Short answer, Yes! However, make sure is it a high-quality vitamin to get benefits. Even if you consider yourself a healthy eater, its probable that you don’t get the necessary nutrients in the proper amounts. Consider a multivitamin to be like insurance for filling in the nutrition gaps. Vitamins and minerals help with every body function including strengthening immune system, turning food into energy, brain health, cleansing, repair, and hormonal regulation.
Mild nutritional deficiencies are common. There are several reasons for this. I have yet to meet a person who eats enough fruits and vegetables (5 cups per day is the recommended minimum). I also see a lack of healthy fats and lean proteins along with an overconsumption of processed foods. Processed foods deplete your body of necessary nutrients because they require additional nutrients to break them down. Stress also depletes our body and improper gut flora can add to that effect. These healthy bacteria help us digest our food and absorb nutrients. Study after study show that taking a daily multivitamin has more positive benefits than negative but the key to getting these benefits is taking a high-quality product.
Here are things to look for:
- 3rd party testing. Look for the cGMP (good manufacturing practices) facility stamp. This ensures what the bottle says the supplement contains is actually what it contains.
- Form of nutrients. Often companies use the cheapest form, and these are not absorbed well. Two nutrients to avoid are calcium carbonate and magnesium oxide. These work well for heartburn, but that’s about it. Very little gets absorbed into the bloodstream. Calcium carbonate can cause calcium deposits in your body because it has nowhere else to go. Magnesium oxide can also cause diarrhea.
- Another sign of poor quality is if you only take one capsule/tablet per day. Getting optimal amounts usually requires at least two capsules per day. Look for this on the label.
A more in-depth article on this topic will be found in the August Community Connections Newsletter.