Using vitamins and supplements

Do you consider yourself a healthy person? You eat right, exercise, get plenty of rest. But are you receiving all of the nutrients that you should be? Most people are surprised to learn that they are deficient in many vitamins and nutrients that are considered essential to proper nutrition. Even if you eat a diet rich in healthy foods, fruits, vegetables and lean meat, you still may not be receiving all of the nutrients that your body needs to perform at optimal levels.

Because of the potential for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, it is vital for most people to take vitamins and supplements as part of their daily routine. However, if you have never taken vitamins before, it can be very overwhelming when you first walk into a health store and are faced with rows and rows of bottles. It is important to keep it simple when you are starting out.

The first thing that you should do is find a quality multivitamin to take. By taking a multivitamin every day you will be doing quite a bit to providing your body with the proper amount of nutrients that it needs. You can choose a multivitamin that is specific to your needs as well. For example, if you experience premenstrual cramping and symptoms, there are multivitamins that are formulated to suit your needs.

After you have chosen a quality multivitamin, you may want to look at adding some other supplements as well. No matter what supplements you choose, it is important to check out what the daily maximums are, as you do not want to be overdosing. Some common supplements are calcium for women or people who are at risk for osteoporosis, ginseng for added energy, gingko biloba for increased memory function, and folic acid for women of child bearing age, just to name a few.

The list of vitamins and minerals that are available to supplement with is very extensive, and most people do not need a lot of supplementation over and above a quality multivitamin. The best thing to do is to check with a dietician or a doctor who is familiar with the use of vitamins and minerals to supplement a healthy lifestyle. You may want to ask your doctor to test your blood for any deficiencies as well, that way you will know what you should be looking for when you choose a multivitamin.

The last thing that you should remember is to keep your vitamin and supplementation schedule simple. You do not want to overburden yourself with taking too many pills at different times of the day, or you may forget to take them all together which would defeat the purpose!