Vitamins are organic nutrients required by the body for growth, repair and optimal health. It’s recommended to get these nutrients from fresh foods but it’s not always as easy as it seems. About 90 percent of the population fails to consume the recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals and these shortfalls can impact your overall health.
Your daily diet should maximize your health—supplementing with a multivitamin and minerals can help fill nutritional gaps in your diet. A sensible program of nutritional supplementation will ensure adequate intake of vitamin D, B-12, B-6, calcium, potassium and magnesium—the leading nutrients most people find difficulty in achieving.
Furthermore, if you are on a restricted diet e.g., vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or dairy-free, you may find multivitamins useful to help fill in the missing nutrients of your diet. For example, it’s estimated that most vegetarians tend to be low in iron, B-12 and vitamin D. Depending on your age, you may be at risk for nutritional deficiencies.
Best Multivitamins for Women
Many adult women struggle to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for calcium, vitamin E, vitamin B-6, magnesium and zinc. Often women try to reduce their calories by following a low-fat or fat-free diet, reducing their intake of dairy and omitting healthy whole grains. Hectic schedules, eating on-the-go or skipping meals can also lead to low levels of nutrients needed to maintain good health.A women’s nutritional need changes with age. Women of reproductive capacity need higher levels of calcium, folate and iron. Women over 50 are at a higher risk of deficiencies in vitamin B-12, A, C, D, calcium, iron, zinc and other trace minerals.1
Although most of your nutrition should come from food, multivitamins can offer benefits that whole foods provide with easy-to-swallow tablets, capsules or liquid form.
Best Multivitamins for Men
Men may need higher levels of specific vitamins and minerals depending on body size and muscle mass to maintain optimal health. Multivitamins specially formulated for men are often higher in zinc and lycopene, because of its protection against prostate cancer. In comparison to women, men’s multivitamins offer little or no iron because they need much less of it.Best Multivitamins for Kids and Teenagers
The rapid growth rate during adolescence increases the need for iron and calcium more than any other stage of life.2 Today, children are consuming more processed foods which lack enough nutrients to meet their daily nutritional needs. Multivitamins specially formulated for kids and teens can offer a comprehensive nutritional profile that contains nourishing vegetables and nutrient-rich fruits. These provide the essential materials needed for growth and repair.Variety of Multivitamins
From basic to gender-specific multivitamins, liquid to tablets or capsules, choosing a multivitamin is similar to buying a car. You can choose a lower-cost, basic model or you can buy a super-charger with all the bells and whistles. Ask a Sprouts team member to help you find the supplement that fits your nutritional needs. Striking the right balance of vitamins and minerals can be a good part of your overall wellness plan.1 Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Source, July, 2009 page 1 2 (2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report)
If you are new to becoming vegan, there are a some staples that you will want to have on hand so that you can throw together a quick, delicious meal in a snap. These are some of the best items to have stocked up in your fridge to make it super easy to incorporate more vegan foods into your diet.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave like, well, a true caveman, you’ve undoubtedly heard the buzz about the paleo diet. This way of eating is becoming more and more popular, thanks to its healthy nutrient-rich foods and the elimination of commonly allergenic foods. High in protein, healthy fats, fiber and complex carbs, the paleo diet is definitely worth a shot if you’re looking to eat clean and feel great. It might feel intimidating to dive in! Follow these steps to easily start a paleo lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed.
Organic Pumpkin Spice Kale Chips + Organic Pumpkin Spice or Apple Spice Kombucha
Pumpkin Dippers + Organic Pumpkin Spiced Apple Cider
Chunky Guacamole
Mango Guacamole
Simple Shortcut Guacamole
Essential to life, omega oils are a type of polyunsaturated fat that the body needs to function properly. These healthy fats are used to store energy in the body, transport fat-soluble vitamins through the blood, regulate blood cholesterol levels, and help maintain healthy skin and hair.
Your body can make most fats from raw materials through your diet, except two, omega-3 fats called linolenic acid (ALA) and omega-6 fats called linoleic acid (LA). These two fats must be consumed through your diet. The predominant sources of omega-3s are EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) which have been extensively researched for their health benefits and are mostly found in fish.
Alternative sources of omega-3s can be found in walnuts, flax and chia seeds if fish is not a part of your diet. Your body can efficiently convert ALA to EPA but it’s conversion from ALA to DHA is limited. Algae contains a good source of DHA and can be found in supplement form. It can also be found mixed with flax and other oils.
Sources of omega-6 can be found in meats, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains and vegetable oils. Although you need omega-6 in your diet, foods such as red meat and vegetable oils like cottonseed and soybean should be consumed in moderation. Evening primrose oil, black currant oil, and borage oil are great sources of omega-6 and are sold in supplement form.
It’s important to consume the right balance of omega-3 to omega-6. Some experts suggest a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio. A typical western diet consumes too much omega-6, up to 14–25 times more than omega-3s. Researchers believe this imbalance leads to a variety of mental disorders, an increased risk of heart disease and other inflammatory health conditions.