Vitamins and minerals are crucial for optimum health. Our body needs 13 different types of vitamins and a minimum of 10 minerals in order to stay alive. However, the amount of vitamins and minerals that are required is different from person to person.
In most cases, almost everyone can benefit from taking additional supplements that is more than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) suggests in order to stay healthy. The RDA gives you the bare minimum that the average person would require for optimum nutrition intake. And really, what is the “average” person anyway? Our bodies are all built differently and most people's needs for vitamins and minerals are dictated by their current state of health and activity level.
So how do you know exactly which supplement to take? The type of vitamin that you decide to take and the dosage will vary on several factors such as your age, sex, family medical history, and your overall personal health. Below are 2 groups that are prime candidates for vitamin and mineral supplementation:
Children & Adolescence
Because kids and teens grow up at a fast rate, their bodies require more vitamins and mineral to keep up with their changing bodies. Children these days are not getting the proper nutrition they need to fuel their growth. For instance, 1 in 10 toddlers is iron deficient. Teenage girls also need extra iron. Both male and female teens are zinc deficient.
Vegetarians
If you are a vegetarian then you are missing out on an enormous amount of vitamins and minerals found in meat. However, if you are eating properly then you can still find most of what you need with plant food. But like anything, it is always better to have that insurance of supplementation.
The Elderly
Men and women over the age of 60 tend not to get nearly enough nutrition from their food. This is a time in their lives where getting all of the vitamins and minerals that they can is important. Depending on their individual needs, every senior citizen should be supplementing with a vitamin product.
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