Supplement your diet with Vitamin B12 and more

Your multivitamin packaging reads like an alphabet, starting with Vitamin A and ending with Zinc, so you figure it’s all you need to supplement a healthy, balanced diet. If you read the label more carefully, though, you will notice that all the vitamins and minerals in your multivitamin satisfy only a portion of your daily intake needs. Unless you have a measuring device in your eye, you can’t be sure what your consumption of different vitamins and minerals is through the food you eat, so you might want to add other supplements to your daily multivitamin dose.

The supplement you choose in addition to your multivitamin should be dependent on your specific body, not what everybody else is taking, as some need Omega 3 fatty acids while others get them from fish rich diet. You’ll do best asking your doctor to do tests so you can both see where there is a need for supplement and which vitamins and nutrients are on good leaves with just the daily multivitamin and your diet. Since overdose can be just as dangerous as a deficiency, let your doctor guide you based on the test results and your needs and expectations.

Even though there has been a lot of talk about the many health benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids, most people still don’t get enough of them through their diet. If you don’t eat salmon, walnuts, flax seeds, soy beans or tofu regularly, chances are you don’t get enough Omega 3s, so a supplement will most likely be recommended by your doctor to improve your overall health and especially your cardiovascular condition and metabolism.

One of the most popular and beneficial supplements is Vitamin B Complex. Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6 and Biotin are essential to convert glucose into energy, while Vitamin B1 is responsible for carbohydrates to glucose conversion. Vitamins B12, B6 and B1 are essential to proper nervous system functioning, and B1, B2, B3, B5, B9 and B12 all take part in healthy growth and renewal of skin, hair and nails. Vitamin B12 also influences your sleep as it increases melatonin production. Clearly, Vitamins B are essential to good health and you could probably include tem in your daily diet without a doctor consult.

A health supplement on the rise is green tea extract. You probably know that green tea is an exceptional source of antioxidants, and your doctor will likely tell you that it’s a supplement for you. And no wonder, since green tea, whether in the form of a beverage or as a supplement, is very good for your metabolism, but it also boosts your brain power, helps fight plaque-producing bacteria off your teeth and is scientifically proven to help fight ovarian cancer. With these health benefits, it’s really no surprise that more and more doctors and patients reach for it.

Whatever your choice of supplement, it only makes sense to take it if you eat well and take a multivitamin, otherwise it’s like drinking a glass of water after a dinner of cheeseburgers, fries and decadent brownies with rich vanilla ice cream. As the name says, a supplement is only an addition, filling the needs of your body, so treat it as such and not as a replacement for vitamin and mineral rich foods for the best effects.

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About the Author:
I am a web designer, a passionate writer and a healthy lifestyle enthusiast. I write articles about diet supplements like niacin and health issues like melatonin for sleep, and about healthy food.