By Sarah Anderson

Many people want to start taking a multivitamin or supplement on a daily basis but are confused about what vitamins really do and how implementing a supplement into their diet can be useful to them. By taking supplements, you can help your body get the recommended dosage of all your required vitamins and minerals and when you are getting those recommended amounts, your body will feel healthier.

Adding the Essentials
When you integrate dietary supplements into your healthy lifestyle it gives you the opportunity to add essential nutrients to your body that you may not be able to get from the foods you regularly eat.  Most of us cannot sit around eating pounds of broccoli just to get our daily dose of vitamins A, C, and K. Through the use of supplements we can provide our bodies those nutrients with very little effort.

The FDA (Federal Drug Administration) states that, “A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet”. Basically any pill, powder or other type of supplement that contains: vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes or metabolites are considered a dietary ingredient. Since the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), these supplements are now under the eye of the FDA and require proper labeling to show what ingredients their formulas include.

What can supplements do for me?
Many people find that including a daily supplement in their diet is a great way to reduce stress about eating healthy all the time. Women, for instance, may choose to take a calcium supplement to help prevent osteoporosis, while vegetarians may add a B-12 vitamin supplement since they are not eating animal meat. Supplements offer you the opportunity to fine tune your daily vitamin and mineral input so you can optimize your health.

“Giving my kids a multivitamin is just another step I take towards helping them learn how to be healthier adults.” – Rose - Minneapolis, MN.

I eat really healthy. Why should I worry about taking a supplement? Should I just take them when I am sick?
Dietary supplements are not supposed to make you healthy, they are strictly for adding nutrients to an already healthy diet. Some supplements have the capability of promoting optimal amounts of essential nutrients, but without the proper diet those nutrients are not very useful. Dietary supplements are a way of increasing your current health, not a cure for an illness or ailment you are having. For more information on eating healthy you can visit http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/ which offers an in depth review of the best ways to keep your body healthy through proper nutrition.

Taking a supplement is just another step in the process that each person takes towards trying to be healthier. To keep your body healthy you need to combine vitamin supplements with a healthy diet and regular exercise. It is also recommended that you discuss any major diet and exercise changes with your physician before undertaking them.  You can find detailed nutritional information at the International Food Information Council www.ific.org.

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