You’re tired, even after a full night of good sleep. Your body aches, you’re sad for no reason … the list goes on and on.
Have you considered that you could be deficient in some essential nutrients?
It’s nearly impossible to get every nutrient your body needs through diet alone, so supplementing with vitamins is critical for optimal health.
Learn how to assess your lifestyle to discover which daily vitamins to take to keep your body functioning the best it can.
Table of Contents
- What Vitamins Should I Be Taking Daily?
- 4 Factors To Consider Before Deciding Which Vitamins You Should Be Taking
- How To Determine What Gaps Need To Be Filled by Vitamins and Supplements
- 5 “Non-Negotiable” Vitamins You Should Be Taking for Foundational Health and Wellness
- What To Look for When Selecting Daily Vitamins and Supplements
- VTMN Packs: Daily Vitamins Personalized Just for Your Needs
What Vitamins Should I Be Taking Daily?
Now more than ever, people are interested in improving and maintaining their health. Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all option for a daily vitamin regimen; this will depend greatly on the individual.
There are many things to think about when selecting your vitamin and supplement regimen.
Let’s get into them!
4 Factors To Consider Before Deciding Which Vitamins You Should Be Taking
Vitamins aren’t meant to be the sole source of getting the recommended dosage of nutrients your body needs. However, they do help to supplement and fill in the gaps in your diet and lifestyle to ensure you don’t become deficient in any important nutrients.
#1: Assess Your Diet — Is It Balanced?
At VTMN Packs, we strongly believe in a food-first approach.
What does this mean?
We encourage you to eat a well-balanced and healthy diet that allows your body to get most of what it needs from:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole grains
- Proteins (don’t forget plant-based proteins!)
We also understand no one’s diet is perfect, and even if it’s close, the nutrient density of fresh foods is declining. Vitamins and supplements can step in to help fill the gaps so you can meet your daily vitamin and mineral intake!
#2: Look at Your Lifestyle
Do you consider yourself to be an active person? Enjoy getting out for a brisk walk in the sunlight during your lunch break? Or are you unable to find the time to add some healthy movement to your day?
Our lifestyles play a big role in our overall health. As a population, we are busier and more stressed than ever before, taking a toll on our bodies and their ability to store and use nutrients from food effectively.
For adults, it’s best to strive for at least 2.5 hours of aerobic activity per week to begin to experience health benefits such as:
- Reduced effects of stress
- Reduced risk of chronic diseases
- Increased energy levels, and
- Improved mental health.
If you find you are having difficulty maintaining an active lifestyle due to frequent muscle cramps or pains associated with exercise, there may be a supplement that could prove helpful. If the pain persists, be sure to check in with your doctor to rule out any underlying causes.
#3: Consider Your Age
It’s never too early (or too late!) to begin a quality daily vitamin regimen.
While a healthy diet can typically get you pretty close to your vitamin and mineral needs, as you age, some of these can be a challenge for your body to absorb.
Additionally, vitamin needs for adults over 50 can change.
Did you know that women over 50 typically need less than half the iron intake than they did in earlier adulthood?
Men and women alike can benefit from additional Vitamin D and calcium as they work together to maintain strong bones.
#4: Be Gender-Specific
Different physiology can lead to a predisposition to certain conditions, so it’s important to consider genders in this way while determining nutritional requirements.
A woman who is menstruating may require more daily iron and folate than men similar in age.
A woman experiencing low libido and looking to improve fertility may benefit from Maca.
Likewise, a male experiencing infertility may benefit from supplementing with ashwagandha and zinc.
How To Determine What Gaps Need To Be Filled by Vitamin Supplements
Taking your diet, lifestyle, age, and gender into account is key to determining what vitamins you’re consuming and where you might be lacking. However, deciding what and how much to take to overcome deficiencies can be overwhelming.
At VTMN Packs, we offer a quick 5-minute health assessment to help navigate which vitamins and supplements may be best for your body.
In addition to the four factors you should consider, we also review:
- Allergies
- Specific health concerns you may have
- Medications you are currently taking
After you complete the assessment, you’ll see a personalized vitamin plan vetted by our Advisory Board of Canadian wellness professionals.
Take our quick assessment today.
5 “Non-Negotiable” Vitamins You Should Be Taking for Foundational Health and Wellness
#1: Daily Multivitamin
A daily multivitamin won’t replace an overall healthy diet and lifestyle, but it can fill some of the nutritional gaps you might have.
Not all multivitamins are created equal, and, if you’ve walked the vitamin aisle at your local drugstore, you’re aware of the vast selection available.
One thing to look for when choosing a multivitamin is that it meets Health Canada’s Natural Health Product Regulations and has a Natural Product Number (NPN) on the label. Then, check the label to ensure it contains at least the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of the nutrients you need in their most absorbable form.
How a Multivitamin Can Support Your Health
In today’s high-stress environment, eating habits can sometimes take a backseat to other priorities.
Stress can take a toll on our system, increasing nutrient requirements at a time when you find it next to impossible to eat well. A daily multivitamin is a great way to ensure you receive a variety of nutrients to help stave off vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
#2: Probiotics
Probiotics are designed to promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria which can be linked to a range of health benefits. You might be getting probiotics through your food if you eat things like:
- Yogurt
- Kombucha
- Kimchi
- Tempeh
- Miso; or
- Sauerkraut
It is recommended that you rotate your probiotic regularly to ensure a healthy balance of gut bacteria.
How Probiotics Can Support Your Health
Studies have shown that regular consumption of probiotics may help with:
- Antibiotic-induced diarrhea
- Constipation
- Urinary tract infections
- Vaginal yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis
- Eczema
- Food allergies
We’re also learning more and more about how the microbiome begins in utero! Probiotics can be especially important during pregnancy to help your baby’s immune function get off to a good start.
#3: Magnesium
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, and plays a key role in many of the body’s processes, including:
- Muscle function
- Nerve function
- Regulating blood pressure
- Making bone and DNA
- And more
Luckily, it is an easy nutrient to obtain through your diet, but even still, many people don’t get enough.
You can meet your magnesium intake need through:
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Whole grains
- Milk
- Peanut butter
- Oatmeal
- Salmon
- Raisins
- Dark chocolate
- Beans
- Leafy vegetables
- Yogurt
- Water
Magnesium deficiency is known to be the second most common mineral deficiency in developed countries. You might be deficient in magnesium if you’re showing signs of:
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Numbness or tingling
- Seizures
- Abnormal heart rate
- Nausea or vomiting
- Muscle cramps
How Magnesium Can Support Your Health
The relaxing properties of magnesium can benefit many areas of your daily life.
Consider a magnesium supplement if you’re experiencing any of the above signs of deficiency, or you’re looking to promote:
- Hormone health
- Energy
- Relaxation
- Healthy stress levels; or
- Good sleep
#4: Omega-3s
Due in part to the Western diet, many people find themselves deficient in omega-3s, which help support heart and brain health. Even though omega-3s are essential fats, the body cannot make them itself, so we must get them through foods such as:
- Fish
- Vegetable oils
- Nuts
- Flax seeds; and
- Leafy vegetables
How Omega-3s Can Support Your Health
Omega-3s affect the function of cell receptors in our cell membranes, working to:
- Make hormones that regulate blood clotting
- Contract and relax the artery walls
- Control inflammation
Also attributed to the intake of Omega-3s is cognitive health. As our brain is 60% fat, it’s no wonder that supplementing with a healthy fat would support cognitive function! Intake of this essential fat has been shown to improve blood flow to the brain and increase memory.
#5: Vitamin D
Vitamin D is known for helping the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus which you need for building bones. It’s also been shown to:
- Reduce cancer cell growth
- Help control infections
- Reduce inflammation
If you find yourself unable to spend enough time enjoying the sunlight, you can get vitamin D through foods like:
- A variety of fish
- Orange juice or dairy fortified with vitamin D
- Beef liver
- Egg yolk
How Vitamin D Can Support Your Health
Vitamin D is known for helping the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus which you need for building bones. It’s also been shown to:
- Reduce cancer cell growth
- Help control infections
- Reduce inflammation
What To Look for When Selecting Daily Vitamins and Supplements
The most important factor in choosing the right supplement? Quality!
As an extension of an already healthy diet, you’ll want to find vitamins and supplements that are:
- In their activated, most absorbable forms
- Free from artificial dyes and fillers
- In a capsule, rather than tablet form, when possible
- Non-GMO
- Third-party tested for quality and purity
Our Canadian Wellness Professionals have done the work for you!
They have spent countless hours examining every vitamin and supplement label to ensure we’re offering you the best of what’s available on the market today.
VTMN Packs: Daily Vitamins Personalized Just for Your Needs
With the nutrient density of our fresh foods in decline and the high-stress environment so many of us find ourselves in daily, it can be difficult to ensure you consume enough vitamins and minerals to maintain optimal health.
Following a healthy diet isn’t what it used to be, and deciding on your own what daily vitamins to take requires a lot of research and effort.
At VTMN Packs, we want to make staying healthy easy and accessible. Take our 5-minute health assessment and be on your way to daily vitamins personalized just for your needs sent right to your doorstep.
The content in this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.