While many people disregard vitamin supplements because they believe it’s just a bunch of “voodoo,” I wholeheartedly believe in the cover-all-bases value of daily vitamins. I’m all for any insurance in the form gummy vitamins. I mean, who doesn’t like popping a few gummies in the morning?
Here are 5 vitamins you should be taking as a young woman:
1. Biotin – Maintains healthy hair and nail growth – I’m not saying the Kardashians are geniuses but there is a reason they endorse SugarBearHair vitamins.
2. Vitamin C – First of all, you really can’t get too much vitamin C since any excesses are expelled with, yes, the trips to the water closet you’re supposedly taking because you’ve started hydrating properly. Vitamin C protects us against immune system deficiencies including cardiovascular disease, may shorten the duration of colds and even aids in health of your skin. And really, that orange juice in your mimosa shouldn’t be your only source of Vitamin C.
3. Vitamin B12 – Vitamin B12 is most commonly obtained from animal food products such as meat and eggs, and since so many college students choose a vegetarian or vegan diet, they run the risk of B vitamin deficiencies. Like vitamin C, you expel any excesses, so why not take that strawberry flavored gummy? B vitamins maintain metabolism and energy, and keep your nerves and your red blood cells healthy.
4. Vitamin D3 – Vitamin D is not easily obtained through food. It’s obtained by exposure to sunlight, without sunscreen of course, and it’s added to commercial milk. College students spend a majority of their time indoors, at class or in the library, and, like most young women, you won’t see me guzzling cartons of milk. Vitamin D deficiency affects normal growth and development of bones and teeth, and cardiovascular function. In addition, vitamin D provides improved resistance against some chronic diseases.
5. Magnesium – Did you know drinking excess alcohol (i.e. Jell-O shots) leaves your body depleted of Magnesium? You may have thought those leg cramps or digestive issues were all related to poor hydration from your night out. Well, yes and no. Keep drinking that water but take a Magnesium supplement. It helps increase energy and improves digestion since it “gets things moving,”and, yep, relieves muscle aches.
In addition to these 5 vitamins, the classic daily Multivitamin is also beneficial. I like to think of it as my daily insurance policy. Plus, taking my gummy vitamins justifies any reason to eat candy for breakfast.