Support for vegetarians and athletes
Does a healthy diet always contain enough vitamins and minerals? Not if your need is increased. Sometimes it is wise to pay a little extra attention to your vitamins and minerals. If you have a dark skin, for example, but also if you eat little bread or do not like fish.
It is well known that it is wise for pregnant women to take extra vitamins. And many seniors also take a dietary supplement on a daily basis. But other people can also benefit from a supplement.
Vegetarian food
Did you know that vitamin B12 is naturally only found in animal foods? Meat, fish, eggs and dairy contain vitamin B12. If you still use plenty of eggs and dairy, you will get vitamin B12. But for vegans, who omit all animal products from the diet, the Nutrition Center recommends extra vitamin B12. Iron is also a point of interest for vegetarians. The iron in vegetable products is absorbed less well than from meat. Helpful tip: Vitamin C stimulates the absorption of iron from plant foods. Therefore, it is wise to eat fruit or drink fruit juice with every meal.
No fish
Fish contain unique omega-3 fish fatty acids, which are good for the heart, blood vessels and brain. Fish fatty acids are so important in our diet that the Health Council has drawn up a recommended amount for them, just like for vitamins and minerals. You will get that recommendation if you eat fish twice a week, once of which a fatty species such as herring, salmon or mackerel. If you don’t like fish or eat it little, you should take fish oil capsules.
Little bread
More and more people are cutting back on bread. For example, because they suffer from gluten intolerance or because they want to use less carbohydrates to lose weight. Wholemeal bread in particular is an important source of B vitamins, minerals such as iron and fiber. These are also found in other foods such as vegetables, fruit, meat, nuts and legumes. There is one exception: iodine. Bread is by far the most important source of iodine in our diet, because bakers use iodized baker’s salt. Furthermore, iodine is found in fish, iodized table salt and in small amounts in dairy. Iodine is often also included in multivitamins, but not always. So check the label!
To play sports
Athletes not only consume more oxygen, but also more energy. And they get that energy from their diet, with the help of vitamins and minerals. The more someone sports, the higher the need for energy and therefore also for vitamins and minerals. As a supplement, a multivitamin can be a good support.
lines
If you eat less in an effort to lose weight, you also get fewer vitamins and minerals. Supplementation can then be wise to prevent a shortage.
Little outside
Do you go outside for at least 15 minutes to half an hour every day between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., with your head and hands uncovered? This is especially necessary in the summer and spring to allow the skin to produce enough vitamin D in the outdoor light. Don’t you get that? Then the Health Council recommends a vitamin D supplement (10 mcg per day), in addition to a varied diet. Seniors are also advised to take extra vitamin D.
Dark skin colour
Even if you have Southern European, Asian or Black skin, the Health Council recommends a daily vitamin D supplement (10 mcg). That’s because tanned skin doesn’t make enough vitamin D.
Disease
People who are ill often eat less well. The appetite is gone or you are too tired to cook. Diseases can also increase the need for vitamins and minerals. A multivitamin can then be a good supplement to the diet.
Medicines
Nausea is one of the most common side effects of medications. Also, some drugs inhibit appetite or reduce taste. As a result, someone will eat less, so that fewer vitamins and minerals are also taken in. In addition, some drugs specifically increase the need for certain vitamins.
