There can be nothing that can replace a healthy diet but to achieve the optimal health we might have to supplement our diet to ensure that we get all the vitamins and minerals that is necessary for our body to function.
Women and men both need the same basic vitamins and minerals and also a few extra ones to keep them running strong and let them fulfill their added and extra responsibilities.
Here are some essential supplements women need to have on a daily basis:
- Calcium
Calcium is essential for the body for the development of its bones, teeth and other bodily functions. Calcium also helps the body in the clotting of the blood as well as muscle functioning.
When we consume calcium lesser than the required amount, our body starts to absorb calcium from our bones thereby making them weak and brittle. This condition is called osteoporosis.
Women are more prone to suffer from osteoporosis due to the loss of estrogen during menopause that is responsible for the absorption of calcium.
So it becomes essential to consume calcium on a daily basis as per our body’s requirements.
- Fish oil
Omeaga-3 is an essential to maintain the levels of good cholesterol and even maintain your metabolism rates and absorption of vitamins from foods.
So if you are not eating seafood at least once a week, it might be a good idea to supplement your diet with fish oil so that you enjoy the health benefits of Omega-3 present in fish.
- Vitamin D
What seems to have becomes a lifestyle disease is affecting at least one third of the population today. Unless you want to suffer from depression, weight gain, muscle aches and low bone density that are the common symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency, then it might be a good idea to have a capsule that contain Vitamin D.
But again, nothing can beat getting the natural form of Vitamin D, which is sun exposure.
- Iron
Women are constantly asked to consume iron tablets. Iron is essential from the oxygen in our body to travel from one part of the body to the other.
So if you are experiencing from fatigue, fainting spells or dizziness then you might need to visit the doctor to get your iron levels checked and get supplements for your diet.
- Folic Acid
All pregnant women are supposed to have folic acid in the first trimester. It is essential from the development of the brain and spinal cord. Research has proved that it can also provide protection against heart disease.
- Multivitamin
This is one supplement that will provide you with a mix of all the nutrients that you might need.
It can be used to compliment your already healthy diet, else you can even buy multivitamin supplements that contain more of a specific mineral or vitamin which you feel that you might be lacking or might lack in the future based on your family history.
So go on and supplement you diet, but at the same time taking great care not to skimp on the natural providers of these nutrients.
Written by: Rasha Ashraf
