Chances are, you aren’t taking enough of the necessary vitamins and key nutrients you need to live your best life. While some women do get all their vitamins through the right selection of diet, many have some sort of vitamin deficiency.
It can be confusing to understand which vitamin supplements are best to take to live a healthy lifestyle with the huge amount that’s being marketed to women on a daily basis.
If you’re asking yourself, “What vitamins should women take,” we’ve gathered an ultimate guide.
Why Should Women Take Vitamins?
When you’re lacking the proper vitamins to create a healthy body and immune system, it can affect your body in many negative ways, such as having problems during childbirth.
Lacking vitamins also makes it easy to get sick and harder for you to recover from illness because your system is weak.
What Vitamins Should Women Take: Vitamin A Supplements
Vitamin A is a common antioxidant. The good thing about vitamin A is that it can boost your immune system.
This powerful vitamin is shown to improve things like vision and aging skin.
You can also get this vitamin from fruits and vegetables like cantaloupe and carrots.
Vitamin K is a Valuable Nutrient
It’s possible to develop a deficiency of vitamin K if you’ve taken many antibiotics.
It’s an important vitamin women should take in order to help prevent heart disease, which is actually the leading cause of death of women in the U.S., taking the life of 1 in every 3 women.
You can make a positive difference in your cardiovascular health by investing in this heart-healthy supplement.
To increase your vitamin K intake, make sure to eat plenty of broccoli, cabbage, and leafy greens. You can also eat foods like fish and eggs.
Folic Acid and B Vitamins
Folate or Folic Acid is critical for having a healthy pregnancy because it’s in charge of developing the spinal cord and brain of the baby. Not having the proper amount of B vitamins can lead to complications as well as other birth defects.
B vitamins are also in charge of your metabolism. Along with iron, it helps convert your calories into power for your body. If you’re fatigued, it’s possible that a lack of B vitamins is the problem.
Dairy and other animal products will help increase your levels of B vitamins. This can include but is not limited to, milk, yogurt, meat, eggs, and fish.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Look into investing in omega-3 fatty acid supplements if your diet doesn’t already consist of fatty fish. These fish include tuna, sardines, mackerel, and salmon.
Omega-3 is a powerful anti-inflammatory tool which can help prevent depression, heart disease, and arthritis. On average, you should be taking around 1,000 milligrams of this supplement daily.
Omega-3 fatty acids are different from Omega-6 fatty acids. In the western world, we normally consume enough Omega-6 fatty acids but not enough Omega-3 fatty acids.
Calcium Is Important for Your Nerves
Most adults don’t get enough calcium in their diet on a daily basis.
Calcium works with vitamin D to help protect against heart disease and osteoporosis. It can also regulate your body’s blood pressure, heart rhythm, and even cholesterol levels.
Your calcium intake is important for transmitting your nerve signals.
Consider getting calcium from foods you can incorporate into your daily diet. Choose to eat more kale, okra, beans, collard greens, and milk or yogurt.
The Power of Vitamin D
Vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and diabetes.
This vitamin helps absorb calcium, which helps the way your muscles function. It’s also beneficial for your bones and overall skeletal health.
It’s smart to look into getting vitamin D supplements if you’re experiencing an imbalance of hormones or mood swings. Vitamin D does a great job of assisting your body and regulating and balancing these hormones.
Orange juice and milk both have vitamin D, but you won’t be able to get enough through those alone. Look into supplements if you need to increase your vitamin D intake.
You will need to get more vitamin D in the winter and less in the summer months. This is because you get vitamin D through the power of the sun. It will synthesize with your skin and absorb into the body.
On particularly sunny days, you can even skip taking this vitamin altogether. Just make sure you’re getting around 20 minutes of direct sunlight a day.
The Important Mineral Magnesium
Older women have a higher risk of having a magnesium deficiency.
Signs of a magnesium deficiency can include:
- Muscle Cramps
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Constipation
- Chronic Stress
- Anxiety
- Digestive Constipation
Magnesium-rich foods include different types of seeds and nuts. You can also eat beans and other leafy vegetables to get magnesium. It isn’t the easiest to get from food intake alone so you might need to take supplements to get your recommended daily amount.
Stress on the body and excessive use of medication can lead to problems and lowered magnesium levels.
Iron Deficiency = Anemia
Iron creates your body’s hemoglobin. Hemoglobin takes oxygen from the lungs and transports it through the body to other tissues.
Young women normally have the highest risk of developing anemia. This is because there is a higher demand for iron when your body is going through its monthly menstruation. The blood loss will cause a need for added iron.
This is also a big problem for pregnant women, with around 25 percent being affected.
When you’re pregnant and anemic, you might experience bleeding episodes and other problems with pregnancy.
Fish, chicken, eggs, and other meats can help replace the iron in your body.
Daily Vitamins Can Improve Health
Answering the question “What vitamins should women take,” can greatly improve your health.
Consider What Protein your expert source on all things sports nutrition, fitness, and health.
Check out our blog for more information on health products, supplements, and protein.