Should You Take a Daily Multivitamin?

In a perfect world, we would be eating large arounds of nutrient-dense foods such as quality meats, fruits, and vegetables. This is necessary to getting all the essential vitamins and nutritions our bodies need for optimal health. But let’s be honest; we are far from that perfect world.

Eating outside of the home and consuming poor quality food has millions of people falling short of recommended intakes of some vitamins and minerals. According to a study in the Journal of Pediatrics, 1 in 3 children and teens don’t meet recommended intakes for calcium and vitamin D. So how do we close these malnutrition gaps?

Taking a daily multivitamin with minerals may be beneficial. Supplements have been found to help adults meet recommended intakes of certain minerals such as iron for women and magnesium for men. Research points to supplementing with a multivitamin as a good bet. It’s definitely not a substitution for eating healthy nutrient-dense foods. However, if your current dietary habits are not up to par, there is nothing wrong with taking a multivitamin to plug in those gaps.