Most common questions used to investigate
Are you allergic to some foods?
Do you think you're not getting enough nutrients from food?
Do you need extra nutrients?
Are you over 50 years of age?
Are you pregnant or planning to get pregnant?
Do you live in a cold place that has long winters?
Common conclusions
If you are allergic to some foods, you need vitamin supplements to make up for the nutrients that you don't get from that food. For example, if you're allergic to lactose, you may have to have calcium supplements to make up for the loss of calcium from milk and other dairy products. Likewise, allergies can prevent your body from fully absorbing the nutrients present in different foods, and hence, the best way to get all the nutrients you miss out on will be through supplements. But before you start taking them, check with your doctor what specific supplements you need.
If you feel you're not getting enough nutrients from your food, it is time to take a look at your eating patterns again. In the meantime, start taking vitamin supplements to make up for the loss of nutrients, but in parallel, make sure you work towards getting healthy and nutrient-rich food. Remember, your supplements are only a stop-gap until you fix your nutrition.
Many people can get all their daily nutrient requirements from wholesome and nutritious foods. But some people have certain requirements for nutrients that can't be obtained from foods alone. In such situations, your doctor may recommend you to take some additional vitamin supplements to meet the needs of the extra nutrition.
The 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for America state that people over the age of 50 need additional vitamin B12 and other fortified supplements as their body may not be able to process and metabolize the nutrients directly from natural sources. So, if you're over the age of 50, check with your doctor and start taking vitamin supplements.
Medical practitioners recommend that women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant need to take a folic acid supplement or have food fortified with this nutritional supplement as it lowers the risk of certain birth defects for your unborn fetus. If you fit into this category, you need the appropriate vitamin supplements.
Vitamin D is an essential supplement that all of us need and the sunlight is the best source for it. In places that have cold and long winters, it is hard to get sunlight and even on sunny winter days, your body's absorption rate of Vitamin D will be low. This is why you need additional vitamin D supplements during the winter months.
Vitamin D supplements are also recommended for breastfed babies and those between the ages of one and four. If you can manage to get some sun all through the year and don't fall in any of the above categories, you don't need a vitamin supplement.
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