Be honest, at some point in your life you’ve done a clear out of your bathroom cabinet to find accumulated boxes of expensive vitamin pills, most of which have probably expired.
Let’s go there… At this point, you stop and ask yourself, do I really need these? Do I need to restock? The answer you’re likely to come up with (unless you’re a dietician) is, hmmm?
To clarify on the above, here are 5 reasons why you may need to take supplements.
- Age matters: There is conclusive evidence that aging leads to reduced absorption of certain nutrients. Vitamin D and calcium are especially important for post-menopausal women and individuals that are over the age of 50. Additionally, taking a daily vitamin B12 supplement is important for keeping nerve and blood cells healthy and preventing anemia.
- Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions, more often those linked to the digestive tract, may compromise the absorption of nutrients. Taking certain medications can also deplete your body of nutrients; discuss this with your doctor.
- Lifestyle factors: Working in stressful environments, sun exposure (or lack thereof), smoking and other lifestyle factors may lead to nutrient depletion. If you’re pregnant, it’s very important that you’re taking folic acid daily to support healthy development of the baby’s brain and spinal cord.
- Eating habits: For better or worse, following a restrictive diet, such as vegan, or removing certain food groups due to intolerances and allergies, can lead to vitamin deficiency. One also has to evaluate how many fruits and vegetables you are eating on a daily basis and the overall quality of your diet.
- Hereditary factors: Some individuals may be prone to reduced absorption based on their genes. No matter if you have a diet that includes Vitamin D, Vitamin C and Vitamin B12, you may still be deficient in one or more of these important micronutrients. One example is the SLC23A2 gene, which encodes a vitamin C transporter protein. About 28% of the general population carries a variant that causes reduced tissue accumulation and absorption of vitamin C.
Supplements don’t replace the importance of eating a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh foods, including lean protein, healthy fats, fruit, and vegetables. That said, if you know you’re not meeting your essential daily nutrient needs, popping that multivitamin pill can surely help.
I’ve recently started offering my clients supplements from b.wellness, a range of 100% natural supplements for weight control, energy, liver and kidney support, hormone balance, and gut health.
The supplements are made with high-quality, fully absorbable ingredients and scientifically formulated to provide holistic wellness from within.
For personalised nutrition advice, book a free health coaching call with me, Hayley: www.keepevolving.co.za or email hayley@keepevolvingsa.com.