Friday, April 17, 2009

Your Diet with Supplements

Dietary vitamins can help make up for the vitamins we are lacking from food. First and foremost, a healthy diet consisting of foods high in vitamins is better than taking a supplement. Supplements are best for rounding out your vitamin intake, to ensure you are getting all that your body requires.

Supplements have to show a list of the vitamins they contain. If a vitamin says its a good source of Vitamin A don't let this trick you, it only needs to contain a certain amount of Vitamin A, you may still need more.

For example it takes 12mg of vitamin C to earn an excellent source of label, but 12mg is less than your required daily intake. Always read the label to make sure you're getting a full daily dose of each vitamin.

Supplements often make different claims, these are known as structure function claims. Which the FDA defines as the vitamin supplements effect on the bodys function or structure. For example, one claim often heard is Vitamin D is good for your bones. These claims can also cover the effects of a supplement on your overall health.

It can be hard to find a good supplement. You have to decide whether you want only one vitamin or a multivitamin. With so many different vitamins having so many different functions its important to know what you need.

Finding out which dietary vitamin you need the most is a good idea, get your doctor to help you. Once you have that information you can choose the right vitamins. You don't want to overdose on vitamins, this can end up causing more harm than good.

For those of you having difficulty choosing the right supplements, try asking a doctor or nutritionist.

The trick to staying healthy is balance. You need to add a healthy diet to exercise, this will keep you feeling younger and stronger. Do this and youll find yourself feeling better and happier because of it.