Over recent years we keep hearing about supplements and vitamins that we should take. In the future some often predict we will simply ingest pills instead of a healthy complete meal.
The way this would work would be that pills would contain all the necessary nutrients we need to survive, ignoring the joy of eating tasty meals of course.
While the subject of vitamins and supplements and all of their benefits is a very vast subject here are in a nutshell the most common nutritional deficiencies per age group or lifestyle.

• If you’re just a regular Joe that does not pay much attention to his or her diet you probably simply want to make sure you have adequate zinc, chromium, manganese in your diet. You might also want to simply consider taking a good general multivitamin supplement.
• If your a vegeterian you must pay particular attention to certain vitamins that you might lack due to your very low consumption of food derived from animals. You definitely should embrace the flax seed benefits since they contain omega 3 which is usually in fish. You should also consider vitamin B12 supplements because they are almost only in animal derived products which you are most likely not eating and not taking advantage of.

• Women are more likely to be deficient in magnesium, iron, zinc, folic acid and possibly calcium. If you’re pregnant or nursing you are more likely to be deficient in folic acid and iron especially.

• If you’re over 65 you have a good chance of being deficient mainly in B12 vitamin, vitamin D, vitamin K, folic acid and zinc. Vitamin D insufficiency is particularly common in the elderly since they do not enjoy as much time in the outdoors. If you would rather not take a multivitamin you might just want to take milk which usually has added vitamin D in most countries. This is especially helpful for women who beyond menopause often have a lack of calcium. One of the main problems for those over 65 is lower hormone levels due to their age. If you’re in this age group you might want to consider energy supplements like DHEA, pregnenolone and 5-HTP. Unlike regular vitamin supplements these are mostly used as building blocks for hormones. They have different functions including aiding in hormone production, helping to induce sleep, and balancing your moods. Do not forget that you should always talk to your doctor before taking any of these supplements or pills especially if you have any other medical condition.
A frequently asked question is when should I take my vitamins? The answer is that you should always take them with a meal unless specifically mentioned on the label or by your doctor that you should not.

It is important to reiterate that you might not need any sort of vitamin supplement if you’re very careful about your diet and make sure to include everything you need. Pills and supplements exist if you do not want to take the time to prepare a balanced diet beforehand. They can also be useful if you do not enjoy a particular type of meal such as fish but still need omega 3.