Vitamins and minerals perform hundreds of roles in your body. From converting food into energy, building your bones, healing your wounds, and boosting your immune system, you may not be getting enough of these critical nutrients in your daily diets. Let's see why.
1. You are not perfect
Let’s face it; most of us don’t consistently eat a healthy diet. Sure, some days we eat better than others but if we’re honest...there are at least a few days a week or month that we opt for the drive thru on our way to or from work or snack on a cookie instead of a carrot. And despite our best efforts on our “good” eating days, studies show that many of us are still falling short of getting the nutrients our bodies need to function at their best.
2. Your food is not perfectThe fruits and vegetables we eat are often sprayed with pesticides or picked before they are ripe and shipped to us – which can deplete important nutrients. Nearly every food preparation process reduces the amount of nutrients in food. In particular, processes that expose foods to high levels of heat, light, and/or oxygen often cause the greatest nutrient loss. B vitamins are essential for helping our bodies use energy, but are easily destroyed through cooking and food processing. You can learn more about the effect of food preparation on specific vitamins and minerals here
3. You take medications from time to timeMany medications can deplete nutrients, for example:
• Birth control pills deplete B-vitamins. • Antacids deplete calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12. • Anti-inflammatory drugs deplete vitamin C and folic acid. • Diuretics deplete potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, B1 and B6.
Vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients because your body needs only tiny amounts of them, yet they have powerful effects. Taking a multivitamin ensures you get all the essential nutrients you need to function at your best.
