Dietary Supplements: The Basic Things To Know

The food we eat fuels our bodies—we’ve known this since we learned about the food pyramid in our second grade class. However, how many of us actually understand which vitamins are necessary to go about the day? The sad truth is that our food doesn’t always satisfy all of our dietary needs. Thankfully, you can look for a supplement manufacturer to provide you with extra vitamins and nutrients in the form of dietary supplements that help you stay healthy and live longer. The whole subject of supplements can be confusing, and different people benefit from different medicines. Keep reading for a basic overview of what you need to know when it comes to dietary supplements.

What Nutrients Our Bodies Absolutely Need

Chances are you have heard of vitamins A through zinc, but what they all do may be a bit fuzzy. While all vitamins help your body in some capacity, some vitamins are incredibly vital to your survival. To name a few examples, B vitamins energize your body and aid your immune system, vitamin C strengthens blood vessels, and calcium keeps your bones and teeth strong. Knowing the difference between these allows you to pinpoint where you might need a boost.

When to Take Supplements

Dietary supplements are simply a product designed to bulk up your current intake of vitamins in your food. In a perfect world, our normal diets would be diverse enough to provide all our nutrients; however, we often end our day without a full supply. Taking a supplement can be anything from a multivitamin in the morning to specific pills for a certain vitamin to fill in the holes from your diet.

While the average person often uses supplements, there are a few cases where these extra pills are necessary to help with diseases. If you are vitamin-deficient, supplements are almost always necessary. They have also been proven to help patients who are pregnant, aging, suffering from chronic disease, or taking vitamin-deficient medicines. Some vegetarians, vegans, or individuals with gluten intolerance may also consider taking extra vitamins to make up for what they’re missing in their limited diet.

Another reason some choose to take supplements is for weight loss reasons. These supplements can help in many different ways, such as stifling appetite or increasing metabolism. About 15 percent of adults choose to use weight loss supplements as a part of their journey to getting healthy. Often, these must be recommended by a doctor and are harder to obtain than a simple over the counter multivitamin.

What Type Works Best for You

You may be starting to wonder if dietary supplements are a good fit for you. Over 50 percent of Americans take some sort of supplement, whether it be fish oil pills or diet-curbing medicine. Because they are so common, you may think you are behind if you choose not to use these. The truth is that you need to do what is best for your body. If you eat a well-balanced diet where you get your daily vitamins a majority of the time, supplements may not be for you.

However, if you are having trouble with your daily energy or worry about weakened bones later in life, some extra vitamins may help. You can speak with your doctor to see if dietary supplements are right for you. Some may have extra side effects, especially if you end up taking too many. Your health is important and incredibly personal to you, so everyone’s journey will be a little bit different.