They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That’s especially true when it comes to our health. One way to maintain good health is to make certain we get the proper nutrition. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is the best ways to nourish our bodies. Vitamin and mineral supplements, while not a substitute for eating right, can serve to ensure that you reach and maintain optimal nutritional health.
But vitamins and supplements can be expensive. The good news is, if you do eat healthy, you don’t need to take a whole alphabet worth of vitamins. Unless you have a specific deficiency, which has been diagnosed by your doctor, a multi-vitamin is sufficient for supplementing your diet and ensuring all your nutritional bases are covered.
Here’s some useful information about supplements in general to help you make wise choices:
- Talk to your doctor about vitamins. He or she can tell you if you could benefit from a specific supplement. In addition, some vitamin supplements can interfere with the effectiveness of prescription medications, so he or she needs to be aware of what you take.
- Mega doses are unnecessary. Even though in appropriate amounts, vitamins and minerals are beneficial, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Taking more of a particular vitamin or mineral than your body needs can cause a harmful, even toxic, buildup. Additionally, having high concentrations of certain vitamins or minerals can interfere with the absorption of others, actually leading to a deficiency where one did not exist.
- Take the “right” calcium. When taking a calcium supplement, choose calcium citrate rather than calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate is more easily absorbed by the body, so you get more benefit from the calcium.
Tips for buying vitamins:
- Do your research. Do some reading before you’re in the store. Learn what you’re looking for, why you need it and how much of it your body needs. A pharmacist may be able to steer you in the right direction as well. Bear in mind that, while salespeople may be knowledgeable, it’s their job to sell you vitamins. They’re not the most unbiased people to ask about what you should buy. If you’ve done your homework, however, you won’t fall for hype or sales pitches.
- More is not always better (or necessary). Don’t overdo your dosage. If you need 1000mg of “Vitamin Z” don’t pay more for 2000mg capsules, thinking you’ll get twice the benefit.
- Compare ingredients. Name brands aren’t automatically “better” but they generally are automatically more expensive. You’re likely to find the same ingredients in the same amounts in cheaper brands but do take the time to check the labels to make certain.
- Price around. Make the effort to learn what constitutes a good price for the supplement(s) you take. Vitamins and supplements are sold at membership clubs, online drugstores, discount stores, your local drugstore and grocery stores to name a few. Take advantage of a good price but remember, they expire, so don’t stock more than you can take before their expiration date.
- Resist the urge to self-prescribe. Vitamins and supplements are well-advertised and can lead you to believe they can do more for you than they really can. If you think a certain supplement may be beneficial to you, talk to your doctor for all the facts before purchasing.
The time to consider vitamins and supplements is before you buy them. Knowing exactly what you need will help you make the right choice for your health and your pocketbook.
How do you save on vitamins and supplements?
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