Top 5 Nutritional Supplements for Good Health

1) Multivitamin

Even healthy diets contain nutrient gaps. Thankfully, you can count on daily multivitamins to help fill in those gaps and provide your body with some valuable nutritional insurance.† Gender and age-specific formulas make the right multivitamin choice for your specific needs even easier.

Fun Fact: Liver is sometimes called nature's multivitamin as it is filled with a variety of important nutrients and is a high protein food.[1] Make sure you limit your consumption of liver to no more than 3 oz a couple times of week, as it is also high in cholesterol. Try sautéing it with onions, or if liver is new to you, try creating a pâté instead!

Learn More: How Do Multivitamins Work?

2) Fish Oil & Omega-3 Supplements

Fish oil is an excellent way to help support the health of your brain, as well as your heart. It’s full of the omega 3’s DHA and EPA and can be found in a variety of foods, such as:

• Seafood
• Fatty fish like salmon, bluefin tuna, sardines/anchovies, and herring 
• Algae

Wondering why to take fish oil and Omega-3 supplements and how to know if you’d be a good candidate for the supplement? If oily/fatty fish like salmon and anchovies are not a part of your regular diet at least twice a week, then it may be worthwhile to incorporate omega-3 and fish oil supplements—a source of the heart healthy† EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids. EPA and DHA also help support flexible cell membranes.†

Learn More: Fish Oil Heart Health Benefits

3) Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble nutrient that supports bone, teeth, muscle and immune health.† However, due to the limited food sources rich in Vitamin D, over 95% of Americans fail to meet their daily intake needs for Vitamin D, making it a “nutrient of public health concern”.* 

Foods with vitamin D include:

• Fatty fish
• Beef liver
• Cheese
• Egg yolks
• Fortified milk
• Fortified cereal
• Certain fortified yogurts, cheeses and juices [3]

A simple blood test can help you determine what your Vitamin D level is and whether a dietary supplement would be beneficial. At the next appointment with your health care professional, be sure to discuss your current Vitamin D level and needs in terms of nutritional supplementation. By analyzing your lab results, your healthcare provider can recommend whether Vitamin D supplements would be a great addition to your regimen. For those asking what vitamins women should take on a daily basis, vitamin D is one of them.

Learn More: How Much Vitamin D Do You Get From the Sun? and Vitamin D Source

4) Calcium Supplements

Calcium is vital for the health and strength of your bones. If you don’t get enough of this essential nutrient from your diet, your body will deplete Calcium stored in your bones to get what it needs.[3] 

Since your bones contain 99% of your body’s Calcium, meeting the recommended level of Calcium intake daily is important for bone health––now and as you age.† Aside from calcium supplements, Milk, yogurt, green leafy vegetables and cheese are great sources of this nutrient.

Specifically, you can up your intake of delicious foods like:

• Milk
• Yogurt 
• Tempeh
• Calcium-Set Tofu
• Soybeans
• Fortified foods and drinks

Approximately three servings a day are needed for you to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance (1,000 mg to 1,200 mg for adults). This can be challenging for many individuals; therefore, a Calcium dietary supplement can help fill in this key nutrient gap.

Learn More: Are You Getting Enough Calcium?

5) Probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria that help support a healthy digestive system, which is important to overall health.† They are often referred to as “good” or “beneficial” bacteria based on their beneficial activity in the body. They naturally exist in cultured or fermented foods such as yogurt and certain cheeses. 

Just about anything fermented is a great source of probiotics. In addition to taking probiotics, you can eat foods like:

• Sauerkraut 
• Pickles
• Miso
• Kimchi
• Kefir
• Aged cheeses
• Cultured, non-dairy yogurt

Nutritional supplements containing live cells, like our probiotics for adults, digestive probiotics are another way to help support regularity and healthy balance in the gut.†

Learn More: What Foods Have Probiotics?

Using Nutritional Supplements to Support Good Health

Support your health by enjoying the benefits of essential nutrition from vitamins, minerals and supplements.† Consult with your healthcare professional or more specifically, a dietitian, to learn how these top five supplements can support an overall healthy diet.

Learn More About Vitamins & Supplements:

• What Do Antioxidants Do?
• The Best Vitamins for Men Over 50
• Omega 3-6-9 Benefits & Differences

Follow @NatureMadeVitamins on Instagram for new product news, healthy lifestyle tips, and more.

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References

1. Why Liver Earns the Name ‘Nature’s Multivitamin’ https://foodandnutrition.org/blogs/stone-soup/liver-earns-nickname-natures-multivitamin/ 
2. What is Vitamin D? Published December 7, 2020. Reviewed October 2020 https://www.eatright.org/food/vitamins-and-supplements/types-of-vitamins-and-nutrients/what-is-vitamin-d 
3. Calcium, Published September 7, 2017. Reviewed January 2021 https://www.eatright.org/food/vitamins-and-supplements/types-of-vitamins-and-nutrients/calcium 
4. Food Sources of Vitamin D. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials/food-sources-select-nutrients/food-sources. Published 2020. Accessed April 17, 2023.