The best place to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals is in the kitchen. Your meals should provide you with all the essential nutrients to keep your body strong and healthy. But, even when you go by the book and follow all the health tips available, you may still not get all the nutrition you need to function well. That is why we love taking health supplements — they’re literally all things good, vitamins and minerals, in one bottle.
Today, we cover what you should be looking for in your health supplements as well as the essential ones to buy.
Calcium – A Health Supplement for Your Bones and Body Function
Calcium helps keep your bones strong to support your movements and vital body functions. Aside from that, it supports your muscles and nerves in carrying out signals between the brain and the body. Adults should take a recommended amount of 1,000 mg of calcium per day. While you can get this mineral from dairy, nuts, beans, broccoli, kale, or fish, adding it to your supplements also gives you a good boost. Experts recommend getting this supplement in the form of calcium citrate to help optimize its absorption in the body.
Magnesium
When it comes to supplements, you should never forget about magnesium, an essential mineral with plenty of health benefits: it helps maintain our bones and energy levels, helps regulate our sleep, improves our nervous system, and balances our blood sugar levels. Aside from health supplements, you can also get magnesium from eating food like pumpkin, spinach, artichoke, tofu, and nuts. Taking magnesium supplements on the regular can also lower your risk of heart disease, migraine, and even depression.
Zinc – An Immune System Essential Health Supplement
Zinc is also another immune system essential, especially now that health experts are advising that this can help combat the COVID-19 virus. It strengthens your immunity and supports growth and development during pregnancy and childhood, as well as helping your body heal. You can get zinc from red meat, seafood, dairy, beans, nuts, and whole grains. Experts recommend taking 8 to 11 mg of zinc supplements daily, so check your multivitamin labels to know how much you’re taking for every dose.
Iron
For those prone to anaemia, read on! Iron helps produce red blood cells, allowing oxygen in the blood to transfer from the lungs to the rest of your body. It also contributes to your energy levels and brain function. Unlike other vitamins and minerals, the required daily intake of iron depends from person to person. Many experts recommend taking multivitamins with iron because higher doses can leave you feeling nauseous. If you’re anaemic, on your period, or pregnant, you may consult a specialist on how much iron is best for you.
Vitamin C – A Health Supplement, Anti-Oxidant and So Much More
Vitamin C, a.k.a. ascorbic acid, helps boost the immune system; a must, especially today. It is an antioxidant that protects our cells from damaging free radicals while enhancing collagen production (yes, it can make our skin glow!). You can find vitamin C in citric fruits, strawberries, kiwi, broccoli, and tomatoes. For adults, 65 to 90 mg of vitamin C daily is advisable, so look for health supplements that have them in that range. A note: as much as ascorbic acid can fight viruses, you should not go beyond 2,000 mg, as getting an overload of vitamins and minerals can take a toll on our health.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are plenty of other health supplements that you can add to your daily intake. Cosmetics Now carries a comprehensive selection of some of the best health supplements in the world. You can shop for your preferred brand here.
