May 17 2008
Choose The Right Vitamin
Do you need a multivitamin or specific vitamin? Are all vitamins created equally? There are times when we don’t eat as we should and there are people who have specific needs that need to be met that want extra help.
Perhaps vitamins are required due to a specific need like pregnancy which requires a woman takes the time to make sure she’s eating well. Or, older women take additional calcium. Some people take a specific type of vitamin such as Vitamin C to boost their immune system.
How do you know which vitamin is right for you? It’s imperative that you do your very best to get as much vitamins and minerals specifically from food so that your body can absorb them and get the maximum benefit. Taking a vitamin is not a substitute for healthy eating. When you do choose to add a supplement to your day so that you can get additional benefits or meet a specific health need, it’s advisable to go with natural instead of synthetic vitamins.
Natural vs. Synthetic Vitamins
When vitamins are chemically created, it’s been said that they aren’t processed as throughly in your body as they would be if they were natural source vitamins. Natural and botanical vitamins are often derived from plants and are better utilized and absorbed in the body. Some plants with specific vitamin qualities have more than one benefit to the body such as with bioflavinoids which comeswith vitamin C in natural form and do not accompany synthetic C. It stands to reason that first, your food should provide your vitamins and secondary to that would be natural source vitamins. If necessary, a synthetic vitamin can provide you with health benefits as well.
Eating 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is your absolute best bet for ensuring you get the best dose of health each and every day.
