Vitamins can lead you toward sustaining a healthy body. You may also take supplements and assume they contain all the necessary vitamins. If you were like me years ago, you would not know that the multi-billion-dollar vitamins and supplements industry does not make all supplements the same. Essential for a healthy body, using the right supplements and vitamins can significantly impact your health and well-being. We will explore the difference between vitamins and supplements when you should use one over the other, and how to be responsible.
What are Vitamins?
Let us start with our organic substance friends, vitamins. They are essential for optimizing the health of your body. After all, your body needs 102 different vitamins and minerals to function correctly. Our body is an intelligent machine that makes minerals by using vitamins. From the 102 vitamins and minerals we need, our body needs 13 essential vitamins to maintain good health. Each with its function they are Vitamin A (Retinol), Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin B7 (Biotin), Vitamin B9 (Folate), and Vitamin B12. With enough vitamins, you can maintain your immune and digestive health and promote healthier skin, hair, and eyes. In addition, these essential vitamins can help repair your cells, which is why they are in your body's tissues.
What are Supplements?
Supplements can help us bring nutrients to our bodies, ensuring we get the most out of our daily diet. Because of today's agricultural practices, soil depletion has become a serious global health problem. Since the 19th century, one-third of the Earth's soil worldwide has been degraded by the advent of chemical fertilizers – obliterating our natural resources. Thus, if the soil is depleted, we cannot get the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients we need from our food. This is where supplementation comes front and center. Supplements such as pills, powders, or liquids can help us get our daily needs missing from our meals. Usually taken in addition to food, the most common supplement is a multivitamin, containing various vitamins and minerals.
What Happens if you do not Consume Enough Essential Vitamins?
No one should take the risk of not getting enough vitamins and minerals. We are already at a disadvantage because of how our food is produced. If you do not get the proper nutrients daily, it can lead to severe health problems. Some to include, but not limited to:
- Brittle hair and nails
- Teeth loss
- Dark red patches
- Slow wound healing
- Poor night vision
- Dandruff
- Hair loss
- Bleeding gums
- Memory loss
Taking Supplements with a Healthy Food Intake
You must ground yourself in eating the best foods possible because some supplements can often be ineffective if you are not consuming the proper nutrients. For example, taking a non-bioavailable supplement can increase your risk of developing kidney stones if you do not get enough Vitamin C from your diet. Therefore, taking the best bioavailable supplements and eating healthy will help you achieve your daily vitamin and mineral intake.
Bioavailable supplements ensure digestion, absorption, and transportation to the site of action and conversion. According to the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the CDC recommends that you take vitamin supplements.
If you have any symptoms mentioned above and want to take a supplement, speak to your doctor (especially if the symptoms persist). You can also schedule a full-body biometric scan to go over questions to ask your physician and figure out what supplement you need.
Beyond The Barr is committed to helping you redefine your peak – naturally. We empower individuals worldwide to embrace optimal well-being through quality supplements, personalized health coaching, and innovative workplace enrichment solutions.
Getting what you need daily by eating the best foods will help you stay healthy. Consider supplementation if you struggle to add beneficial foods to your meal regime. Our products are sourced to include more than the daily recommended value for vitamins, minerals, and more.