What are the best vitamins to take daily? Vitamin D. Vitamin D isn't present in most of the foods we consume on a daily basis. ... Magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that is essential to your body's function. ... Vitamin C. ... Zinc. ... Calcium.
The vast amount of multivitamin products now available on the internet can be overwhelming. Especially if you’re simply looking for vitamins to take daily in support of your diet. Dietary supplements come in a variety of forms including tablets, capsules, gummies and powders. Popular supplements range from vitamins and minerals to fish oils and herbs. Whilst it’s true that dietary supplements can’t replace a healthy diet, supplements can be useful to add essential nutrients to your diet or to lower your risk of health problems.
Even a complete and balanced diet may not be giving you all the nutrients you need, especially if you suffer from deficiencies, which are commonly linked to chronic diseases. In these cases, vitamins and multivitamin supplements can be key in providing a good foundation for your diet and ultimately your health.
So, here’s our breakdown of our favourite 5 essential vitamins and minerals to take daily:
Vitamin D
Vitamin D isn’t present in most of the foods we consume on a daily basis. (You would need to consume around 54 eggs to get 2000iu of Vit D – equivalent of one Fourfive capsule.) Nevertheless, this vitamin is crucial to keep our bones strong and healthy by helping our bodies absorb calcium.
Not getting enough Vitamin D can increase symptoms of bone and back pain as well as bone and hair loss. Additionally, Vitamin D deficiency might increase your overall likelihood of getting sick. It’s important to ensure you take this nutrient daily, especially during winter time, when it’s harder for your body to produce Vitamin D with less sunlight.
To highlight the importance of Vitamin D, the NHS has recently advised people in the UK to take 10 micrograms of Vitamin D a day between March and October to keep bones and muscles healthy. This alert resulted from Coronavirus-related circumstances, as people have been more indoors than usual this year.
If you’re looking for a Vitamin D supplement, you will likely come across 2 different forms of dietary Vitamin D: Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is mostly found in animal-sourced foods, whereas Vitamin D2 comes mainly from plant sources. Both are absorbed into the bloodstream, yet Vitamin D3 has been shown to be more effective, providing greater benefits for our health.
Our Vitamin D3 capsules are made from Vita-algae D™, sourced from algae and lichen. Making them suitable for people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, and for those who are lactose intolerant.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that is essential to your body’s function. This mineral helps keep your bones healthy and your blood pressure low, and it is known for reducing fatigue and tiredness.
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Magnesium can be found in lots of foods, including nuts, green leaf vegetables, bread, meat, fish and dairy products. Though there are several food sources of this nutrient, studies have shown that magnesium intake in the UK is lower than recommended for most age groups. This could have an impact on bone health as well as on increased inflammation.
The British Nutrition Foundation recommends an intake of 270mg of magnesium per day for most adults. It is important you have a balanced diet, with plenty of magnesium-rich foods to support the functioning of your body, and help your energy production.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C has an important role in helping to protect cells and keeping them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage. Moreover, this well-known vitamin can help with wound healing.
Vitamin C is widely found in any healthy and balanced diet, mostly from a variety of fruits and vegetables. These include oranges, strawberries, blackcurrants, potatoes and broccoli. The recommended maximum daily intake of Vitamin C for adults is 2,000 mg.
Though most healthy people are unlikely to develop a Vitamin C deficiency, there are some lifestyle factors that can put you at risk. This includes smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke, lack of a varied diet, or certain health conditions, especially those that involve intestinal malabsorption.
Vitamin C supplements are popularly used to support a balanced diet for people with active and busy lifestyles. This popular supplement can contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue as well as maintaining the normal functioning of your immune system. Our Vitamin C capsules are a great choice due to their reduced acidity, this helps to prevent side effects found with some other brands, such as upset stomach.
Zinc
Zinc is a key nutrient that plays several functions in your body. You may be familiar with zinc’s role in supporting the immune system. Zinc is also responsible for the activity of several enzymes that aid with healthy digestion, nerve function, and metabolism.
Unlike some nutrients that are more difficult to get from food alone, zinc is easily found in both plant and animal-based foods. Good sources of zinc include meat, shellfish, dairy foods, bread and cereal products. This micronutrient tends to be low in older people and anyone under a lot of stress. The older you get the more important it becomes to ensure that you’re getting enough.
It is important to mention that this well-known mineral is an “essential trace element”. This means that despite its crucial role in the human body, very small amounts of zinc are necessary for human health. Consequently, multivitamins designed for women or men that contain zinc are usually a great choice if you’re looking for just the right amount of zinc to support your diet. It’s worth noting that men usually need more zinc than women, our Multivitamins for Men were designed with this in mind – 2 daily capsules contain about 15 mg of Zinc (as citrate).
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There are some chronic conditions that can cause a zinc deficiency, which sometimes result in acute diarrhea in children, slow wound healing and Wilson’s disease. In these cases, your GP may prescribe you a zinc supplement to treat any symptoms that result from the deficiency.
Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and it is famously known for its benefits in supporting bone health. About 99% of the body’s calcium is in the bones and teeth, playing a crucial role in building and maintaining strong bones. Moreover, your heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function properly.
According to the British Dietetic Association, you’re more at risk of developing calcium deficiency if you are on a dairy or lactose free diet, or have osteoporosis. In these cases, a daily calcium supplement can help to achieve your recommended daily calcium intake.
Calcium can be found in a variety of foods, including dark leafy greens (kale), dairy products (milk, yogurt), fish with edible soft bones (salmon) and calcium-fortified fruit juices. A healthy and balanced diet is likely to provide you the recommended daily intake of calcium. However, some people, in particular women, start losing bone density with age.
Consequently, your doctor may recommend you to take daily calcium supplements as preventive care. The recommended daily calcium intake is 1000mg for most adults. If you start taking a calcium supplement, it is usually best to take calcium in the form of calcium citrate as this form optimises bioavailability, causing less symptoms in people who have absorption issues.
We hope that we’ve removed the confusion over what types of vitamins you should be taking daily. Get in touch with us if you want to hear more about our nutrition or CBD collections!
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