The Importance of Taking Multivitamins

Multivitamins are important, especially for those of us who wish to remain healthy and active. There are many reasons why you should take a multivitamin in order to maintain optimal daily health and peak performance. Even some of the best eating plans might not get you all of the forty nutrients you should get every day. In fact, most Americans do not get the vitamins they need because of bad diet or poor appetite or changing nutritional needs. By taking a multivitamin each day you can fill in any nutritional gaps.

But when you head over to the multivitamin section you may find that there are many more available options than you once thought. With so many brands marketing so many varieties of multivitamins it can be challenging at best to know where to start.

Why Take Vitamin Supplements? The short version is that you need to ensure you have a complete diet with all of the nutrients that your body requires. Healthy eating is of course the best source of getting the vitamins that you need and vitamin supplements should not be used as a supplement for a good meal plan and regular exercise. They are meant to supplement, hence their name. That means they are a safety net, so to speak, to back up your regular healthy meals. If your diet does not give you all of the vitamins you need—and for most people it does not—then taking vitamin supplements can help.

In 2010 the Dietary Guidelines for Americans determined that there were four main nutrients that adults and children did not get enough of in their daily diet. They were:

• Calcium
• Potassium
• Vitamin D
• Dietary fiber

All of these items (save for fiber) can be found in multivitamins and fiber can be found in a separate supplement. By adding these items to your diet you can boost your health.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control stated that over half of the adults in America take a dietary supplement and among them multivitamins are the most common supplement taken. In fact, nearly forty percent of American men and women take a multivitamin each day.