What Health Supplements do You Need?

While some aspects of our health are out of our hands, ensuring our bodies get adequate nutrition can help reduce the likelihood of developing a number of lifestyle related conditions. 

For some people, it can be hard to get all the vitamins and minerals they need to maintain good health. This can be especially true if you’re:

• pregnant or breastfeeding

• on a strict diet, which can apply to some vegetarians and vegans

• elderly

• have food intolerances

• have a busy, active lifestyle

If you can’t get all the vitamins and minerals you need from diet alone, health supplements may help. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking any medication, it is strongly recommended to consult with your doctor before taking any supplements.

What is a Dietary Supplement?

A supplement might be a single vitamin, or it might be a combination of vitamins, minerals and herbs designed to support a particular issue for your body, such as bone health supplements or pregnancy supplements. 

It’s important to know which vitamins and minerals you shouldn’t take together and the best time of day to take your supplements.  

Some supplements such as combined probiotics with prebiotic fibre should be taken away from antibiotics, whereas multi-strain probiotics in capsule form can generally be taken with or without food.

Which Supplements Work for Which Health Conditions?

The vitamins and supplements  you choose to take will depend on your diet, your stage of life, and any issues you might want to address. Some popular health supplements include:

• Gut health – taking a probiotic supplement for gut health can:

  • maintain and support general health and wellbeing

  • maintain and support bowel regularity

  • maintain and support healthy bowel and colon function

  • reduce or relieve excess intestinal gas

  • maintain and support healthy digestion and beneficial gut flora

  • maintain and support immune system health and function .

• Liver health – taking a supplement such as curcumin can help maintain and support healthy liver function. 

• Brain health – taking a fish oil supplement can help to maintain and support healthy brain function.

• Skin, hair and nail health – various supplements are available which can maintain and support hair, skin and nail health, including biotin, Vitamin C with hydrolysed collagen, and hydrolysed collagen + hyaluronic acid.

• Bones and joint health – a good joint health supplement can:

  • support connective tissue health

  • support joint health, mobility and flexibility

  • support healthy ligaments

  • support tendon health. 

• Eye health – eye health supplements can help support eye macula health and healthy eyesight.

To learn more about some of the most common supplements to take, read our article, "What Vitamins Should I be Taking?"

Ages and Stages of Life

Our nutritional needs can change throughout our lives. Some of the most popular health supplements at different stages are:

Children and Adolescents 

Kids can be fussy eaters, which means it can be a challenge for parents to ensure they’re getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals each day. 

Children experience rapid growth during their early years, so specially formulated kid’s multivitamins as well as omega-3 supplements to support brain health and development can both be a good idea.

To learn more about whether children need a multivitamin supplement, read our article, "Kid's Multivitamins: Are they Really Necessary?"

The Elderly 

Our nutritional needs can change as we age, and this is especially the case after we turn 65. Older people need to be careful with their teeth, and often need to consider specific health needs they may have. For example, if you have been advised to stay out of the sun, a vitamin D supplement may be recommended, and if you have mild osteoarthritis, you may want to try glucosamine or curcumin.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

Putting Your Health First

If you want to take care of your body, at every age and life stage, it’s important to understand what your nutritional needs are. And if you aren’t getting enough nutrients from unprocessed foods in your diet, you may want to consider taking a supplement to help ensure your body stays healthy and you can keep doing what you love to do.