Dietary Supplements - Who Should Use Them?

It is very important that before you start consuming vitamin dietary supplements you understand the unique health need you have and whether consuming the vitamins will help you address those unique requirements. Whether or not you need to consume vitamins dietary supplements is largely dependent on your lifestyle and eating habits, together with several other factors that are beyond your control such as your age. Below are a number of factors that may inform your decision whether or not so start consuming vitamins dietary supplements:

You do not have a balanced diet:

If for whatever reason you are unable to consume fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis for you holistic nutrition, your body will lack the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs. In addition, if you skip at least one meal in a day, you are likely to reduce the variety and number of servings you intake from various food groups. In such a case, it is crucial to supplement your vitamin intake by consuming vitamins dietary supplements to supply your body with the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs.

If you are a vegetarian:

For a vegetarian, you may not be in a position to consume enough zinc, iron, calcium and vitamins D and B-12. A lot of times vegetarians acquire these essential nutrients from non-meat sources such as green leafy vegetables, whole grain products, legumes, nuts and fortified soy products. If for any reason you are not able to consume these foods regularly, you need to consume dietary supplements.

You are not able to consume enough calories per day:

If you eat low-calorie diets, you will limit the type and amount of food you consume. In turn, this will also reduce the types and amount of nutrients our body receives. For more details about nutritional supplements, visit http://www.ehow.com/health/diet-nutrition/nutritional-supplements/.

You are ailing from a condition:

In case your diet has limited food variety due to food allergies or intolerance to certain kinds of foods such as dairy products, then you can derive great benefits from dietary supplements. Additionally, you may have problems digesting and absorbing nutrients properly if you have just undergone digestive tract surgery or if you are ailing from gallbladder, liver, intestines or pancreatic diseases. In a case like that, your doctor can recommend that you use dietary supplements and they will also recommend the best one for your case.

In case you are a healthy person who eats a wide range of foods including fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, lean meats and whole grains, you may not be required to consume dietary supplements. However, if you feel like you are missing on some important nutrients due to one reason or another, or do not mind consuming additional nutrients, then dietary supplements are suitable for you.