First of all, why do you need vitamins or supplements? Because modern humans get less of the vitamins and minerals needed from foods and because other lifestyle factors such as stress, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation take a big toll on our bodies. However, current Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) are outdated and do not reflect new research that shows the difference between just preventing a deficiency (i.e. Vitamin C to prevent scurvy) and providing enough for optimal health.
Here are a couple of recommendations by Mark Hyman, MD to consider:
1. When buying supplements make sure to choose a brand that delivers more than the RDA for each nutrient, but stay away from megadoses unless you are trying to get over a cold and you need to take a high dosage of Vitamin C for example. Megadoses of certain supplements or vitamins could create metabolic imbalances in the body.
2. If you are worried about deficiencies, consult a nutritionist, physician or Wellness Consultant
3. Avoid products that contain dicalcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, and extra ingredients like artificial colors, sugars. Instead, look for the safer compounds:cellulose, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide and magnesium citrate.
4. More is not always better and cheap or expensive will depend on whether the supplement is synthetic or isolated from natural sources. Nutrients delivered in their truly natural whole food form are the most expensive.
There are so many choices and reasons for taking vitamins and supplements, keep the above suggestions in mind next time you head to the health food store to get your supply. Here are a couple of companies I personally trust: New Chapter, Carlson Labs, Solgar, Garden of Life, Jarrows.