Calcium, vitamin D, antioxidants, are only a few of the vitamins people think they’re supposed to take.

However, not all vitamins are created equal and your body doesn’t need vitamins in equal doses.

If you want to know the best vitamins to take and which to avoid, this article will give you an idea.

Best Vitamins to Take

These are some of the best vitamins experts recommend taking on top of a balanced diet.

Zinc

While everyone thinks of vitamin C as the ultimate cold fighter, zinc is the real cold fighter.

If you take zinc within the first 24 hours after getting a cold, it cuts the time it lasts by a day.

Zinc is also great to fight off depression, dandruff, ADHD, anemia, anorexia, and even acne.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for your body’s overall bone health. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium in your bones. That’s why calcium alone is not enough to promote bone health. When both of these vitamins work together to prevent osteoporosis.

You can get your daily quota of vitamin D by soaking up some rays of sunshine every day. If you have trouble getting some sun, you can also get vitamin D from fortified milk or fatty fish.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 absorption might be difficult to absorb as we get older, which is one of the reasons you might want to take some vitamin B12 supplements.

The proper dosage of B12 can help your body fight off signs of dementia and other cognitive declines associated with aging.

Folic Acid

Folic acid is a crucial vitamin pregnant women should take to prevent neural tube defects in fetuses. Neural tube and spinal cord defects affect over 3,000 pregnancies a year in the United States.

Pregnant women and those who plant to conceive should take about 400 micrograms of folic a day to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.

Calcium

Calcium is one of those vitamins that can be put into both categories. The reason is people don’t tend to have calcium deficiencies the same way they would have other vitamin deficiencies, like iron.

Calcium can be found in dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you eat these, you will get enough calcium in your diet. However, those who don’t eat dairy might need a little help in order to get the required amount of calcium.

In order for your body to properly absorb calcium, it should be taken with vitamin D.

Don’t Rush to Get These Vitamins

Before you clear out the shelves at your local vitamin store, you need to know which vitamins you don’t really have to buy. You can get your fill of these vitamins just from food. Except for tribulus terrestris, which you can get online.

Iodine

Iodine is one of those supplements that should not be taken unless is under your doctor’s supervision.

This supplement and the thyroid gland go hand in hand. The thyroid is an important part of the endocrine system and produces and releases hormones into the body.

Too much or too little iodine can lead to an underactive thyroid.

Iron

While iron is essential for the proper function of your red blood cells and to prevent anemia.

Iron deficiencies are serious business if not addressed right away. However, you can actually get iron naturally from a variety of foods such as seafood, meats, leafy and green vegetables, and nuts.

The reason iron is on this list is that consuming too much iron can have negative effects on your health. Too much iron can cause damage to the liver, pancreas, and heart.

Consult your doctor for the proper iron dosage if you have a deficiency.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E has many health benefits such as preventing heart attacks, high blood pressure, and chest pain. Not to mention some studies show Vitamin E can prevent Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, restless leg syndrome and more.

However, too much vitamin E has been shown to increase the risk of cancer and increase the risk of death and bleeding in the brain.

This doesn’t mean vitamin E is bad for you, but you should get it from natural sources such as poultry, eggs, meat, cereals, fruits, vegetables, and more.

Selenium

Selenium is an antioxidant that helps your body reduce the risk of cancer such as prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers.

And while this vitamin has some great benefits, you shouldn’t run to the vitamin shop to buy it.

You can get enough selenium in your diet if you eat meat, seafood, eggs, and bread.

Vitamin C

Yes, vitamin C has a lot of health benefits, especially when it comes to curing a common cold. Vitamin C can reduce the length of a cold by a day.

However, it doesn’t take a lot of vitamin C to help your body fight off a pesky cold. You can eat berries, broccoli, green peppers, and of course, citrus fruits to get your fill of vitamin C.

Multivitamins

Although people on the go feel better about taking multivitamins, a lot of the nutrition these provides can be obtained through food.

The problem with multivitamins is if you don’t know exactly what your body needs, you might not get many benefits.

It’s a better idea to have your doctor give you a list of vitamins you might need or eat a balanced diet.

Vitamin B6

You’ve heard of the benefits of vitamin B complex, so you must be wondering why B6 is on the list. Vitamin B6 supplements can cause serious health issues when taken over a long period of time.

You can find this vitamin naturally in fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains, and more.

The Bottom Line

With so many vitamins out there, it might be difficult to know which are the best vitamins to take.

Often times you don’t need to take extra supplements if you only follow a balanced diet. To be sure, you should always consult your doctor about any vitamin deficiencies concerns you might have.

If you want to read more useful tips, check out our blog.