Not everyone needs supplements. If you’re eating a well-rounded diet and don’t have any digestion or food allergy issues, you are probably getting all of the vitamins and nutrients you need. However, if you can’t eat certain foods, like dairy due to an intolerance, then you may need to take a supplement in order to get the things your body needs for optimal health.
If you aren’t sure whether or not you should be taking a supplement, you may want to discuss it with your doctor, or use these tips to help you determine what you need.
When You Want To Gain Or Lose
If you’re trying to gain muscle, maybe you’re a bodybuilder, you may want to increase the protein you’re getting, as well as getting some other muscle building supplements in your system. Your body uses this excess protein and other minerals because you are working your body more.
If you’re trying to lose weight you might want to try a supplement that can boost your immune system or your energy levels. There are plenty of options, some that are even completely natural such as Samento, for example. Make sure you’re looking at the ingredients and looking into the products before you buy.
When You Have A Food Allergy/Intolerance
If you can’t eat certain foods you could be losing out on important vitamins and nutrients in your diet. People with lactose intolerance may be missing the calcium they need. People with gluten issues may not be getting the grains they need.
This also counts for those that simply restrict their own diets for health reasons. There are important ingredients in meat that the body needs for health and energy. Not just the protein, which you can get from not meat sources. Look into vitamin K2 which is needed for bone health and comes from animal byproducts.
Poor Diet Choices
Poor diet choices, like not getting the fruits and vegetables that you need, could be leading to a lack of vitamins and minerals in your system. If you just can’t make yourself get a variety of these foods then you should definitely be taking a multivitamin.
Because Of Medications
Some medications can block the absorption of certain nutrients into the system. This means that some prescription medications could cause vitamin deficiencies. Know your medications, talk to your doctor and/or your pharmacist as well.
For Specific Issues
Your doctor might prescribe you a vitamin or supplement for a health issue you’re having. You might even find information on your own about how a vitamin can help health issue you’re suffering from and maybe help keep you off of prescriptions. While it’s always better to get your vitamins and minerals direct from the source, sometimes pills are convenient. Don’t completely discredit them.