Do I Really Need to Take Vitamins?
Isn't a Balanced Diet Good Enough?

Theoretically, if you eat a healthy diet with lots of whole foods and the correct balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, you should be fine. If your diet isn't so good, you certainly would want to add some vitamins and minerals to it. However, even if your diet is good, there are several reasons why you might want to add vitamin and mineral supplements to your daily health routine. Vitamins act as catalysts in all body processes and natural healers of the body.

In India taking vitamin supplements is only associated with a sickness with the masses not realizing that these pills are not supposed to be popped only when one is suffering from an ailment but as a daily requirement. After all, prevention is better than cure. In fact ask any one of your relatives living abroad, all of them are popping vitamins in some form or another.

Here are a just a few situations when you might want extra supplements:

• Stress. Being in constantly stressful situations due to work, family, relationships, or for any reason, may cause your adrenal glands to work overtime. Eventually this will result in fatigue and headaches. A good quality B Complex, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C may help to support your adrenal glands.

• Bone Health. You want to keep your bones strong, so take some Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin D, especially helpful for people with a family history of osteoporosis.

 Be sure to get some resistive exercise as well.

• Immunity. Do you seem to get sick often. Do you get colds and sniffles more frequently than everyone else around you? Your immune system may need a bit of a boost. There are several herbs that may help, but add Vitamin C, Zinc, and Manganese as well and notice the change.

• Do you smoke? Of course, you already know you should quit smoking, so try your best to quit. Smoking uses up your Vitamin C, so add a Vitamin C supplement. Smoking is a risk factor for osteoporosis so you also need extra Calcium, Magnesium and Vtamin D. Add antioxidants like Vitamin E and Selenium.

• Hormones. If you are a woman with Hormonal problems. You may have a deficiency of Vitamin B6.

• Anemia. Got Anemia? Well you definitely need to take Iron. Add Vitamin C, Folic acid and Vitamin B12 too.

• Muscles Cramps. If you get Leg cramps at night then take Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin E to see if those cramps go away.

• Prostate. If you are a man with prostate problems then definitely take extra Vitamin C and Zinc.

 • Migraines. Many of you out there might be prone to get Migraine headaches time and time again. Some people get relief by adding Magnesium.

• Healthy Heart. If you have Heart disease then Niacin and fish oil may help to lower cholesterol. Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 will reduce homocysteine levels. Vitamin E will work as a blood thinner, but don't take this with medical anticoagulants. Fish oil (Omega 3) may also work as an anti-inflammatory agent. If you don't get olive oil in your diet, add it as a supplement, since studies show it reduces the risk for heart disease.

• Anti Oxidants . Certain Vitamins, Minerals & Phytonutrients act as Anti Oxidants which give us protection from Free Radicals that attack our body & cause various illnesses.

All in all these magic vitamins can help you keep all those illnesses at bay in a completely natural way. For those of you wondering whether there are any side effects involved then you needn’t worry as most of these vitamins are water soluble and an excess just gets flushed out of the system with the body only keeping as much as it needs. So feel free to pop that pill and move on towards a healthy lifestyle.

(Make sure you consult a medical practitioner before taking vitamins for a specific cause.)