I just realized something: Most of us, “health-conscious” fitness girls, are always talking supplements. We’re always on the lookout for supplements that”ll help us gain strength, fat loss, gain muscle… the best protein powders, appetite suppressants, metabolism boosters… it never ends.

Yet, how much time do we thinking about vitamins? Do we put as much of an effort into researching essential nutrient supplementation? Isn’t taking care of our health even more important than all those sports supplements we like chatting about?

I believe so, which is why I’d like to share this article with you. It was originally published on WebMD, and is a fantastic resource. Hope you find it as enjoyable and interesting of a read as I did!

Essential Vitamins for Women at Every Age

If you’re a health-conscious woman, you probably know your nutritional needs change with each stage of life. If you’re of childbearing age, you need an adequate intake of folic acid to prevent birth defects. If you’ve experienced menopause, you may need to increase your intake of vitamin D to keep your bones strong. A deficiency of either vitamin when your body needs it can lead to serious health problems.

What are vitamins anyway?

Vitamins are essential chemicals that take part in all your body’s processes. They do that by participating in reactions inside cells. Each vitamin performs a specific function in the body, and no single food contains all the vitamins you need. Except for vitamin D, the human body cannot make vitamins. So you need to get vitamins from the foods you eat or from vitamin supplements.

At different stages of your life, your body’s need for specific vitamins varies.When you don’t get enough of a particular vitamin you need, you run the risk of serious health problems.

Many women know that eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day is a good way to get their essential vitamins. Most women, though, don’t eat the quantity of fruits and vegetables that are recommended or shown on the Food Guide Pyramid. As a result, many women in every age group are at risk for vitamin deficiencies.

Let’s look at some essential vitamins for women. Let’s explore what each vitamin does to boost your health and which whole foods are good sources of this vitamin. Let’s also examine how much you need to prevent disease as well as which vitamins are more important depending on your specific stage of life.

How do antioxidant vitamins boost health?

Many foods have antioxidant properties. There are, though, specific vitamins that are known as antioxidant vitamins. They include vitamin A — retinol and the carotenoids — vitamin C, and vitamin E. These antioxidant vitamins appear to play a role in the body’s cell-protection system. They do this by neutralizing highly reactive and unstable molecules called free radicals that your body produces.

Free radicals have been shown to disrupt and tear apart vital cell structures like cell membranes. Antioxidants tie up these free radicals and take away their destructive power. That may reduce the risk of chronic illness and slow down the aging process. Some researchers also believe that antioxidants might help boost immune function when a system is under stress. Antioxidants include:

• Beta-carotene, found in apricots, carrots, cantaloupe, and pumpkin, is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A aids in the building and strengthening of bones, soft tissue, skin, and mucous membranes. Other carotenoid compounds also have antioxidant properties including alpha-carotene (found in carrots, cantaloupe, and pumpkin), gamma-carotene (found in apricots and tomatoes) and lycopene (found in tomatoes, watermelon, and guava).

Food sources of beta-carotene include apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collard greens, kale, papaya, peach, pumpkin, red peppers, and spinach.

• Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, aids in wound healing and plays a role in the formation of red blood cells. Vitamin C also boosts levels of the brain chemical norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter. It boosts alertness and increases concentration. Studies show that when the body is under great stress or during the aging process, levels of ascorbic acid decline.

Food sources of vitamin C include broccoli, cantaloupe, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, kiwi, oranges, pepper, potato, strawberries, and tomato.

• Vitamin E is also known as tocopherol. It plays a key role in the formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of cell membranes. Vitamin E may slow age-related changes in the body. Adults with intestinal disorders of malabsorption may be deficient in vitamin E. But taking more than 1500 IU of vitamin E daily increases the risk of bleeding.

Food sources of vitamin E include margarine, corn oil, cod-liver oil, hazelnuts, peanut butter, safflower oil, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ.

What are the recommendations for antioxidants?

According to the USDA, many adults have trouble getting enough antioxidants in their daily diet. You can make sure you get enough antioxidants for optimal health by eating at least five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day. If your diet is low in fruits and vegetables, talk to your doctor about vitamin supplementation.

Are the B vitamins important for women’s health?

All B vitamins are important to a woman’s health. However, three vitamins in particular — vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid — are especially important. These B vitamins are essential to brain function, red blood cell formation, and building DNA.

In addition, if you’re pregnant, taking the B vitamin folic acid can significantly lower the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Poor eating habits, alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, and oral contraceptives have all been linked to low blood levels of folic acid.

Except among alcoholics or other severely malnourished people, deficiency of B vitamins is rare in the United States. When it does occur, B vitamin deficiency can cause irritability, depression, confusion. It can also cause inflammation of the tongue and mouth. Here’s information about these important B vitamins:

• Vitamin B6 is also known as pyridoxine. It’s important for metabolism and also for brain function. Vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia. Although some older adults have low levels of vitamin B6, true deficiency is rarely seen in the U.S. Vitamin B6 is one of the few water-soluble vitamins that can be toxic if taken in large doses. So eating healthy foods with vitamin B6 is usually the best way to get it.
  

Food sources of vitamin B6 include avocado, banana, beans, cereal, meats, oatmeal, poultry, seeds.

• Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins, is important for metabolism, normal cell division, and protein synthesis. Vegetarians of all ages are at risk for deficiency and may benefit from a daily vitamin B12 supplement. Vitamin B12 levels can be measured by a blood test. Your doctor can advise you if a blood test or supplementation is needed.

If you’re over age 50, you may have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 in its natural form. You can get an adequate amount in absorbable form by eating fortified cereals.

Food sources of vitamin B12 include cheese, eggs, fish, meat, milk, and yogurt.

• Folate is essential in the development of the central nervous system. This key nutrient also helps to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells. It also prevents alterations to DNA that can lead to cancer. Adults and children require folate to build normal red blood cells and prevent anemia.

Deficiencies of folate in women who are pregnant are linked to neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Spina bifida is an incomplete closure of the spine. Because of this risk for birth defects, many foods, such as breads and breakfast cereals, are now fortified with folic acid.

Food sources of folate include vegetables such as spinach and greens, asparagus, citrus fruits, cantaloupes and other melons, strawberries, fortified grains, legumes, beans — especially chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and lima beans — nutritional yeast, eggs, and organ meats such as liver.

What are the recommendations for B vitamins?

You’ll get all the vitamin B6 you need by eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Adults over 50 should eat vitamin B12-fortified cereals or take vitamin B12 supplements in order to avoid deficiency. In many women of childbearing age, folate intake through foods is not adequate to prevent birth defects. If you’re considering becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor about your need for folic acid supplementation.

Is vitamin D important for women?

Vitamin D is usually categorized as a fat-soluble vitamin. It actually functions, though, as a hormone in the body. Vitamin D helps to activate calcium and phosphorus — important minerals for keeping bones strong — into the bloodstream. When the body is depleted of vitamin D or has an insufficient supply, your body turns to the bones for replenishing calcium and phosphorus. This can thin your bones and contribute to osteoporosis.

Food sources of vitamin D include fortified milk and fish. And of course, sunshine is an excellent source as well.

What are the recommendations for vitamin D?

Younger adults may get plenty of sunlight throughout the day to keep this vitamin at the proper level. Many middle age and older adults, on the other hand, may have a problem. The USDA recommends that older adults, people with dark skin, and people who do not get adequate sunlight each day take extra vitamin D from vitamin D-fortified foods and/or supplements.

What foods contain vitamin K?

Vitamin K is not considered an essential vitamin. It does, though, play a key role in promoting strong bones in older people. The best food sources of vitamin K include green leafy vegetables, soybean oil, broccoli, alfalfa, cooked spinach, and fish oil.

Do I have to eat whole foods to get these essential vitamins or could I use supplements?

Most dietitians recommend getting essential vitamins through whole foods without relying on supplements. But talk with your doctor to make sure.

With whole fruits you get specific vitamins as well as all the essential nutrients necessary for immune function and energy. For instance, when you eat cantaloupe, you get a power-pack of vitamin C and beta-carotene — both essential for disease prevention.

The likelihood of ingesting too much of any vitamin from whole foods is remote. However, overdosing from mega-vitamin supplementation does occur. In large doses, some vitamins have documented side effects that tend to be more severe. For these reasons, you should never take mega-doses of any vitamin without speaking with your doctor first.