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How to Use Vitamin Supplements

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By eHow Contributing Writer
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Vitamin supplements can be a helpful addition to your daily health regimen. They are intended to give you the minerals and vitamins that may be missing in your diet. They aren't meant to replace a proper diet, which includes fruits and vegetables. Most people need a supplement because their diets are deficient in many of the essential vitamins necessary for maximum efficiency.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Consider where you're deficient. If you don't eat enough fruit daily, then you may need extra vitamin C. If your diet is weak in green leafy vegetables, you may need to add some vitamin E and folic acid.

  2. Step 2

    Spend wisely. Supplements can be very costly and if you think you have to have all natural vitamins, you may not be able to afford them all the time. Synthetic vitamins provide the same amount of nutrients your body needs and are more cost effective.

  3. Step 3

    Look at expiration dates and a USP label that indicates the product is approved by the federal government and is safe to take. Vitamins lose potency after a certain date, so they should always be fresh or you're wasting your time.

  4. Step 4

    Take a supplement if you're on a restrictive diet either by choice or for a medical necessity. Pregnant women and senior citizens should take a multi-vitamin because natural aging and growth processes can zap the body of needed nutrients.

Tips & Warnings
  • Read labels before you buy supplements. Be careful not to overdose on vitamins. Stay away from supplements that claim to give you mega doses of certain nutrients, implying that more is always better. It's not. Avoid supplements that include more than the recommended daily dose.
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