Eating a well-balanced diet is highly emphasized by healthcare providers and dieticians. However, it is not always possible for your daily meals to meet the nutrition requirements of your body. Moreover, many other factors make taking supplements important for every person at some point in life.
A 2002 scientific review revealed that vitamin deficiencies may lead to the occurrence of many chronic diseases. Taking supplements provides you with the essential nutrients you need daily but your diet may lack. Multivitamins play a very significant role in supporting your overall health.
Not only that, but including multivitamins in your daily routine also helps you to prevent stress, insomnia, and poor exercise. Even if you eat healthily, these issues can hinder the proper absorption of vital nutrients by your body.
Since there are so many minerals and vitamins beneficial for your health, it can be quite confusing to choose the best one. The good thing is you don’t need any specific knowledge base to choose the multivitamin supplement when you are out to shop.
Experts have suggested 7 ingredients that your multivitamin must contain no matter which brand you are going to buy.
Let’s find them out below-
Vitamin D: Vitamin D enables our bodies to absorb calcium which is most important for the maintenance of bone health. The deficiency of Vitamin D increases your chance of getting sick, causes back pain, affects your bones, and leads to hair loss.
It is easier to get your daily Vitamin D intake by spending 15 minutes in sunlight every day. But most people due to their busy schedules and the climatic conditions where they reside don’t let them take their daily dose of this vitamin. Foods like fatty fish, egg yolks, and many fortified food products can provide you with the required amount of Vitamin D.
You can easily make Multivitamin supplements a part of your regular diet. Young Children and adults need 600 IU of vitamin D per day.
Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 plays an essential role in building a body’s healthy nerves and blood cells and helps to make DNA. People who are pure vegetarians are more prone to Vitamin B12 deficiency. It is because vitamin B12 is mostly found in meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.
You should look for Multivitamins with 1 to 2 mcg of Vit B12 per serving.
Calcium: Most of the population around the world doesn’t get the desired amount of calcium from the food they eat. Calcium is one of the most important minerals needed to support strong bones and teeth.
Usually, it is found that women start losing calcium earlier than men. So it is extremely beneficial for them to look after their calcium intake from the beginning.
If you are consuming foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt, fish, lentils, cereals, nuts, beans, and broccoli, you are fulfilling your daily calcium requirement.
Most adults require 1000 mg of calcium intake daily, however, it should not always depend on getting it through multivitamins.
Zinc: You won’t find a single person who is not under stress due to various reasons. Lower levels of Zinc are found in people that remain under constant stress.
Zinc boosts our immune system and helps the body to absorb carbohydrates, protein, and fat to get energy.
Foods that are good sources of Zinc include pumpkin seeds, spinach, oysters, brown rice, organ meats, etc. If you do not consume these foods regularly, it is recommended to meet the requirement through health supplements.
So look out for multivitamins that contain 5-10 mg of zinc along with your diet. This way you can fulfill the daily requirement of 8-11 mg of zinc by your body.
Magnesium: Magnesium is an essential nutrient that promotes bone health and required energy. So you should try getting it either from food or health supplements.
Magnesium is also known to calm the nervous system and regulates muscle and nerve functioning. It is also beneficial in improving sleep problems and balancing blood sugar levels.
Many people have magnesium deficiency because they are not eating the right food. Pumpkin, Spinach, Brazil nuts, Soybeans, Tofu, Brown rice, and beans have plenty of magnesium content. So before switching to multivitamin supplements you can try including these sources of magnesium in your diet.
Look for a supplement that contains 300-320 mg of magnesium and not more than 350 mg in any case.
Iron: Iron helps to build healthy red blood cells and improves brain functioning. Therefore, iron should be a key ingredient in your multivitamin supplement. However, the amount of iron needed differs from person to person.
People who consume red meat regularly get enough iron from it. Women, going through the phase of puberty, menstrual cycle, and pregnancy need more iron than usual.
Iron plays a very significant role during the time of growth and development. The daily iron intake suggested is 18 mg in the form of ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, ferric citrate, or ferric sulfate.
Folate: Folic acid aids in fetus development and prevents any kind of birth defects. That is why pregnant women are given folic acid in the form of supplements. Folate also helps to fight depression and inflammation. Foods that are rich in folate are avocados, green leafy vegetables, beans, and citrus fruits.
Experts tell that when folate is taken with food 85% of it gets absorbed, but when taken on an empty stomach you absorb 100% of it.
Look for multivitamins that contain 400 mcg of folic acid.
It is important to remember that Multivitamins and other health supplements are a bonus to what you are eating. They should not be considered substitutes for actual food. Therefore, you must first try getting your daily nutrients from your diet.
Shop for GULA health supplements to support healthy eating and provide you with all essential nutrients.