Top 3 Reasons To Take Supplements

Your body needs vitamins and minerals in order to develop and function optimally.  Ideally, you get these nutrients you need to thrive from your food, however, today I’m going to share with you why most of us need more nutrients than our current food supply provides as well as some particular situations in which your body needs more of certain nutrients to thrive.

1. You have dietary restrictions. Most people that come to me for health support are on or have been on some sort of restricted diet either due to allergies, intolerances, or in an effort to reduce symptoms. While it is a good idea to avoid a food if it makes you feel poorly, sometimes we end up restricting entire food groups that provide a lot of nutrition for an extended period of time and it is important to make sure you find alternatives to provide those nutrients.

For example, dairy products are a great source of calcium and vitamin D, so it’s really easy to meet your recommended dietary allowance if you eat dairy foods. If you are on paleo and dairy-free diets, it becomes trickier. Foods that can provide these nutrients in ample quantities are fish with soft bones such as sardines with the bones, high intake of low-oxalate vegetables like broccoli, kale, bok choy, eggs and getting daily sunshine (for Vit D). During the winter, I still supplement with a few drops of liquid VItamin D. If you have been told that you have weak bones or bone loss, you may benefit from taking a supplement that contains a combo of bone building nutrients like K2 (MK4 and MK7 are two types of natural vitamin K2) and Vitamin D.    2. Your food lacks nutrients due to soil depletion caused by commercial farming.

According to the USDA records, the nutritional values of fruits and veggies today are below what you could get in the 1970s! Farmed soil is becoming depleted of nutrients producing fruits and veggies that are also lacking in essential vitamins and minerals.

• We are also exposed to more toxins every day.

If you can’t meet your needed nutrients through food to efficiently remove these toxins from your body, then supplements are an excellent choice.

My belief is that pretty much everyone would benefit from taking a high quality daily multi vitamin and mineral supplement to cover their nutritional bases because of soil depletion and increased toxic burden.

3. You have increased nutrient demands due to a condition or older age.

There are many conditions that increase the body’s need for certain nutrients. A disease or chronic condition or even something acute like a cold could increase your need for much higher Vit C, Zinc, and/or Magnesium, for example.
Also, as you age, your demand for certain vitamins and minerals increases. 

Those over 50 years old need more calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. This is because calcium is lost rapidly through bones, and there is higher risk for developing bone conditions such as osteoporosis. 1200 milligrams of calcium daily through food and/or supplements is recommended.

Older adults also tend to have a decreased ability to absorb vitamin B12 because low stomach acid becomes more common with age and stomach acid is essential to being able to process vitamins like B12.

When a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding, her nutrient demand also increases to support her health, the healthy development of her fetus, and the production of milk to nourish her infant. 

For expecting mothers, a prenatal vitamin that includes folic acid, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D, and DHA (for the baby’s brain development) is recommended.

Takeaways

Eating nutritious foods and living a healthy lifestyle is the best foundation for thriving health. However, as I’ve pointed out, there are plenty of examples why supplementing is important, especially amongst certain populations to fill in the gaps in daily nutrient needs.

If you’d like to explore your health or nutrient needs and how you can take your health to the next level, I’d love to connect with you!

Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!
~Rebecca