"Faith and prayer are the vitamins of the soul; man cannot live in health without them." Mahalia Jackson
We have considered what Mahalia has to say!
Our obsession with supplements costs us $30 billion annually. On that list, vitamins and minerals, aka multivitamins, come in #1.
To be realistic, it's impossible to constantly meet your nutritional demands, even if you acquire all your nutrients from your kitchen rather than your medicine cabinet. However, other aspects of life, such as pregnancy, menopause, or even chronic illnesses, could necessitate the usage of supplements.
Vitamin supplementation might be beneficial, according to 2002 research finding that vitamin deficits are frequently associated with chronic conditions. A balanced diet won't give you all the necessary nutrients at the right time. Multivitamin supplements can help with it.
Find out which vitamins and minerals are most frequently present in all popular US brands of multivitamins.
An excellent starting point for your health is a daily multivitamin. You may also benefit from its protection if you are stressed, have trouble sleeping, or don't exercise frequently. Even with a "perfect" diet, your body may still struggle to absorb the nutrients due to these problems adequately.
But how can we know what to look for when buying a multivitamin with many different vitamins and minerals combinations? Choosing which multivitamin is worth taking with your morning OJ can be done without a doctorate in nutrition.
The 7 vitamins and minerals your multivitamin should have, according to nutritionists.
Regardless of your chosen brand, we consulted experts to determine the seven elements every multivitamin should have.
- Vitamin D
Calcium is necessary for healthy bones and is absorbed by our systems with vitamin D. You risk getting sick, developing bone and back pain, and losing hair if you don't consume enough of this vitamin.
Although spending 15 minutes in the sun should provide you with your recommended daily intake of vitamin D, more than 40% of Americans don't. It's challenging to get enough vitamin D when you have an office 9 to 5 job, lives in a winter climate with limited sunlight, and use sunscreen (which prevents vitamin D production).
Since this vitamin is similarly difficult to find in food, search for it in your multivitamin.
- Magnesium
Magnesium is a necessary nutrient. Thus, we must get it through diet or supplements. Magnesium is best known for its role in maintaining the health of our bones and generating energy. Magnesium might offer more advantages than that. In addition, this mineral can:
- after 90 days, it might relax our nervous system and lower our stress levels.
- alleviate sleep issues, as revealed by an earlier study using mice
- control blood sugar levels.
- maintain muscle and nerve function.
- produce DNA and protein.
Nevertheless, many people need more magnesium not because they require supplements but because they must eat the correct meals.
Before taking supplements, try increasing your intake of pumpkin, spinach, artichokes, beans, tofu, brown rice, and nuts (particularly Brazil nuts).
- Calcium
More than 40% of Americans don't consume enough calcium daily. This indicates that people must obtain the mineral they want for healthy bones and teeth. The strongest nutritional defense against this loss is having adequate calcium from birth. Women in particular begin losing bone density early.
The following foods include calcium: fortified cereals, milk, cheese, and yogurt; salted fish; broccoli and kale; nuts and nut butter; beans and lentils.
You most likely already obtain enough calcium if these items comprise a large portion of your diet.
- Zinc
Zinc levels are often lower in older individuals and those under a lot of stress, that includes everyone! Thanks to zinc's immune system support, our bodies can use carbs, protein, and fat for energy. Moreover, it might promote the healing of wounds.
Zinc-rich foods include oysters, grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds, spinach, organ meats, tahini, sardines, brown rice, wheat germ, and tempeh.
Because the body cannot store zinc and the typical American diet is deficient in foods that do, we advise you to emphasize zinc in your daily doses of multivitamin.
- Iron
Although everyone needs a different quantity of iron, your multivitamin should contain iron. More energy, improved brain function, and healthy red blood cells are just a few advantages of iron.
Red meat eaters typically obtain enough iron, but your need for iron may increase under specific conditions, such as during your menstrual cycle, adolescence, or pregnancy. This is because iron is crucial during periods of rapid growth and development.
If they aren't supplementing meat with other iron-rich foods, vegetarians and vegans may want to be sure their multivitamin contains iron.
- Folate
The benefits of folic acid, often known as folate, include promoting healthy fetal development and reducing the risk of birth abnormalities. Yet, this component is crucial if you're aiming to reduce inflammation, fight depression, or grow out your nails.
Dark leafy greens, avocado, beans, citrus are among the foods high in folate.
- B vitamin 12
The B-vitamin complex works as a factory team of eight hardworking employees to produce and sustain our body's energy source by dissolving the micronutrients we eat (fats, proteins, carbs).
Each, however, also plays a unique role. Specifically, vitamin B-12 aids in the production of DNA, the genetic material found in all cells, and keeps the body's nerve and blood cells healthy.
Vegans and vegetarians are likelier to suffer from a vitamin B-12 shortage because they typically consume animal products, including meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.
Never Rely on A Multivitamin.
It's critical to remember that multivitamins shouldn't be used in place of a balanced diet but rather as a supplement.
Food synergy, which refers to the idea that the sum of all the nutrients present in a food is more significant than the sum of the nutrients presents in food when they are isolated.
There are benefits to eating whole foods that go beyond just the individual nutrients. Get as many nutrients as you can from what you eat because food is an excellent source of them rather from pills.
You shouldn't be shocked to learn that almost all the vitamins and minerals in all multivitamin brands sold in the US are the same.
Look for a brand that promises quality ingredients in its multivitamins.
Always ask your nutritionist about your multivitamin needs and pick a supplement.
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