The Skinny on Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are crucial to good health and overall well-being. This is a commonly known fact that many of us take for granted. The trouble that many of us face is deciding how to get the necessary vitamins and minerals. The elements are found in a number of places, and determining what combination is right for you depends on a few things.

Most doctors encourage us to get the majority of our vitamins and minerals in our daily intake of food. While this is a great notion, we all know how difficulty it is to get all of the essential nutrients we need on a daily basis. There are a handful of reasons that we may want to take vitamins and minerals as supplements in addition to a healthy diet.

Cooking can deplete many foods of their nutrients. While the notion of eating raw fruits and vegetables as a way of getting our daily allowance of vitamins and minerals seems like an okay idea, it gets old really fast. I tried living on salads and fresh fruits to get my nutrients and I was ready for a barbeque within a couple of days.

We also may find that many of the foods that we don’t eat have essential nutrients that our bodies need. For example, people who are vegetarians may have difficulty getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need that are found in meat and dairy products. Having supplements to fill the gap is idea.

The problem is finding which supplements to take and how much. You can overdose on vitamins and minerals. I had no idea about this possibility and it really didn’t make sense at first. However, the old adage, too much of anything can hurt you does apply to good things like vitamins and minerals as well as vices.

A significant difficulty in getting the necessary nutrients is the quality of the supplements. You can purchase cheap vitamins and minerals but your body may not absorb them. There is little use in taking supplements that simply pass through your system.

How do you know if your body will absorb the vitamins and minerals? One test is really simple. Just put your supplement in a glass of water. If it dissolves in ten minutes or less, your body will absorb it.

You can also talk to your doctor about finding the right supplements for your age and health. This is one resource that often goes untapped. Your physician will have great advice about what vitamins and minerals are right for you.