I understand you want to do something good for yourself, you begin to think what else you could do to better take care of yourself and boom great idea comes to mind: vitamins! We all want to be better versions of ourselves, smarter, happier, and healthier. In this blog post, I talk about the 5 things to know before you start taking vitamins.
Lately (for some reason, thank God) being healthy has become a trend and in that journey, everybody is searching for all the tools they can use to improve their wellbeing and one of the many resources out there that people investigate frequently because it seems like an easy approach, and the obvious way to take control and do something for themselves is:
VITAMINS! RIGHT?
Everybody is doing it, why shouldn’t you? Most of the population in the world takes some kind of supplement, but the question is: Do you know which vitamins and how much of each you should take?
The number of vitamins and supplements like protein shakes, natural herbs, and other several products marketed to go after our biggest dream out there is endless, but we are all searching for the same one: health in a capsule, a magical pill to fix it all.
In the end, it is not that easy, not even with vitamins, which everybody feels are a safe bet. When- contrary to popular belief is really easy to cause more problems than to bring benefits to your life- if you don’t do it the right way.
So, if you are thinking about starting to take vitamins here are the 5 things you need to know before getting those gummy ones that look so pretty:
1.DO YOU REALLY NEED TO TAKE THEM?
Truth be told, probably you don’t, if you are a healthy person who has a balanced diet you are getting all the nutrients you need and there should be no need for supplements. Some special conditions or situations in life will require a little extra help to cover the increased demand of supply from our bodies, for example during pregnancy or if you suffer from a condition that impairs good absorption and any other disease that can cause a particular deficiency.
2.TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NATURAL SOURCES
All you need is to eat well, have some sort of physical activity, and some time outdoors. A great variety of food will provide your body with what it needs, and you should use that to your advantage. Having enough fruits, vegetables, good fats, and proteins is the best way to obtain your vitamins. The sun plays a key role in the metabolism of your vitamin D so don’t forget to go outside and soak in it (always with protection).
3.DON’T GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
There are millions of products out there promising everybody the perfect solution for every problem that exists, better nails, better hair, more energy, a great good night’s sleep, faster metabolism, increase concentration, and bigger muscles. News flash: They are just luring you in, these effects haven’t been scientifically proved, besides- supplements are not prescription drugs, meaning they are not subjected to the same amount of scrutiny and quality control of their ingredients or dosage and they are not FDA approved.
4.DON’T OVER DO IT
If you are taking vitamins without your doctor’s advice one of the things people are mostly unaware of is that taking too much of a vitamin can lead to significant problems in the long run. Instead of helping yourself, you may be at risk of secondary effects once you go beyond their daily limit. You know what they say, everything in moderation is better.
5.TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR
No one can guide you better than an expert, talk to your doctor about what are the goals you want to reach that you think vitamins will help you achieve, and mention any concerns or symptoms you might have that are making you look in the direction of supplements, they will be able to guide you and also they can perform blood work for you to see if you have any deficiencies or any underlying disease that need supplementation. When in doubt always ask first.
In the meantime, you could start with better eating habits and we got some healthy recipes for you like this Easy Butternut Squash Cream Soup Recipe that is delicious. Enjoy!
