Ideally, your diet should provide all the vitamins and minerals you need. But for many people, a supplement can help fill in the gaps.
You can get most of the vitamins you need by eating a variety of whole foods. But some nutrients—like iron and calcium—work better when they are paired together.
Talk to Your Doctor
Even though many over-the-counter vitamins and supplements don’t require a prescription, it’s still a good idea to talk to your doctor about them. They can help make sure that you don’t take anything that could interfere with the prescription medications you’re taking (or prevent you from getting enough of certain vitamins).
For instance, if you take a supplement containing magnesium along with an anti-hypertensive medication, the combination could have a dangerous side effect — the drug could reduce your blood pressure too much, leading to fainting or lightheadedness. Your doctor can also check whether your current vitamin regimen is working by ordering bloodwork before you start a new supplement or after consuming it for a set amount of time.
In addition, if you have any chronic health problems like heart disease or diabetes, your doctor can help you figure out which vitamins are most appropriate for your diet. They may also have recommendations for specific brands of vitamins and supplements that are safe for you to take.
When talking to your doctor about supplements, it’s helpful if you bring your bottle of pills or a list of what you take regularly. It’s also a good idea to let your doctor know about any other dietary supplements you’re considering, or even prescription drugs, as they might interact with them in a harmful way.
Some of the most important vitamins you can take are those that fight inflammation, which is linked to heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. These include vitamin C, folic acid, and B vitamins (B6, B12, and niacin).
While a multivitamin is generally a safe bet, it’s not a good idea to start any other kind of supplements or vitamins without direction from your doctor. That’s because you risk giving your body something it doesn’t need or overdoing it.
It’s also a good idea to check expiration dates on your supplements. Some vitamins and supplements lose their potency over time, so if you’ve been taking them for a while, they may not be effective anymore. Plus, you should always avoid taking effervescent vitamins, which can contain up to 1g of salt per tablet if you’ve been told to cut down on your sodium intake.
Take a Vitamin Quiz
A vitamin quiz can help you figure out what vitamins you should take by asking questions about your diet, lifestyle, and health goals. These quizzes are usually short and can provide you with a list of supplements that will match your needs. They can also give you information about why certain vitamins are good for your body and how much you should take.
Many companies have their own vitamin quizzes. For example, the popular brand Centrum has a quiz that helps you find the best multivitamin for your specific health goals and needs. Their quiz asks a few simple questions about your diet and lifestyle and then recommends the vitamin that will meet your goals and fill in any nutrient gaps.
These vitamin quizzes are often very helpful, especially for people new to the world of supplements. It can be confusing to navigate the overwhelming number of different products, and false marketing claims make it easy to get misguided.
Another option is to use a nutritionist-designed vitamin quiz. These are more in-depth than the typical quiz, and they can help you understand why certain vitamins are good for your body and why you may need to take extra. They can also recommend a tailored vitamin bundle that will suit your specific needs.
Some vitamin quizzes are designed to recommend a product based on your specific health goals, while others are more generic and will match you with any product that meets your requirements. They can be a great starting point for finding the right vitamins, but you should always talk to your doctor before beginning a new supplement regimen.
Another option is to take a comprehensive vitamin test that will tell you exactly what micronutrients are lacking in your body. These tests typically cost a bit more, but they will provide you with a complete analysis of your current health and potential deficiencies. One such vitamin test is Care/of’s Essential Vitamins Test, which will give you a detailed report that includes all of the results and provides information about the vitamins recommended for your body.
Check Your Diet
A healthy diet is the best way to get the vitamins and minerals you need, but there is a fine line between getting enough of these nutrients (which is good) and too much (which can be harmful). Many people take multivitamins as a way to fill in nutritional gaps. However, you should aim to get most of your nutrients from a well-balanced diet and only use supplements for specific deficiencies.
When shopping for vitamins, it’s important to read the labels. The nutrient content of foods and supplements is often reported in micrograms, with 1,000 micrograms equaling 1 milligram. These values are based on recommended intake levels, also known as the RDA or DV (Recommended Dietary Allowance or Adequate Intake). These guidelines vary by age, gender, and sex.
There is a lot of information to decipher on vitamin and supplement labels. In addition to the DV and RDA, there are other terms, such as UL or ULN (Ultimate Level). The UL for a given nutrient is the maximum amount of that nutrient you should get per day from both food and supplements. This is helpful in preventing overdoses, which can be dangerous or even fatal.
The ULs for the different vitamins and minerals are set by the FDA. You can find a list of them on the FDA website.
Generally, you want to consume vitamins and minerals in their natural forms, as these are more easily digested and absorbed by your body. However, there are exceptions to this rule. For instance, you should avoid taking vitamin A in its synthetic form, retinol, because it can be toxic. Instead, you should eat lots of foods rich in vitamin A, including dark green vegetables, fruits, and a variety of nuts and seeds.
You can use an online nutrition calculator to examine the foods you eat on a regular basis and see how close you come to meeting the dietary recommendations for each nutrient. If you discover that you are not getting the nutrients you need, meet with a registered dietitian to discuss your options. They can analyze your diet and recommend a supplement plan that will help you achieve your health goals.
Consider Your Lifestyle
Vitamins are essential organic substances your body’s cells require to function, grow, and heal properly. There are 13 known vitamins—A, C, D, E, K, and B6, B12, biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine—and a few other “vitamin-like” nutrients (choline and carnitine) that the FDA considers essential for good health.
While most people can get all the vitamins they need from a balanced diet, some may also need to take supplements to help reach their specific short- and long-term health goals. To figure out what vitamins you should take, consider your age, gender, and lifestyle. You might, for instance, need more of certain vitamins when you’re in your 50s—like bone-supporting vitamin D or iron—or less of other essentials, like vitamin A and folic acid. A vitamin’s recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, is typically listed in micrograms—1,000 milligrams equal to 1 gram. You can find the RDAs for different vitamins and minerals on the Food and Nutrition Board website.