Vitamins and minerals are essential for our body. Each nutrient has its specific benefits that are very important for maintaining the healthy functioning of our system. Nonetheless, there are some specific nutrients that women need more than men. In addition, a deficiency of any mineral or vitamin can lead to different complications such as osteoporosis, endocrine imbalances, and even anemia.
Every woman must get all necessary nutrients from healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables that are rich in nutrients. Even many experts suggest that people should rely more on healthy diets than vitamin and mineral supplements.
But we all know that it is not always easy to maintain a healthy diet, resulting in people suffering from different nutrient deficiencies. Therefore, it is alright to rely on multivitamin and multi-mineral supplements to maintain the body's healthy functioning.
Who Should Consume Vitamin and Mineral Supplements?
While most women do not include vitamin and mineral supplements and try to cope up with their healthy diet, that is not always successful. However, a few groups of women can greatly benefit from different vitamin and mineral supplements. These groups of women include:
- Postmenopausal Women: Women undergo many hormonal changes after their menopause, resulting in losing the density of their bones at a quicker pace than men. During this period, women cannot get sufficient nutrients such as Vitamin D and calcium from their diet. It is essential to maintain adequate calcium and Vitamin D as it helps women prevent conditions such as osteoporosis. Therefore, consuming calcium and Vitamin D supplements can help women a lot.
- Women Who Are Pregnant Or Expected To Be Pregnant: This period in a woman's life is very important. A nutrient supplement can provide women with the necessary amount of folic acid that plays a crucial role in lowering the risk of different birth effects. It is recommended to take supplements that have at least 400 micrograms of folic acid.
- Vegetarian Women: It is no secret that getting certain nutrients from animal products is easier than from plant sources. For instance, Vitamin B-12 is found in animals and even their by-products such as dairy and eggs. However, this vitamin cannot be found in plant sources. Especially vegans cannot get sufficient nutrients such as Vitamin B-12, D, and B-2 from a healthy diet alone.
Some of The Many Essential Vitamins And Minerals For Women
Most women suffer from deficiencies of common vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc, iron, iodine, and calcium. This makes supplements an excellent alternative to tackle those deficiencies. Some of these critical vitamins and minerals include:
- Calcium: Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in our bodies, and it plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy hormonal secretion, functioning of muscles, healthy bones, and more. Calcium enables the bones and teeth to maintain their structure. It is important for women because maintaining an adequate amount of calcium reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Furthermore, calcium is also great for minimizing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, maintaining the ideal blood pressure, and treating migraines. One can get calcium from dairy products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt. However, if someone is lactose intolerant, they can always get their calcium from supplements, sea vegetables, broccoli, and even cereals and drinks rich in calcium.
- Vitamin B9: Vitamin B9 can also be called folic acid and is very important for men and women. It has numerous benefits for our bodies as it helps the body produce blood cells and even DNA for new cells. Vitamin B9 is very important for pregnant women as it reduces the risk of different congenital disabilities. In addition, it is also great for preventing complications such as premature births and low birth weight. Even though Vitamin B9 is commonly found in oranges, beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and more, one can still take supplements to be on the safe side.
- Vitamin D: Vitamin D is undoubtedly one of the most important nutrients required by our bodies. A deficiency of Vitamin D can lead to various complications such as pain in the joints, certain forms of cancer, fatigue, oral health complications, and even high blood pressure. This is where Vitamin D supplements can be great help in fact; a report published by the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that people who consume an adequate amount of Vitamin D are less likely to suffer from heart diseases. The most effective and natural way of getting Vitamin D is sunlight, as it enables the skin to produce Vitamin D.
- Iron: Iron is very important for maintaining the oxygen level in our bodies because iron helps carry oxygen to different parts of the body. The deficiency of iron can have an adverse effect on the delivery of oxygen to the cells that can cause conditions such as anemia, fatigue, and a weaker immune system. Further, there are two different forms of dietary iron, namely heme, and non-heme iron. Mensurating women lose a lot of blood in the process every month, so taking iron supplements can help them maintain the ideal; level of iron in their bodies.
- Iodine: Iodine is one of the first minerals to be identified as an essential nutrient for maintaining good health. Mainly known for preventing and diagnosing various complications associated with the thyroid and even breast cancer. Iodine has a strong influence on the functioning of the muscles and nerves. But not just that, it can also help enhance the condition of skin, hair, nails, and teeth. It is mainly important for pregnant women as iodine deficiency can lead to different development complications in the baby.
Final Thought
Complete nutrition is a pressing concern, and everybody must take it very seriously to maintain the healthy functioning of the body. However, it is recommended to derive all these vitamins and minerals from a healthy diet.
Lastly, in case you’re confused with the type of supplements to go with, we suggest you try out the trace mineral supplements, paired with a healthy diet. To maintain good health. But make sure to consult a physician before beginning the consumption of any supplement.
Rank your article by submitting guest blog for Beauty Guest Post at healthreviewb@gmail.com.
