There’s no doubt that there are times when supplemental vitamins are a good idea, but the best way to get your daily requirements of all vitamins is to consume them naturally. The problem is that most people don’t eat enough of the right foods to get all the vitamins needed to keep your body healthy.
One of the strikes against getting the right vitamins through diet alone is time. It simply takes time to stop for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Another is the sheer availability of fast food. Most people are filled with the need to grab something to eat on the go.
Arguably the biggest strike against eating right is simply habit. We tend to grab a package of chips instead of an apple or banana for a mid-morning snack. A donut and coffee could easily be replaced by a muffin and fruit juice or milk, but we tend to crave those less healthy foods. Take a minute to consider some sources of vitamins that could easily be part of your daily food intake. You may be surprised at easy a few substitutions could be.
• Orange or apple juice instead of one soda a day. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you develop a taste for the juice. With this one change, you’re greatly increasing your intake of Vitamin C, needed to keep your immune system healthy. Not only that, apple juice provides a pick-me-up very similar to the caffeine rush some people look for.
• Bake it, broil it or eat it raw. We tend to fry so many foods – including the popular potato. Instead of French Fries at your next meal, choose a tossed salad or baked potato. Unless counting calories is an issue, slather on the dressing or sour cream to make it more appealing. The bottom line is that baked or raw veggies are generally higher in vitamins than their fried counterparts.
• Breakfast cereals are often fortified with vitamins – even those “good” cereals. Choose foods fortified with vitamins instead of those “empty” calories to help get the vitamins you need to keep you going throughout the day. Manufacturers are meeting the demands for “food-to-go” with cereal bars and other nutritious foods that are rich in vitamins.
At the end of the day, most people simply don’t eat right. If you measure the intake of vitamins over the course of a typical day, you’ll probably find that you’re not getting all the vitamins you need. When that’s the case, find good vitamins in the form of tablets, chews or other supplements as the next step.