Which Supplements Can Help Improve Your Health? Find Out Here
You are probably well aware of the basic tenets of good health: regular visits to the doctor, exercise, proper diet, and drinking plenty of water. These interventions on their own can help keep most serious issues at bay, and hopefully protect you against future illness.
However, everyone needs an extra boost from time to time, and supplements can help round out a comprehensive and cohesive wellness plan. Luckily enough, vitamin deficiencies aren’t quite as frequent as they used to be a hundred or fifty years ago, but an extra boost in the form of crucial vitamins is an excellent way of ensuring that you are doing what you can to care for your health.
The following are a few important supplements that can help improve your health but bear in mind that you need to consult with your primary physician first. Furthermore, vitamins cannot be taken in lieu of visiting your doctor, but they do form part of an overall health program. Without further adieu, here is a list of the most popular supplements to help improve your health.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is absolutely essential to good health. It can help soothe pain related to sciatica, strengthen a woman’s fertility, lead to good hair and nail health, and so on. B12 basically functions to keep your nerves stable and calm, your blood cells healthy and free of toxins, while also helping the body feel sufficiently energized to do the all-important work of producing DNA. However, in order to reap the benefits, B12 vitamins need to come in easy-to-digest form, or else it may be hard for your system to absorb sufficient amounts of it.
The problem tends to get worse with age since the body’s capacity to properly break down and release vitamin B12 from food gets harder. This is further compounded by any chronic diseases like Crohn’s or diabetes since the medications prescribed to address these conditions can further inhibit the body’s ability to absorb the vitamin. In all cases, eating foods such as eggs, fish, dairy, poultry, and meat will ensure that the body gets decent levels of B12, but investing in a capsule on the side to be taken once a day wouldn’t hurt either.
Zinc
If you’re prone to catching colds, or feel weak with low energy all the time, then zinc may be just what the doctor ordered. Zinc is crucial to the realization of several bodily functions, including cell growth, boosting immunity, regulating and maintaining enzyme reactions, as well as the production of DNA and protein. The variety of reviews found on Pure Encapsulations Zinc can attest to the efficacy and power of this vitamin, which helps the body in many, often necessary, ways.
If you need to reduce inflammation, or nip a cold in the bud before it takes over your body, then zinc is the answer. It can be naturally obtained through nuts and seeds, turkey or chicken, legumes, whole grains, fish, and some vegetables such as mushrooms and kale. Of course, like most supplements, it may be difficult to get enough into the system naturally, so in addition to eating well, a supplement can help ensure that you get the recommended dose.
Folic Acid
Also known as folate, folic acid is vital to numerous bodily functions, and yet it tends to get a bit less attention compared to other vitamins. For women trying to conceive, it is highly recommended to take a decent dosage of folic acid every day to help prepare the womb and ensure it can withstand the demands of pregnancy, especially in the first three weeks after conception since it helps prevent birth defects.
Folic acid is crucial to healthy red blood cell formation and function and is generally part of a healthy diet. The vitamin is typically found in fortified foods which clearly have vitamins and minerals added to them – such as fortified orange juice or muesli. It can also be found in foods such as leafy greens, fruits, fruit juice, lentils, beans, and the like. Truthfully, it is harder to obtain naturally from the food you can eat than other vitamins are, which is why grabbing a supplement might help to make things a bit easier.
Vitamin D
It seems like most people have vitamin D deficiency these days – it’s hard to obtain the minimum amount naturally without spending too much time out in the sun. Vitamin D is necessary for good bone health and is crucial to offsetting chronic issues like osteoporosis, or weak teeth. It is essential for healthy bones, and can also assist in keeping cancer or heart disease at bay. Of course, the tricky thing is that we cannot consume the necessary amount of vitamin D through natural sources, especially since food isn’t the primary source.
You would need to be out in the sun for long stretches of time, but this is significantly limited by the fact that it is also potentially unhealthy, our continuous use of sunscreen or the simple fact of smog and air pollution blocks our capacity to access the sun’s rays. Foods like salmon, eggs, sardines, and so on are excellent sources of vitamin D, but they still don’t provide enough, which is why a supplement is so important.
Vitamin A
If you want to make sure that you have good eyesight and boost the brain’s capacity for excellent motor skills, then vitamin A should be your friend. In addition, if you’re on the lookout for glowing skin and a strong immune system, then you need to eat food high in vitamin A.
The supplement is made up of retinol and beta-carotene, primarily, and can be found in all sorts of green vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, and so on, but especially in orange and yellow ones such as carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. While vitamin A is easier than other supplements to obtain through a healthy diet, it’s definitely helpful to look to supplements for extra help – especially if you’re the type of person who has trouble eating fruits and vegetables.
Eating well, getting some exercise, and breathing in the fresh air every day should be enough to help you get in better shape physically and mentally. However, you can give yourself an extra boost by taking supplements to ensure that you aren’t missing any bases.
