Daily Vitamins and Minerals

Did You Take Your Vitamins Today?

That question — Did You Take Your Vitamins? — is probably one of the most frequently asked questions at breakfast tables throughout North America every morning. Taking daily vitamins and minerals has become part of the morning routine of the majority of households in North America.

What Are Daily Vitamins and Minerals?

Vitamins are organic compounds that come from food. Our bodies need vitamins in small amounts because our bodies cannot create them from scratch. Each vitamin contributes an essential piece to the puzzle of how our bodies work.

Minerals are inorganic compounds, meaning they are not naturally found in the foods we eat. Rather, minerals are absorbed from the soil and environment by the animals and plants we eat, and are then passed on to us.

Why Do We Need Vitamins and Minerals?

No one food source will provide all of the essential daily vitamins and minerals our bodies need. That is the key reason we are told to eat a balanced diet of a variety of foods.

Vitamins and minerals, and other nutrients, work in tandem to produce the desired nutritional value we need for healthy physical development and functioning.

For example, Vitamin D helps with the body's absorption and use of Calcium, which is a mineral essential to strong, healthy bones and teeth as well as to proper functioning of muscles and nerves.

Food sources of vitamin D are relatively rare, so some foods, such as milk products, rice and soy beverages and juices are fortified with vitamin D, and even then, many people will need to take a Vitamin D and Calcium Supplement.

It is possible to get all of our essential daily vitamins and minerals from the huge range of food sources provided by Mother Nature, but:

the nutritional value of our food is depleted through harvesting, processing, manufacturing and transportation over long distances from field to table,
many of us do not have the time or energy in our busy lives to pay enough attention to eating just the right mix of foods for the optimal intake and balance of each vitamin and mineral,
some people, depending on health conditions, age, life stage and activity level, simply need more than the amount of certain vitamins and minerals for certain healthy physical development and functioning than they can get by eating reasonable portions of those foods that contain the required vitamins and minerals and
in addition to the health benefits of many vitamins and minerals, many studies are showing that certain vitamins and minerals can prevent health conditions from developing, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

And so, taking daily vitamins and mineral supplements has become part of the morning ritual for many of us.

Where Can We Get Our Daily Vitamins and Minerals?

Boost Daily Vitamins wants to show you all of your options for getting your optimal intake of daily vitamins and minerals.

Follow the links below for more detailed information about what each of the essential daily vitamins and minerals do for us, and where to get them from food sources or supplements: