When I was a child, I remember our family doctor prescribing vitamins or vitamin supplements to my siblings and I when it seems that we are not gaining weight as we should. Thus, vitamins and weight gain became synonymous to me. This was the reason I literally avoided it from my teenage years. The only times I took them obediently was whenever I was pregnant because obviously the welfare of the child in my womb is far more important than my fear of gaining weight. Right after every child is weaned from breastfeeding, I would stop taking them and just start again on the next pregnancy.

You can just imagine just how long it has been since I took vitamins if I were to tell you that my youngest child is now 12 years old. For a time, that worked for me. Lately however, my body is telling me that it needed something to make it work more efficiently.

Why The Body Needs Vitamin Supplements

There are many reasons why the body needs vitamin supplements. During a routine medical check-up of my children, the doctor actually noticed how tired I looked. Actually, I was beyond tired, I was physically and mentally exhausted with a to-do list which is not even halfway. That is what happens to a multi-tasking person like myself who juggles parental, work, and writing responsibilities on a daily basis while trying to squeeze in all the other things that needed to be done. My eyes tell it all even behind the smile as you can see in my photos below. The doctor actually wrote a prescription for Vitamin C for the whole family and advised us to take 1 daily.

Let’s make it clear at the onset. Vitamin supplements are not meant to replace a healthy varied diet but they can certainly fill in the gaps for vitamin deficiency.The more nutrients and vitamins we get from food, the better. What justifies the intake of vitamin supplements then? Here are some reasons:

  1. To address vitamin deficiency which can be difficult to obtain from food intake.
  2.  To support the body systems while resolving a medical condition.
  3.  To aid in preventing sickness.

Vitamins C and E, which we have in our household, are both antioxidants which help to protect cells from damage that may be caused by free radicals. The vitamins needed for healthy function include vitamins A, C, E, D, K and the B vitamins. Be guided however as to which vitamins should not be taken together or with other prescribed medicines by consulting your doctor.

Caveat in Taking Vitamin Supplements

Given these things that vitamin supplements can do for our body, there are some important precautions to consider:

  1. It is always best to consult the doctor most especially if you intend to take vitamin supplements on a long term basis.
  2. Choose vitamins that are of excellent quality yet not expensive like Rhea Generics.
  3. Do not take beyond the maximum recommended dosage in the hope of speeding up a recovery process.

My Say

I cannot afford to take my health for granted. After all, I’m not getting any younger. So in a complete turn around, I have again started to take vitamin supplements specifically Vitamin C and E. I never felt better for the last 3 years.