Vitamins are the building blocks of any healthy diet. While they’re full of delightful benefits and perks, they’re often misunderstood. Vitamins are organic compounds that help us to grow and develop normally. Supplements can be multivitamins. They can also include minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and medicinal herbs. You can purchase supplements at the health food store—but not so fast! First, let’s clear up the five most common myths about vitamins and supplements.
Vitamins are all the same
There are two kinds of vitamins—water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins include the B-complex vitamins. These vitamins dissolve in water and, therefore, pass through our body very fast. Our body is unable to store water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K dissolve in fat. They are stored in the body’s tissue. Therefore, we have more of them for a longer time. Because of this, you have to consume water-soluble vitamins more often.
Aside from this, every vitamin is necessary for protecting us against major health conditions. No two vitamins are the same. They help us take control of our health and are necessary for our health.
Vitamins are good for you, so you should take as many as possible
Just like you can have a vitamin deficiency, you can overdose on vitamins. Everything is good in moderation. Too much of a good thing always turns it into a bad thing. Vitamin overdoses are incredibly dangerous. Fatigue, nausea, stomach upset and even nerve damage can occur from an overdose in certain vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins are not safe to overdose on, but since your body naturally clears itself of them quickly, you should get through an overdose with only gastrointestinal upset.
Always read the label before ingesting any supplements. Never take more than the recommended dosage in a twenty-four-hour period. Be sure to keep any gummy vitamins out of your children’s reach. Gummy vitamins might taste like candy, but you should always supervise your child around them.
The consequences for a vitamin deficiency aren’t so bad
Vitamin deficiencies can be just as dangerous as an overdose. Every vitamin is responsible for protecting you from certain illnesses or conditions. Vitamin D, for example, facilitates bone growth. A deficient in vitamin D, however, could lead to weak muscles and bone pain. This is the case with most vitamin deficiencies—they leave you unprotected against whatever the vitamin is responsible for protecting you against.
To protect yourself from deficiencies, make sure you are getting your daily recommended dosage of vitamins. If your diet cannot provide you with these, think about taking a supplement.
Vitamins and Supplements don’t interact with medications
You should always check with a doctor before taking any supplement. Every medicine can cause a bad reaction when paired with a supplement. Insulin and Aspirin were shown to interact the most in one particular study. Moreover, these reactions aren’t always easy to notice. St. John’s Wart, for example, decreases the effectiveness of many drugs including anti-depressants. It is important to note that most of these interactions come from herbs. With that said, you should consult with your doctor before adding any supplement or supplemental vitamin to your diet. You should also be aware that supplements react with prescription drugs differently depending on the age, sex, health, genetics and existing medical condition of the user. Supplements will not affect everyone the same, so you should always exercise caution when adding any supplement to your diet.
You can only get your vitamins from expensive daily supplements
Vitamins are naturally existing compound found in fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, cheeses, grains and just about any natural food. You might already get your daily intake of vitamins from the diet you’re on. If you’re unsure, you should monitor your diet for a week and see what vitamins you have consumed. If you eat salad every day for lunch, you probably get a lot of your B-complex vitamins, iron, vitamin C and a ton of other vitamins. If you eat red meat often, you are at no shortage for B12 and vitamin D, just to name a few.
If you’re missing some key vitamins in your diet, then you don’t have to take out a loan to purchase daily supplements. There are plenty of multivitamins you can try. You can also pick out a specific vitamin or you can get krill or fish oil. Krill or fish oil is jam-packed with essential vitamins, minerals and omega fatty acids.
Vitamins and Supplements are not always easy to understand. They can be confusing especially since we can’t see them. If it helps, picture them as part of your healthy body—after all, they’re working overtime right now just to make sure your eyes are functioning, your legs are moving and your hair is sleek and shiny.
Next time you are considering boosting your diet with vitamins and supplements, consider the truth about these five common vitamin myths.
by Jane Grates
Jane Grates
Writing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Jane is an entrepreneur, and a full-time housewife. She spends most of her time on doing kitchen stuff reviews and owns several health and home sites such as gearweare, runnerclick, monicashealthmag, janeskitchenmiracles & nicershoes.
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