Do We Really Need Vitamins A Nutritionist Tells All
Don’t you feel like you’ve
been told to take your vitamins since you were a little kid? Same. Growing up,
it’s one of those things you don’t
question; you just do it because you think you’re supposed to. My precious mother
would set my multivitamin out on the kitchen counter for me every single
morning (bless her heart).
But now I am a grown adult and don’t
get that special treatment anymore. In the grand scheme of our busy lives,
remembering to take vitamins every day is hard. Adding that one extra thing to
do our to-do list makes us question whether or not we even need vitamins. On
top of that, things get a little fuzzy walking down the vitamin aisle since
there are countless options. You can read a bunch of labels and still not know
which vitamins you should actually take. We tapped five experts to school us on
the importance of vitamins.
Read on for their take on everything vitamins will do for your body.
Do we really need vitamins?
According to Golan Raz, vice president of health and
nutrition at Lycored, taking vitamins isn’t even a question. “Before
we answer this question we should be aware that vitamins, minerals, and other
nutrients are essential for the human body,” says Raz. It is not a question of
whether one should take vitamins, as the answer to this question will always be
yes. It is a question of how can we get all the vitamins, minerals and
nutrients we need just from our daily diet. The basic principle is to be aware
that we can improve our health by adding specific vitamins, minerals, and other
nutrients to our daily diet. ”
Jonny Bowden, board-certified nutrition specialist and
nationally known expert on nutrition and health, feels the same. “The
answer I always give to the question of do we need vitamin supplements is this:
We don’t need indoor plumbing, but why on
earth would we want to do without it? We need vitamins to exist and vitamin
supplements are an excellent, high-tech way to deliver the nutrients our body
needs to survive and thrive,” explains Bowden. “Can
we live without supplements? Sure. But we’re highly likely to be missing some
essential nutrients and almost certain to have less than the optimal amounts of
many others.”
Wellness coach Dana Kofsky explains that vitamins are
essential to take in addition to a healthy diet. “I think there’s
only so much we can get through food,” says Kofsky. “I
do find it very helpful to take vitamins in addition to practicing a healthy
diet. Oftentimes, people will take vitamins and then not get any of their
nutrients with food. In order for them to be most effective, it’s
important to eat right first and then supplement with vitamins.”
Celebrity fitness trainer and health expert Latreal Mitchell
also believes that in a world full of processed foods, supplementing nutrients
with vitamins couldn’t be more important. “It
is so important to take quality, science-based vitamins because in this era of
fast food and convenience over quality, there is no way for people to get all
the vitamins and nutrients they need through food alone,”
explains Mitchell. “Most people skip meals, eat unhealthy
food on the run, and skip green veggies with all the great phytonutrients that
are essential for optimal health. I’m a strong believer that everyone
should get a little help no matter how healthy or unhealthy they eat. There is
more processed food and GMOs on the market, and all the good stuff is being
pulled out of our food to make things quick and easy. Good, quality vitamins
and supplements are a great source of those missing nutrients.”
Keep scrolling for a few vitamins the pros think you should consider.
Multivitamin
“A good multivitamin is something worth
exploring,” says Kofsky. “It's
nice to get a little bit of everything in your vitamin, especially ones with
vitamin A, C, and K. My favorite go-to is the Women’s
Pure Pack from Pure Encapsulations ($64). It has a multitude of vitamins in it
that I find most helpful to women’s health.”
Mitchell also believes in the power of multivitamins. “You
should take multivitamins to get a bunch of nutrients at once,”
explains Mitchell.
“We should match between our specific
needs and the dietary supplements we take,” suggests Raz. “For
example, during pregnancy it is recommended by many doctors to add a prenatal
multivitamin to the daily diet.”
“I do recommend a multivitamin for
people with medical problems, such as esophageal or colon cancer, that preclude
them from eating certain foods and may put them at risk for deficiencies,”
explains registered dietitian Maria Bella, owner of Top Balance Nutrition. “In
general, a multivitamin is essential for people with severe food aversions.
And, of course, pregnant women, as there is substantial evidence for the
benefits of folate in preventing neural tube defects especially when taken in
the first trimester.”
Pure Encapsulations Women's Pure Pack ($64)
Fish Oil
“Fish oil is great for brain health,
heart health, and boosting your overall mood and appearance,”
says Mitchell.
“Fish oil is essential because none of
us get enough fish for heart health,” explains Bella. “Fish
oil gets tricky as consumers need to research different manufacturers to get a
reliable product as some add other fats as fillers. My preference is Nordic
Naturals. This brand has a great lemon-flavored omega 3 with vitamin D ($44)
already added to it. I also recommend Vital Remedy MD Fish Oil ($30). It’s
developed by a leading cardiologist and is one of the purest products on the
market.
Nordic Naturals Omega-3 ($44)
Probiotics
Mitchell always suggests her clients take a probiotic to aid
with digestion and a healthy gut. “I’ve used many brands over the years and
have done a lot of research on supplements, and Previnex’s
Probiotics ($34) has proven to be the best that I’ve seen,” says Mitchell. “It’s
a brand that uses the best form of ingredients available, goes above and beyond
in testing their ingredients and finished products, and has high absorption
rates, which is critical. If your body is not absorbing the vitamin, then it’s
basically pointless.”
Previnex Probiotic ($34)
Vitamin D
According to Kofsky, vitamin D is at the top of her list. “Unless
you’re going out in the sun without
sunscreen every day for 20 minutes, it’s a harder one to absorb,”
she says.
“I suggest vitamin D for people working
long hours and getting minimal sun exposure,” says Bella.
Collagen
Reserveage Collagen Booster ($57)
“While I don’t
consider collagen an absolute basic, it’s a pretty smart thing to supplement
with,” suggests Bowden. “It’s
the reason bone broth has become so popular. Collagen is the most abundant
protein in the body and the stuff out of which connective tissue is made. When
collagen stores begin to dwindle, your skin and joints weaken. In turn, your
skin looks old, tired, and wrinkly. My favorite brand for collagen is
Reserveage’s Collagen Replenish ($18) for your
skin and Reserveage’s Collagen Booster ($57) for your joints.”
Reserveage Collagen Booster ($57)
Omega-3
“Having some sort of omega-3 vitamin is
good to have on hand because they help your heart and are good for your bones,”
explains Kofsky.
Ed.
note: Be sure to consult your doctor before taking any supplements
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