The "V" Word
All You Need to Know About Vitamins
Everyone keeps telling us to that we need to take our vitamins. We get this advice from our doctors, our friends and even people we hardly know. So, should we or shouldn't we? In a perfect world it wouldn't be necessary. We would be eating healthy, well balanced meals and getting all of our nutrients from the food we eat. However, the reality for most of us is that we eat on the run, skip meals and have very little variety in our meals. We tend to have the same thing for breakfast (if we even eat breakfast). Lunch can be hit or miss and dinners may be take -out because we don't have time to cook. So, yes we do need to take our vitamins. The question is which ones do we need and how much should we take. It can be very confusing. I have a standard which I suggest to my clients. This is the basics of what you should have in your good health arsenal. If you are pregnant or have specific health issues your requirements may differ somewhat. For most of us this is a good guideline.
- Multivitamin/mineral
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Calcium/ Magnesium
- Fish Oil
Let's see how much we need of each of these and why. A good quality (I'll explain what that is in a minute) multivitamin/mineral covers all bases. It ensures that we get whatever may be lacking in our diet. Vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant. It is a natural antihistamine and also boosts the immune system. We should take about 1000mg a day. The daily recommendation for Vitamin D has increased over the past few years. We need this vitamin and we get it mainly from sunshine. We are not basking in the sun like we used to and when we are in the sun we are covered with sunscreen. So we need to take this vitamin. The recommended amount is 2000 IU. Vitamin E is another antioxidant. It is fat soluble which means it stays in the body so you can take too much. The recommendation is 200 IU which is sufficient to keep our fatty tissues healthy. Calcium/ Magnesium is especially important for women. We need calcium for strong bones. Calcium is best absorbed with the help of magnesium so i recommend that you take these two together. They are generally taken in a 2:1 ratio. You should have 1000 mg of calcium and 500 mg of magnesium. And lastly there is fish oil. You can take fish oil, cod liver oil or flax oil. These are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids. these are the good fats which we need to keep our brains and nervous systems functioning properly.
The next thing to be aware of is the quality of your vitamins. Not all vitamins are created equal! Some vitamins contain a lot more than you want or need. They may contain binders, fillers, lubricants, colorants, sweeteners, flavoring and coating material. Unfortunately these are not always listed on the label. In fact if the label does not explicitly say that these items have not been used, you can be sure they are in your vitamin. the first thing you need to do when buying vitamins is read the label. Never buy a vitamin that does not clearly list the amount of each ingredient on the label. You also want to know the expiration date. Vitamins generally have a shelf life of 1 - 2 years Get rid of any vitamins after 6 months of the expiration date. When shopping do not buy vitamins based on price! Quality should be your first priority not price. This is after all about your health. Consider this:
- Choose a capsule over a hard pill. It's easier to digest and the absorption is better
- Store vitamins away from heat and light
- Store fish oil and vitamin E in the fridge
Remember that you always get more nutrients from food than from vitamins. So eat well. Your vitamins are an added security that you are getting all the nutrients your body requires to function at its best.
