Introduction:
Vitamins have been around for decades to help people with deficiencies, malnourishment, and sensitivities. There is a lot to know when it comes to quality control, how to tell what vitamins you need, and if you are over supplementing vitamins. In this article I am going to teach you about the importance of vitamins and how important it is to know where they come from.
What is a Vitamin?
A vitamin is a group of organic compounds which are essential for normal growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body. Majority of the time you can get all the vitamins your body needs through a well-balanced diet. Throughout the year’s supplement companies and vitamin companies have marketed that you can just take a pill and get all you need without having to consume food. Well that is actually very detrimental for your overall health. We need to get about 85-90% of our vitamins and minerals from whole food. So the question we need to ask ourselves is how do we know if we need to supplement with vitamins?
How do you know that you need supplement vitamins?
Before self-diagnosing or assuming any of this as medical advice, it is not, always asking your doctor before implementing any supplements or vitamins into your diet is recommended.
When it comes to knowing whether or not you need to supplement vitamins into your diet, asking yourself a list of questions is essential, questions like;
“Am I eating enough fruits and vegetables?” asking yourself this questions gives you an opportunity to write down what you are eating to see if you are consuming enough vitamins through food.
“Am I deficient in any vitamins?” If you are eating a very wholesome diet, but you still feel the following symptoms; Fatigue, acne, bloating, constipation, brain fog, mood swings, depression, or anxiety. If you do feel any of these symptoms, then it would be a good idea to make a visit to your doctor or a functional medicine doctor to help you figure out what you may be deficient in.
“What nutrients am I missing?” even if you have no deficiencies and you eat a very well-balanced diet, there are some essential vitamins your body requires that we can’t get in through food. By taking look over your diet and seeing what other vitamins you may be lacking in your diet will help you figure out what vitamins you need.
What kind of vitamins do you need?
When you figure what vitamins your body needs and you start looking at all of the various companies out there that develop and sale vitamins it can be very intimidating and exhausting trying to figure out where to get your vitamins from. Well here are some very important things to pay attention to before purchasing your vitamins;
- Quality over Price- What I mean by this is don’t just buy something just because it’s a cheap price, its cheap for a reason so always look for quality when it comes to your vitamins because it’s going into your body and you want to make sure it is from a trusted company that uses only quality and organic ingredients in the products.
- Check the dosing: make sure the dosing is the right amount that you need, you don’t want to over supplement vitamins, because it can create some issues down the road. So always make sure the dosage is the right amount for you.
Are you over supplementing?
If you are not careful about what vitamins you are taking and also know what you are getting through your diet, then it could become a problem for your overall health. For example, if you consume too much vitamin C it can lead to nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Taking too much of any vitamin can cause multitudes of symptoms, like too much melatonin can disrupt you sleep making you drowsy. Too much of certain vitamins can cause you to lose concentration easier, have memory issues, mood swings, as the saying goes, “too much of anything can be bad for you.” So that is why is very important for you to ask your doctor about what vitamins you are taking and then looking at your diet to see if you are consuming the same in food.
Creating a baseline
Along with having a well-balanced diet you need a baseline of different daily vitamins your body calls for. Now you are probably wondering what am I lacking in my diet or what are some essential vitamins I need in my diet on a daily basis? There are a lot of vitamins that you can’t get into your diet every day, or at least it’s not practical to. Some of the most important vitamins I recommend you take are the following:
Taking these covers your most important bodily functions. Follow the links I have above to find the best of each product.
Summary
Vitamins are very important for us to function, and you have to be careful where you source your vitamins from. By knowing what vitamins your body needs, how much your body needs, and creating a baseline for yourself will keep you from becoming malnourished, having sensitivities, or even from creating a chronic illness. Make sure to check with your doctor before introducing any new vitamins or supplements into your diet.
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