We are told that the keys to longer and healthier life are simple: eat right, exercise, manage stress and get enough sleep. However, putting this into practice is more difficult. For example, take eating right. The National Cancer Institute is now recommending that adults eat between 7 to 9 servings of fruit a day. However, over 90 percent of us are unable or unwilling to follow this advice. Given our diets and lack of access to healthy foods, and given the dwindling nutritional quality of food generally available today, our bodies need vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements to fill in this nutritional gap. Fortunately, the majority of us take supplements to compensate for this. About 100 million Americans take supplements at least occasionally. About half of us pop vitamin and mineral supplements every day, spending about $4 billion annually. Do you ever wonder whether you should be taking supplements or whether the supplements you are taking are right for you?

Background
Vitamins and minerals or at least foods containing these nutrients have been used as therapy for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians ate livers of roosters and oxen to combat night blindness caused by Vitamin A deficiency, and sea sponge as a source of iodine to treat goiters. However, it wasnt until 1906 that vitamins were theorized, because protein, fats and carbohydrates were insufficient in-and-of-themselves to sustain life. In 1926, Vitamins were isolated and named vitamine (for vital amine, amine being a chemical structure).

There are at least 13 vitamins and 15 minerals that are considered essential for good health. Vitamins are organic compounds, which means they contain carbon, and are found naturally only in living things. Four of these vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble meaning they can be stored in the body. Vitamins C and the eight forms of vitamin B are water soluble, meaning that excess amounts are eliminated through urination, and thus must be consumed daily. Vitamins C, E and A are known as antioxidants. They help our bodies fight damage from free radicals, highly reactive compounds that create oxidative damage to your cells. Vitamin C, once suspected of boosting our immune systems, has now come to the forefront in cancer, cataracts and cardiovascular therapies.

Minerals are simpler, inorganic compounds and are found in all foods. Minerals are also classified in two categories - major minerals (macronutrients), such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, that are found in relatively high concentrations in foods, and trace minerals (micronutrients), such as copper, iron, zinc, and chromium, that are usually only found in minute amounts.

All of these vitamins and minerals play an important role in your bodys ability to build cells, releasing energy from our food, and in maintaining the good health of our organs, bones and immune system. Taking vitamin and mineral supplements can help us target deficiencies in our diet, to fill in the gaps.

Is your supplement right for you?
Our vitamin and mineral requirements vary at different stages of our lives, generally because of changes in how effectively our bodies absorb these nutrients. Additionally, our vitamin and mineral requirements vary with our daily caloric intake. The more calories you consume, the more vitamins and minerals your bodies need.

Many people select their vitamin and mineral supplements based on the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). The RDA, developed by the Food and Nutrition board in 1941, is updated periodically. However, the RDA is a general one-size-fits-all measure about daily vitamin needs to avoid vitamin deficiency diseases. Current research shows that higher levels of some of these vitamins and minerals are required to truly achieve good health and for therapeutic benefits to undo years of environmental damage our bodies have suffered.

In addition to vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals are increasingly recognized as playing a crucial role in proper absorption of nutrients and in cellular function and regeneration. Phytochemicals are nutrients found in fruits and vegetables and their extracts, that are generally not present in synthetic vitamin supplements.

You can find help in determining if your mineral and vitamin supplements are meeting your daily vitamin requirements and are nutritionally available to your body. You can also find out about phytonutrients that your body needs to maintain good health and ways to get phytonutrient sources conveniently into your diet.