How to Choose The Best Vitamins To Fit Your Body's Needs

Most of us know that vitamins are great for our bodies and essential to keeping us healthy. But it's tough to know which vitamins to choose for your needs. Depending on your age, gender, and activity level, there are certain vitamins that are best suited to what your body requires at a given time. Here are tips for finding the best vitamins for your body's needs so that you can get the most out of being the healthiest you can.

Instructions

• 1

  Understand that there are two types of vitamins: water-soluble vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin C) and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Water-soluble vitamins are those that are easily absorbed by our bodies. Any left over water-soluble vitamins that our bodies don't need get excreted through our kidneys and wasted. For more information on water-soluble vitamins, see the resource list below for a links. Fat-soluble vitamins are those that require bile acids to absorb them. Your body stored these vitamins in fat cells in your body and pull from fat storage when it needs these vitamins. More information on fat-soluble vitamins can be found in the resource list below.

• 2

  Most of the water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins you need can be taken from the healthy foods you eat. However, many of us are not great at eating healthy foods and therefore lose out on nutritious vitamins that our bodies require. This is when a good multivitamin comes in handy. Multivitamins provide our bodies with many different micronutrients necessary to help our bodies thrive and stay healthy. Most multivitamins include both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins that our bodies require. Knowing with multivitamin to take can be tricky since there are so many of them on the market. There are multivitamins for children, women, men, adults, teens, the elderly, pregnant women, those who are active, those who are not...and on and on. Choosing the right multivitamin for you depends on a number of different things. It is true that our bodies require different vitamins at different ages and based on gender.

• 3

  ADULTS & the ELDERLY

  Most adults and elderly people should take in 100% of these daily vitamins:
  Vitamin B-1 (thiamin)
  Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin)
  Vitamin B-3 (niacin)
  Vitamin B-12
  Vitamin C
  Vitamin D
  Folic acid

  Other vitamins adults and the elderly require include:
  Chromium (35 mg)
  Copper (0.9 mg)
  Magnesium (100 mg and no more than 350 mg)
  Selenium (50 mcg)
  Zinc (11 mg and no more than 23 mg)
  Vitamin A (4,000 IU)
  Vitamin E (100 IU)
  Iron (18 mg)
  Phosphorus (350 mg)
  Vitamin B-6 (100 mg)
  Beta-carotene (15,000 IU)

• 4

  Women and men 50 years of age and over need:
  Iron (10mg)
  Vitamin K (10 mcg)
  Vitamin B-12 (12 mcg).

  Men under 50 should have:
  Iron (10mg)
  Vitamin K (25 mcg)
  Vitamin B-12 (6 mcg)

  Women under 50 require:
  Iron (18 mg)
  Vitamin K (25 mcg)
  Vitamin B-12 (6 mcg)

  Women in their child bearing years require more iron, calcium, vitamin D, and folic acid than before, whether they are pregnant, trying, or going to be trying. 100% of the RDA of folic acid is necessary to prevent birth defects in the baby in pregnant women. This amount should be 400 mcg).

• 5

  ADOLESCENTS & TEENS

  Adolescents and teenagers need more calcium in their bodies as they go through puberty. A good multivitamin for teens is one that includes at least 100% of the daily recommended dosage of calcium at 1,300 mg. Teenage and adolescent girls require more iron when menstruation begins and should be given an adult multivitamin with added iron. In fact, a young girl age 9-13 requires 15 mg a day of iron rather than 8 mg a day as before. Since teenagers are more active as well, they could actually get away with taking an adult multivitamin. Their systems require far more of the RDA (recommended daily amount) of vitamins as they did before adolescence.

• 6

  TODDLERS & CHILDREN

  Toddlers need a multivitamin that should only be prescribed by their pediatricians. Parents should never give toddlers a multivitamin without first checking with their pediatricians for type of multivitamin and dose needed. Many pediatricians will recommend a multivitamin for your toddler when he reaches a certain age. Poly-Vi-Sol Drops is a liquid multivitamin with fluoride that most pediatricians will recommend to give your growing toddler. The dose is usually 0.5 ml, however, as stated before, you should always consult your toddler's doctor before giving him a multivitamin in case he has physical needs or allergies that require another multivitamin.

• 7

  Children can usually start taking a chewable multivitamin at the age of 4. Many parents choose to give their kids Flintstones vitamins to fulfill their daily needs. Children 4 years and older still need fluoride in their vitamins just as toddlers do. Try to find a multivitamin with fluoride only if your water is not naturally fluoridated, which many are. Giving your child too much fluoride can actually make him very sick. Children who need a multivitamin with fluoride are usually recommended to take Poly-Vi-Flor vitamins. However, unless your giving your child simple Flintstones multivitamins, it is a good idea to consult your pediatrician first.