We all know that getting the right nutrition is really important for our wellbeing. And you can’t go into a pharmacy or a supermarket without finding the shelves overflowing with different vitamin and mineral supplements. This can leave you asking yourself – should I be taking supplements?
Unfortunately, it’s quite a complicated question to answer – not least because there is so much conflicting information out there about whether it is even healthy for you to be taking additional nutrients in tablet form.
The simple fact is it’s not simple at all. There is no easy answer. And that’s partly because we are all different and so our nutritional needs vary from person to person. But the question is still pertinent – firstly because supplements are expensive and you don’t want to waste money, but also because you don’t want to be taking the wrong vitamins and minerals and doing damage to your body.
We do know that over 50 percent of Americans take daily supplements. However, this shouldn’t impact your decision. Taking supplements has to be a personal choice as certain things that are right for other people might not be right for you.
The first step in deciding whether you need supplements is by asking yourself what your dietary intake is like. Quite often if you improve your diet there can be no need to take nutritional supplements at all. There are a number of foods that you include in your diet which would have the same effect as some of the supplement.
Spinach, for example, is very high in iron, potassium and vitamins A, C, E and K. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, have excellent levels of vitamins A, B6 and C and fibre. And there are countless other examples of foods that can do your body a world of good.
If you find that you have a deficiency in a certain type of vitamin or mineral then try eating foods that contain this nutrient first. Food is known as a much better way of getting vitamins into your body than supplements.
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