Content

• Steps
• Warning

Women, especially women who are pregnant and want to become pregnant, are in high demand for multivitamin supplements. Multivitamins help ensure the comprehensive development of the fetus. On the other hand, some women will need a multivitamin to make up for a deficiency of one or several specific vitamins. Even so, for healthy women, the best way to get a vitamin supplement is to eat a healthy diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Vitamin Supplement Needs Assessment

1. 

   Ask your doctor if you have a vitamin deficiency. Many people are unaware that their bodies lack one or several vitamins. Regular blood tests don't check for vitamin deficiencies, even vitamin D. So ask your doctor to conduct tests to determine if you have a vitamin deficiency (if any). From there, your doctor will plan nutritional supplements and recommend vitamins to suit your needs. Your doctor will recommend vitamin supplements if:
   • You generally eat 1600 fewer calories per day.
   • There are not enough fruits and vegetables in your diet. Eat 1 1/2 - 2 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables per day.
   • You do not eat enough 2-3 servings of fish per week. In this case, fish oil supplements are recommended.
   • You do not eat enough 2-3 servings of fish per week. In this case, fish oil supplements are recommended.
   • You do not eat enough 2-3 servings of fish per week. In this case, fish oil supplements are recommended.

2. 

   
   
   Talk to your doctor if you are vegetarian or vegan. Vegetarian diets are very helpful in reducing cholesterol and fat intake. A vegetarian diet reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, you need to make sure you meet your requirements for all proteins, vitamins and minerals. Vegetarians are likely to be deficient:
   • Iron: Many vegetarians have less iron reserves than non-vegetarians. Ask your doctor if the iron levels in your body are low.
   • Vitamin B12: People on a vegetarian diet can get vitamin B12 from dairy products and eggs, but vegetarians must get this vitamin from supplements or vitamin B12 fortified foods. Therefore, vegans should look for soymilk, rice milk, breakfast cereals, and meat alternatives fortified with vitamin B12.
   • Calcium: Because meat and dairy products are additional sources of calcium, vegans are susceptible to a calcium deficiency. Calcium is an essential mineral to maintain bone health and prevent fractures. If you are a vegetarian, eat foods fortified with calcium such as certain fruit juices, cereals, soy milk, and fortified rice milk. Information if the product is calcium fortified is listed on the package. In addition, you can ask your doctor about taking calcium supplements.
   • Vitamin D: The body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. However, the amount of vitamin D produced will depend on sunscreen use, time of day and year, latitude and specific skin tone. Vitamin D is essential for bone health. If you are concerned about a vitamin D deficiency, consult your doctor about taking supplements and eat more vitamin D fortified foods. Some foods commonly fortified with vitamin D include cow's milk. , rice milk, soy milk, orange juice, breakfast cereal and margarine.
   • Zinc: Soybeans, beans, cereals, cheese and nuts are good vegetarian sources of zinc. If you don't include these foods in your diet, talk to your doctor about zinc supplements.
   • Long-chain n-3 fatty acids: These fatty acids are essential for maintaining good vision and brain function. If you can't get fatty acids by eating fish and eggs, you can get flaxseed, canola oil, almonds, soybeans, long-chain n-3 fatty acid fortified breakfast cereals, or supplements. microalgae. Ask your doctor if you need to take long-chain n-3 fatty acids with supplements.

3. 

   
   
   Consider age. Premenopausal women need to get enough calcium and vitamins to prevent osteoporosis. This is especially important for women living alone and those at risk of fractures and bone loss. Women over 50 need the supplement:
   • 800 IU vitamin D. Spending a lot of time in the sun, such as walking, helps the body produce vitamin D.
   • 1200 mg of calcium per day. This amount of calcium is needed for strong bones and the repair of worn out bones.

4. 

   
   
   Talk to your doctor about prenatal vitamins. If you want to become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding, your doctor will recommend prenatal vitamin supplements for women. Functional foods are not used as a substitute for meals, but can ensure that the nutritional needs of the fetus are met. These vitamin products are specially formulated for pregnant and lactating women. If you are not pregnant, do not want to become pregnant or are not breastfeeding, you should not take prenatal vitamins for women. Prenatal vitamins for women often include:
   • Folic acid. Women who are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant need 600-800 mcg of folic acid per day to support early fetal brain development. Overdosing on folic acid can make it difficult to detect a vitamin B12 deficiency (if any).
   • Iron. Pregnant women need 27 mg of iron per day. On the other hand, too much iron can cause constipation, vomiting, diarrhea or even death.
   • Calcium. Calcium is an important mineral for pregnant women because it supports the development of strong bones. Pregnant women should get 100 mg of calcium daily. Most prenatal vitamins only help provide 200-300 mg of calcium, so you need to get more calcium from food. Vegetables high in calcium include broccoli, spinach, kale, turnips, collard greens. In addition, calcium fortified soy milk and fruit juices can be obtained from calcium supplements. Be aware that too much calcium can increase the risk of kidney stones.
   • Vitamin D. Pregnant women should get enough vitamin D to support the fetal bone development.The Mayo Clinic (USA) recommends a daily intake of 600 IU of vitamin D. You can get vitamin D by spending a lot of time in the sun and eating lots of fish, especially fatty fish like salmon, vitamin D fortified fruit juice, milk and eggs.

5. 

   Ask your doctor if vitamin supplements will interact with medications. Certain vitamins may affect the ability of medicines to metabolize. If you are on medication, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian to make sure it's safe to take vitamin supplements. Some drug interactions include:
   • Vitamin D can affect blood sugar and blood pressure. Vitamin D may also interact with oral contraceptives and medications for HIV, asthma, cancer, heart problems, cholesterol problems, pain relievers, and other medications.
   • Vitamin B6 can increase your risk of bleeding if it interacts with aspirin and other blood thinners. If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin B6 supplements as vitamin B6 can affect blood sugar. In addition, vitamin B6 may also interact with medications that treat asthma, cancer, depression, Parkinson's disease, and other conditions.
   • Vitamin E can increase the risk of bleeding if combined with blood thinners. Vitamin E may also interact with medications that treat Alzheimer's, tuberculosis, cancer, asthma, heart disease, seizures, and other ailments.
   • Vitamin C can interact with drugs that thin the blood and affect blood sugar and blood pressure. Vitamin C may also interact with oral contraceptives, HIV medications, Acetaminophen, Parkinson's disease medications, antibiotics, cancer medications, Aspirin, Barbiturates, Nicotine, and others.
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Part 2 of 3: Choosing a vitamin supplement

1. 

   Consider a multivitamin product. The benefit of multivitamins is that most multivitamin products are formulated to supplement various vitamins and minerals in accordance with the Recommended Daily Dose (RDA). The RDA is just enough, not too much, for most healthy adults.
   • Read product labels carefully. On the product there will be a table providing the composition information for each vitamin and mineral according to the RDA. The best product will provide you with about 100% of your daily needs for vitamins and minerals.
   • If you find it helpful, your doctor may recommend that you purchase an over-the-counter multivitamin from pharmacies.

2. 

   Do not take a vitamin supplement in too large amounts. Products with a label that says they will provide more than 100% of the recommended daily dosage are over-dosage. Overdosing on certain vitamins can be harmful.
   • Adding too much or too little vitamin B6 can cause nervous system problems.
   • Fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K are easily overdosed because the excess is not excreted in the urine as water-soluble vitamins. Getting too much vitamin A can increase the risk of hip fractures. Too much vitamin D can increase blood calcium levels, causing vomiting and constipation.
   • Overdose with iron can cause vomiting and liver damage.
   • Vitamins and minerals are often fortified in processed foods and drinks. If taking vitamin products that provide high levels of vitamins, you should reduce the dosage if your diet has provided the necessary amount.

3. 

   Do not take expired vitamins. Vitamins can deteriorate over time, especially if stored in a hot, humid place. Buy new products that are safe and unhealthy if your old vitamin supplements have expired.
   • Do not use vitamin supplements without an expiration date.

4. 

   Look for the vitamin supplement you are trying to buy. The content of vitamins and supplements is not quality controlled like conventional foods. In other words, it can be difficult to be sure what is in the vitamin you buy.
   • Look up the information on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) site to see if the product you buy is rated. This page also helps you to see if the product received a negative response.
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Part 3 of 3: Get more vitamins through a healthy diet

1. 

   Get enough folic acid. Women who are not pregnant need 400 mcg of folic acid daily. Folic acid or folate is a B vitamin that is essential for the nervous system. Food sources of folic acid include:
   • Whole grains or cereals fortified with folic acid
   • Spinach (spinach)
   • Beans (elongated or kidney shaped)
   • Asparagus
   • Oranges
   • Lost

2. 

   Eat more iron-rich foods. The body absorbs iron best from meat, especially red meat. However, if you are vegetarian, you can meet your iron requirements by increasing your intake of iron-rich, non-meat foods. Before menopause, women need to get 18 mg of iron per day. After menopause, women need to get 8 mg of iron per day. Good sources of iron include:
   • Red meat. Lean red meat is best because it is low in fat.
   • Pork
   • Poultry
   • seafood
   • Beans (elongated or kidney shaped)
   • Round beans
   • Spinach (spinach)
   • Raisins and dried apricots
   • Iron fortified foods like certain grains, breads and pasta. The packaging will let you know if the product is fortified with iron.

3. 

   Assessment of additional needs. After menopause, a woman's calcium requirement increases from 1000 mg to 1200 mg per day. Getting enough calcium helps prevent osteoporosis. Women can avoid calcium deficiency by eating:
   • Milk
   • Yogurt
   • Cheese
   • Broccoli
   • Spinach
   • Kale
   • Radish
   • Cabbage
   • Calcium-fortified soy milk or fruit juice
   • Salmon

4. 

   Get enough vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is essential for nervous system function. Although vitamin B6 deficiency is not common, you should prevent it by eating:
   • Cereals
   • Carrot
   • Round beans
   • Spinach
   • Milk
   • Cheese
   • Egg
   • Fish
   • Flour

5. 

   Spend plenty of time in the sun to get vitamin D supplements. Note should apply cream to avoid sunburn. The recommended adult dose of vitamin D is 600 IU per day. For women over 70 years of age, the recommended dose of vitamin D is 800 IU per day. Vitamin D is essential for joint health as you get older, and your risk of bone loss increases. You can get vitamin D by eating:
   • Milk
   • Yogurt
   • Salmon migratory
   • Salmon does not migrate
   • Tuna
   • Flounder

6. 

   Eat carrots for vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for vision health, cell growth and immune system function. Getting enough vitamin A may even help prevent cancer. You can get vitamin A by eating:
   • The vegetables are yellow
   • Liver
   • Kidney
   • Eggs and dairy products

7. 

   Prepare food with oil to supplement vitamin E. In addition to eggs, fortified cereals, fruits, spinach, meat, poultry and nuts, many oils also contain vitamin E, including:
   • Corn oil
   • Cottonseed oil
   • Safflower oil
   • Soybean oil
   • Sunflower seed oil
   • Argan oil
   • Olive oil
   • Barley germ oil

8. 

   Protect circulatory system health with vitamin K. Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting. Most of us can get enough vitamin K through a diet rich in:
   • Leafy green vegetables
   • Meat
   • Dairy products from animals
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Warning

• Always consult your doctor before taking a multivitamin to make sure the product is right. This step is especially important if you are on medication as some vitamins can interact with medications.
• Children's vitamin requirements are different from adults. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician before giving vitamin supplements to a child.