Vitamins & Minerals

More About Vitamins & Minerals:

Many vitamins and minerals are supplied by eating a wide variety of foods from each of the five food groups. However, certain vitamins are very unstable and consistency can never be guaranteed, this can cause large variations in nutritional levels that are consumed in our normal diet. And although vitamins and minerals are in many foods you eat, you may need to take a supplement to make sure you get all the nutrients you need.

Vitamins and Minerals are so necessary, that there are recommended daily levels, RDAs, specified by the FDA. In part, this is necessary because taken in excess they can cause toxicity problems, or affect the body's ability to absorb or retain other nutrients. For this reason, it is often best to keep things simple and identify a good formulated multi-vitamin and mineral product and only supplement to deal with specific personal deficiencies - or as advised by a nutritionist or health professional. Some minerals and vitamins are mainly intended for deficiencies and are recommended for health reasons. The figure on this page helps to illustrate how to think about responsible use of supplements. More information can be found at the Council for responsible nutrition .

Although it is preferable to have a full knowledge to make informed choices about the food you eat and the supplements you take. Vitamins and minerals are not present in typical diet we eat at the level they were a couple of generations ago. Since vitamins and minerals are vital to good health as they take part in many chemical reactions that makes sure the body runs smoothly. It is often considered good insurance to take a multi-vitamin on a daily or twice daily basis

The quantity and bio-availability of the vitamin and nutrient in each tablet or capsule and what percent of the daily value it contains will depend on the brand and type of multivitamin you buy. How they are digested, absorbed, and used by the body is also a variable. Generally vitamins and minerals are absorbed better with food, especially foods that already contain them

Vitamins and Minerals are often grouped under the term "dietary supplements" (that is, anything intended to add something to a person's diet), however we prefer to identify other classes of supplements under this heading e.g. fatty acids and oils, amino acids, acetyl-L carnitine etc.

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