10 Reasons to take a Multivitamin

You bypass the fudge cake for the fruit sorbet. You've forgotten chicken breasts even come with skin. You're young, at a healthy body weight, and feel great. There's really no need for you to take a multivitamin-mineral supplement, right? Wrong! Read through the ten lifestyle statements below. If one or more of these describe you it's time to add supplements to your daily routine.

1. You eat an unbalanced diet

If you try and 'eat right' and get all the vitamins and minerals you need strictly from food, you'll probably find our abundant food supply nutritionally lacking. The soil in which fruits and vegetables grow today has been overworked and nutrient-depleted. Many of the foods you eat have been chemically processed and preserved — causing them to lose vital nutrients. Fruits and vegetables are often harvested before they're ripe and vitamin content is further reduced in many foods by long-term storage, drying, blanching, freezing, and pasteurising. According to the Tufts Human Nutrition Research Centre on Aging (USA), a multivitamin is the insurance you need to fill in the vitamin and mineral gaps in your diet. With so many of us allowing our increasingly hectic lifestyles dictate our dietary intakes, we are not getting a healthy, balanced diet every day. That means for a large percentage of us, our daily nutritional needs may not be met by our diets alone. Multivitamins are not meant as a substitute for a poor diet. Continue to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Increase your fibre intake, and watch out for excess fat, salt, and sugar. But realise you can't make up for a bad diet by popping a few pills. You must use supplements as they're intended — not as a crutch to support poor eating habits.

2. You're over the age of 60

If you are over 60 years old, chances are you're not getting all the nutrients you need. The ageing process itself may make the absorption and use of certain nutrients more difficult. Seniors, in particular, have problems obtaining the proper intake of vitamins C, D, B6, B12, and folic acid; as well as minerals such as zinc.

3. You're a woman of childbearing years

The body better absorbs folic acid available in supplements than the vitamin found naturally in food. Getting enough iron and calcium is also a concern for women of all ages.

4. You're a pre-menopausal woman

Most pre-menopausal women do not consume enough iron. The amount found in multi-mineral supplements can help prevent a decline in a woman's iron stores.

5. You're a vegetarian

People who choose to eat no meat (and sometimes no animal products such as eggs and milk) may not be getting enough vitamin B12, zinc, or calcium.

6. You're on a low-calorie diet

When you're cutting calories and carbs, you are likely to fall short on a number of vitamins and minerals. Dieting to lose weight can trigger hunger pangs and cause blood sugar to fluctuate. Having proper levels of chromium can assist your body in using fat and help prevent swings in blood sugar levels.

7. You're a smoker

Smokers use up to twice as much vitamin C for their metabolic processes as non-smokers.

8. You get lots of sun exposure

The ultraviolet rays in sunlight rob your skin of vitamins A and C. A steady intake of these nutrients helps ensure your skin stays resilient.

9. You're heavily stressed

You lose magnesium and vital nutrients when you're under pressure. A good multivitamin can help make up for the deficiencies you can get from living on take-away food.

10. You're trying to build more muscle

If you're trying to put on more muscle, intense workouts may be depleting your stores of chromium, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. Even with the best intentions, the fact is you'll usually fall short on nutrient intake. But turning to one-pilla- day supplements isn't a wise solution. There's simply no super pill that contains 100 percent of everything you need. Choose a multivitamin mineral supplement that contains the research-based therapeutic dose of each vitamin and mineral. Then take your supplements along with food and make it a habit like brushing your teeth. In the end, you'll be rewarded with increased vitality and health!