These are the Vitamins All Adults Need (And Most Aren’t Getting)

Getting work emails at 9 PM on a Friday. Finding an unpaid bill stuck in the mailbox the day after it’s due. Seeing your 2-year-old look you dead in the eye as they dump an entire glass of juice on the carpet. Let’s face it—adulting is hard. But for most, it’s a lot harder than it has to be. Our bodies and brains are built to endure long days, stressful situations and terrible bosses…but only if we provide them with the essential nutrients they need to do their jobs. These vitamins and minerals are like the ingredients for life, and without them, life gets very hard. Over time, nutritional deficiencies can cause chronic illness and a reduced life span.

It’s easy to get the nutrients you need and make adulting a lot more manageable. But most Americans still aren’t doing it. US adults are deficient or lacking in many critical vitamins and minerals because our diets don’t contain the nutrients we need. If you don’t regularly eat fish, seeds, vegetable oil, leafy greens or whole grains, you’re probably included in that group. Luckily, you can replenish your body with the nutrients it needs by making a few changes to your diet or taking a daily supplement such as a potent multivitamin. We’ll tell you which nutrients you need to thrive as an adult—and how to get more of them—below. 

The Most Important Nutrients for Adults 

Are you an adult? Congratulations on making it this far! But if you hope to reach your golden years, you need to consume these vitamins and minerals every day. 

Vitamin D

Why you need it: Vitamin D is essential for bone health, immune function, mental health, mood regulation, clear skin and much more.* 

How to get more: Spend time in the sun—it’s the best source of vitamin D. In the winter, when the days are dark and you spend more time indoors, take a vitamin D supplement. You can get vitamin D in your diet by eating fatty fish and fortified foods like juice or breakfast cereals.

What you need to know: Vitamin D is on top of this list for a reason. It’s incredibly important for many body functions, and it has a direct impact on how you feel each day. Vitamin D empowers your immune system to keep you feeling energized and healthy, and it stabilizes your mood so you can handle more stress. Unfortunately, as many as 95% of American adults don’t get enough [1]. This is because we work indoors, and we get severely low levels of vitamin D during winter. Boosting your levels of vitamin D can be life-changing, especially if you’re currently deficient. If you choose to take a supplement, make sure to take vitamin D3, the most effective form of the nutrient. 

Vitamin C

Why you need it: Vitamin C is an immunity powerhouse, and it’s a critical building block of collagen, which keeps your skin youthful and wrinkle-free.* Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that may reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses [2].

How to get more: Consume more colorful fruits and veggies like bell peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli and strawberries. 

What you need to know: Vitamin C is one of the best-known vitamins. You know you need it to boost your immunity in the cooler months, so it’s easy to assume that you get enough. But the truth is that about 40% of Americans are running critically low on C [1]. Symptoms of low vitamin C levels include stress, depression and fatigue—all of which are increasing among American adults [3]. If the pressure of adulting is getting overwhelming, vitamin C might help. It’s included in most multivitamins, but you can also take a vitamin C supplement if you’re feeling especially low. 

Calcium

Why you need it: Calcium helps you maintain strong teeth and bones, and it reduces the risk of osteoporosis, especially in women.* It’s also necessary for nerve and muscle function, enabling your brain to effectively communicate with your body. 

How to get more: Eat more dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese. Other sources include soy, spinach and tofu. 

What you need to know: Your body needs calcium daily to keep you youthful and strong in the long term. But it’s tough to get enough. You need at least 1000 mg per day, but a glass of milk only contains about 125 mg. Even if you eat calcium-rich foods with every meal, you may not crack 50% of your daily calcium needs. This explains why around 45% of American adults are lacking calcium [1]. Doctors have long suggested taking a calcium supplement to fill in the cracks [4]. However, make sure you also get enough of vitamins D and K. Without them, calcium can’t find its way to your bones and muscles [5].   

Magnesium

Why you need it: This essential mineral keeps bones and muscles strong, and it supports the nervous system.* It also helps you keep stress and blood sugar under control.* 

How to get more: Dark leafy greens and nuts are high in magnesium. It’s also found in whole grains, bananas and avocados. 

What you need to know: Magnesium is involved in hundreds of daily body processes, so your body can go haywire quickly if you don’t get enough—and over 50% of US adults don’t [1]. Having low magnesium levels is especially risky because there aren’t usually symptoms. However, low magnesium will increase your risk of a number of life-threatening diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis [6]. Like calcium, it isn’t hard to get some magnesium every day, but it’s tough to get enough to fuel your body. For instance, if you eat a cup of spinach and 2 handfuls of almonds every day, you’ll get about 240 mg of magnesium, falling significantly short of your 300-400 mg daily requirement. This is why magnesium supplements are so popular. A magnesium supplement provides you with 100% of your daily magnesium without having to eat more spinach or binge high-calorie nuts.  

Vitamin A

Why you need it: Vitamin A is critical for fighting infections and maintaining a bunch of pretty important parts of your body, including your eyes, heart, lungs and kidneys.*

How to get more: Shop for dairy products and colorful fruits like apricots, mangoes and cantaloupes. Tomatoes and red peppers are also high in vitamin A.  

What you need to know: Unlike some other nutrients on this list, vitamin A is not particularly hard to get in your diet. Nevertheless, around 45% of US adults don’t meet their daily requirements [1]. Low vitamin A usually manifests as poor skin—dryness, acne, breakouts and blotches. So, if you have skin issues and you’ve been spending loads on cosmetic creams, you may just need to eat more fruits and veggies. If salads and smoothies aren’t your thing, vitamin A comes standard in most multivitamins. 

Vitamin K

Why you need it: Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting and building strong bones.* 

How to get more: Find vitamin K in just about anything the color green—leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts and even kiwi.

What you need to know: Nobody thinks much about vitamin K, but it’s one of the few vitamins that you need every day as an adult. The most important thing to understand about K is that your body needs it to direct calcium to your bones (and not to your blood vessels where it can cause harm) [7]. Calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K work hand in hand to build bones and protect your heart. Yes, vitamins and minerals work together in the body to keep you healthy! This is why it’s so important to get all of them. If you’re stressed about measuring your daily calcium, D and K levels, take a bone health supplement and get them all at once. 

Ace Adulting with Better Nutrition

We won’t lie—adulting is hard. It’s tough enough when you eat fruits and veggies, make it to the gym and get 8 hours of sleep (as if that ever happens). But it can get a lot harder when your body and brain are not equipped to deal with the daily pummeling we call adulthood. Without proper nutrition, you can’t perform your best at work, you can’t handle stress and you just don’t feel like yourself. Getting your daily essential nutrients could make adulting a lot more manageable. It might even help with issues you didn’t think were nutrition-related, like anxiety, acne, headaches and feeling low-energy. It only takes a few changes to your shopping list to stock up on essential vitamins and minerals. And if you can’t fit them all on your plate, fill in the cracks with Manna Liposomal Supplements.