Many people underestimate the importance of taking dietary supplements. There are many challenges to getting all your nutritional needs met with your diet alone.
Most of us are hard-pressed for time and exhausted after school. It’s much easier to just pick something up from the nearest drive-thru on the way back to the apartment.
Even if we do cook at home, the most nutritious foods katmoviehd are always the most expensive. If money is tight, your meals won’t contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
If you want to feel your absolute best — you should be taking dietary supplements.
Here are five reasons why:
1. Have More Energy
Let’s be real.
Anything that can help you have the energy to make it through the day is worth the investment, right?
Dietary supplements are one of the best aids in improving your physical and mental stamina.
This is because they provide the body and mind with the nutrition it needs to complete the tasks.
Supplements that contain B12 vitamins, citrulline, creatine, and other amino acids give you more energy.
Certain supplements like ashwagandha and Rhodiola rosea help the brain and body cope with stress — staving off stress-related fatigue.
Those who take a daily vitamin were proven to have a healthier brain with less anxiety and depression.
Taking vitamins and minerals isn’t exclusively for those getting on in years, the benefits show even in the young.
2. Look Your Best
Dietary supplements can be just the thing you need to look your best.
Certain vitamins and supplements do wonders for your skin health. These include vitamins A, C, E, and CoQ10.
For healthy, shiny, and vibrant hair, your supplement regimen should include:
- Niacin
- Biotin
- Horsetail (silica)
- Vitamin C
All the supplements that promote good hair health are also good for strengthening your nails.
Some supplements deliver benefits to all three — hair, skin, and nails — simultaneously. These include collagen and hyaluronic acid.
3. Age With Grace
One fact of life is that we are all going to grow old. We cannot stop this from happening, but we can help to make the process a little more graceful.
Dietary supplements such as a daily vitamin contain nutrients that improve memory in older adults. They’ve even proven beneficial to help slow the progression of age-related dementia or Alzheimers.
Taking a daily vitamin may also slow age-related macular degeneration. This will keep your eyes healthier and your vision better even as you get older.
4. Improve Your Immunity
Even if you don’t take a daily supplement, you’ll definitely want to take one during the time of year when colds and the flu are so prevalent.
A multivitamin containing a range of vitamins can boost the body’s natural defense against illness — helping you make it through winter without getting sick.
Lack of vitamin C in the body can make you more susceptible to illnesses. Vitamin E is an infection-fighting antioxidant.
Vitamin D isn’t only helpful in bone health, it also boosts the immune system.
Vitamins B1, B2, B6, K1, Niacin (B3), CoQ10, and magnesium are all essential for good heart health. A healthy heart means healthier blood flow and delivery of all the vitamins and minerals to the other parts of the body.
5. Fill Nutritional Gaps of Certain Diets
There are several groups of people that need to be extra diligent about taking a dietary supplement.
Vegans and Vegetarians
One such group is those who are vegans and vegetarians. Because of their choice of diet, their bodies are often lacking in some essential nutrients.
Vegans and vegetarians of all different ages and races often lack vitamin B12, even if they began their diet restrictions later in life.
Vitamin B12 is responsible for blood and nerve cell strength. It also takes part in the DNA creation process.
Other vitamins often lacking in the bodies of those who are vegan or vegetarian include vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids.
To ensure no nutritional gaps in their diet, vegans and vegetarians should find a dietary supplement containing a good amount of these listed vitamins.
They can also include pea protein shakes in their diet to up their protein intake.
Bariatric Surgery Patients
Bariatric surgery can be a life-saving procedure. Yet, it can threaten the individual’s ability to reach their required nutritional needs.
One study showed that this surgery (and the nutritional deficiencies that it creates) could make patients more susceptible to anemia, osteoporosis, and a lack of protein.
For this reason, those who have undergone this procedure should be diligent about taking a daily multivitamin.
Those On a Low-Calorie Diet
When you go on a diet that restricts your calories, this helps you to lose fat. However, when you stay on a low-calorie diet for an extended period of time, you can become deficient in essential vitamins.
Instead of focusing on keeping your diet low-calorie, try to cut down on your calories slowly over time and focus more on the quality of your foods.
Many times the simple change in the type of foods you eat instead of the amount will reduce your overall calorie intake anyway. Vegetables and fruits contain the least amount of calories per serving.
Dangers of Over Supplementation
There are two types of vitamins: fat-soluble and water-soluble.
Fat-soluble vitamins stay in the body and end up in the liver if you take too much. This can cause toxicity in your blood and liver.
Water-soluble vitamins are harder to absorb, but even when you take too much, it just gets flushed out of the body.
Do not take proprietary blends of vitamins that don’t label exactly what and how much of each ingredient they have. Most of these are full of fillers and can contain a dangerous amount of one particular vitamin.
Conclusion
It’s pretty amazing how such a simple thing as swallowing some pills can improve the quality of your health. As these five benefits above highlight, taking this small action every day is worth the minor inconvenience.
It’s vital that you choose the right supplement for your needs. Make sure you buy high-quality brands that prioritize the quality of ingredients and absorption.
These types of dietary supplements may not be able to provide all the nutrition you need. It’s always best to get most of your nutrition from high-quality, healthy foods — but supplements can certainly help.
[Author bio]
Kelsey is from Greenville, NC, and is an East Carolina University Alum. She’s a dedicated cat mom of two and has been with Grove at Auburn since July 2019. Since moving to Alabama, Kelsey has fallen in love with Auburn and the SEC life!