9 to 12 grams of protein, but this varies considerably between brands. The collagen then contributes additional 11.3gm of protein according to the amount of collagen peptides supplied in one serving.
Why I like this combination
Rather than taking a collection of unrelated supplements, this stack brings together nutrients that target several of the areas I focus on clinically as we age:
muscle strength and recovery • bone health • connective tissue • joint health • brain energy • cardiovascular function • cellular energy • healthy digestion and bile physiology
And importantly, it is simple enough to actually do every morning.
As always, supplements should be individualised. More is not necessarily better, and your requirements can change depending on your diet, medications, health history, kidney function and individual nutritional needs.
Want to make your morning routine more personalised?
While this is a morning stack that I personally love, supplementation is never one-size-fits-all. Your individual needs will vary depending on your age, diet, medications, health history, symptoms, blood results, exercise, and specific health goals.
If you would like to work with me to develop a more bespoke nutrition, supplement and lifestyle plan, I would love to see you in clinic here at BOUNCERehab.
Together, we can look more closely at areas such as energy, muscle and bone health, menopause and healthy ageing, gut health, cardiovascular health, nutrient status and metabolic health, and build a plan specifically around you.
I offer face-to-face consultations in Pyrmont on Saturdays.
Book a consultation with me and let’s create a plan that is tailored to your body, your health and your goals.
About The Author
I'm Linda Dal Molin, a naturopath and clinical nutritionist with a postgraduate Master’s degree in Human Nutrition. I’ve used the GI-MAP test in my clinical practice for over 7 years, helping hundreds of clients uncover hidden gut imbalances and restore their health. I’ve also trained thousands of integrative health practitioners across Australia on interpreting and applying GI-MAP results — so you can be confident you’re working with someone who knows this test inside and out.
When we work together, you’re not just getting test results — you’re getting expert analysis, clear explanations, and a practical plan that works in real life.
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