When it comes to feeling good in your body, it’s not just about what you do on a daily basis to feel healthier, it’s also what you put into your body. There are a variety of vitamins and minerals out there, and through a combination of self-care and the right diet, you can help your body feel great again. Here are some benefits of taking vitamins, what you should be taking and other ways to improve your health in everyday life.
Ensure You See A Doctor Or Nutritionist First
Before you start taking any type of vitamins or tablets, as a powder or capsule, you want to make sure you get a full health check to know what you’re lacking or have too much of. We’re all different and that, of course, makes us unique! Some of us may be lacking in certain vitamins or perhaps have an iron-deficiency. Certain allergies can affect how we feel, and they can also affect our health, so it’s good to know what tablets and multivitamins you can take that are going to help, rather than hinder. So book yourself into seeing a doctor or nutritionist first to get a clear idea of what’s going on in your body and what it is your body would benefit from and what you have enough of. When walking into a pharmacy or health store, there are so many different vitamins to choose from, you don’t want to be buying things that are just a waste.
What Do Vitamins Do For Your Body?
Vitamins can do a lot for your body and are often known as micronutrients. And your body will often need tiny amounts of them. Some of us will lack this and therefore need to supplement this lack with taking certain ones on a daily basis. Vitamins can prevent your body from falling victim to certain diseases and thankfully, the healthcare industry has advanced so much that we’re able to prevent most from happening with vaccinations and certain medication. Take vitamins helps your body from catching the following diseases:
- Scurvy – One that was most common amongst sailors or pirates, due to a lack of vitamin C. Even though this is a disease that originated in ancient times, but if you were ever without fresh foods for a long period of time, you could end up putting your body at more risk of infections and other diseases, including this one. It’s not something that’s likely to happen, but it’s certainly one that isn’t impossible.
- Pellagra – It causes blistering of the skin when in direct line of the sun’s rays and is caused by a lack of Vitamin B3. This is caused when you have a dietary deficiency and is most common for those that are in the poorest areas in the world. It goes to show just how lucky some of us are for being born in a country that isn’t lacking in food resources as much.
- Rickets – Something that is caused when a lack of Vitamin D makes the body unable to absorb or deposit calcium. Calcium is important because it’s what makes our bones strong. That is why most cases of rickets are found in children and are most harmful because children’s bones haven’t fully grown yet. However, there have still been plenty of cases where adults have had it too.
Common And Natural Deficiencies
As we’re all different, many of us can be open to having deficiencies. And although this may not be so widely known, there are plenty of common and natural deficiencies. With many nutrients being good for your health, it’s good to know what to ask about to your doctor if you don’t feel yourself and think that you may have a deficiency.
Iron Deficiency – Iron is an essential mineral, so if you’re not getting enough iron in your body naturally, then this could be why your immune system is so low or perhaps you’re feeling tired a lot of the time. There are plenty of iron tablets on the market and taken daily, they can certainly make you feel more energized.
To improve your iron deficiency, you can look to improve your diet by adding in more red meat, shellfish, beans, and dark, leafy greens.
Vitamin D Deficiency – It’s like a steroid hormone and is produced through sunlight and your body’s cholesterol. With any country, the average amount of sunlight can vary, and that’s why your parents told you and your siblings to get outside and to play instead of staying indoors. Sunshine is an instant mood booster, but if you’re not getting enough of it, your body can certainly suffer.
To improve your vitamin D deficiency, try taking cod liver oil, fatty fish and egg yolks.
Calcium Deficiency – Calcium is an essential for pretty much every cell in your body and without it, your bones will be weaker and other organs wouldn’t be able to function properly. So as a deficiency, this can be a pretty dangerous one to lack in. It’s much better to increase your calcium deficiency through foods, rather than tablets.
To improve calcium deficiency, eat boned fish and plenty of dairy products.
Magnesium Deficiency – Magnesium is a mineral that’s highly essential for your body. Without it, it can cause diabetes and heart disease. It’s one of those minerals that can help prevent a lot of the bad diseases that can often be life-threatening. To improve magnesium deficiency, include more whole grains, nuts and dark chocolate.
The Top Three Ones You Should Be Taking
When it comes to picking the vitamins that you should take on a daily basis, it’s worth doing some research and taking the information you got from your doctor. You may have been given some advice upon what to take and what will benefit you the most. If you’re spoilt for choice, always read the reviews but be wary that it’ll likely have a different effect on you than it would have had on that person in particular. There are some popular ones worth taking and if you needing some inspiration, then here’s five you could be taking now.
Vitamin D – It’s already been mentioned above, but unlike multi-vitamins, which you can really get through a balanced diet, vitamin D is not always something everyone can get through it’s natural process. If you live in an area that gets very little sunlight or your job involves a lot of indoor and underground work, then it may be worth taking some vitamin D supplements to help you. Feeling tired and having that bout of sadness throughout the colder and darker months can be a symptom of vitamin D deficiency.
Zinc – If you’re someone who suffers from colds, then zinc is one of the ingredients that has been linked in the past for help with the common cold. This mineral seems to interfere with the viruses in your body that are responsible for causing your cold and so if you want to ensure the whole family or your household stays sickness-free, then why not start including it into your diet.
Folic Acid – Currently pregnant or trying to? Well, folic acid is certainly one that is worth getting more of when you’ve reached that stage in your life. Folic acid makes new cells and that when you’re trying to get pregnant or already are can be beneficial because your body is likely to be demanding more of this key nutrient.
Other Ways To Improve Your Health
Now that you have the vitamins and knowledge you need to boost your health through tablets and a change of diet, there are other things that you could be doing. Exercising is a great way of improving your health, and many of us will likely turn our noses up to do it. However, keeping the blood pumping around your body is essential, and not only that but your body’s metabolism will end up slowing down as the years go by. So it’s certainly important to do exercise when you can. Cutting out smoking and alcohol are two ways to keep those organs feeling youthful and healthy. They both have a direct impact on your body, so reduce the amount or try to cut it out completely.
Getting plenty of sleep is good to help your body recover and repair itself from the daily grind of work and life. If you’re not getting enough, you are restricting yourself from being energized and at your full potential. Stop stressing so much and try to remove anything that is causing you more stress than it’s worth. Some things like your job or individuals specifically are not worth your health or heartache, so distance yourself or do something about it.
The benefits of having vitamins in your everyday life can be essential for some people and even if it’s just to check in with your doctor, at least you’re doing everything you can to make sure your body is at it’s healthiest and continues to be so for years to come.
