You’ve probably walked down the supplement aisles at the grocery store, seen buzzworthy posts online about how vitamins can improve your health, or heard from a friend who swears that taking vitamin B12 every day will make all the difference.
Vitamins certainly get a lot of attention—both positive and negative.
So, what’s really behind all the talk about A’s, B’s, and C’s?
In simple terms, vitamins are essential nutrients that support your body’s basic functions, helping you stay healthy, defend against illnesses, and maintain your overall well-being.
Vitamins aren’t just found in bottles at the pharmacy. They’re naturally present in a variety of foods you eat, from salads to burgers to popcorn.
That said, it can be challenging to get all the vitamins you need through diet alone. Some individuals choose to take vitamin supplements to help fill nutritional gaps.
Whether you rely on food or supplements for your vitamins, one thing is clear: they’re crucial to supporting your health.
In this article, you’ll discover the importance of vitamins and how to ensure you’re getting the essential ones to meet your health needs.
Why Do You Need Vitamins?
If your body were a car, vitamins would be the fuel.
Without vitamins, your body just can’t function properly. But unlike a car, your body is much more intricate and requires many different types of fuel to work at its best.
Certain vitamins support your brain, others help boost your immune system, and some keep your skin healthy and vibrant.
Just like a car, your body needs a constant supply of fuel to carry out its various tasks.
This is why you need vitamins daily to help you stay active and healthy.
Supporting your foundational health means ensuring your body is getting the essential nutrients it needs to function optimally each day—this includes processes like detoxification, immune response, and energy production.
Vitamins aren’t just for when you’re feeling sick or low on energy. They are the building blocks of a strong health foundation. When that foundation is strong, your body has the nutrients it needs to keep running smoothly.
If that foundation is weak or lacking, your body may not perform at its best.
What Happens If You Don't Get Enough Vitamins?
If you don’t get enough of a certain vitamin, it can have serious effects on your health.
This is called a vitamin deficiency, and it can lead to a variety of health issues.
Older adults, due to changes in diet and metabolism, are at greater risk of experiencing a vitamin deficiency.
If you’re over 50, you might want to consider taking a multivitamin to help support your nutritional needs.
While most children and adults in the U.S. aren’t at risk of serious deficiencies, many still aren’t getting enough of the vitamins they need to maintain optimal mental and physical health.
Commonly, many Americans do not get enough vitamins A, C, D, and E [1,2], which means their bodies may not be getting the proper nutrients to support overall well-being.
A lack of vitamins can contribute to fatigue, mood changes, skin issues, and even a weakened immune system, which can lead to more frequent illness.
If deficiencies persist over time, they may increase the risk of long-term health conditions such as osteoporosis and diabetes [3]. But in the short term, you may simply feel tired, stressed, or unwell.
Other signs might include digestive issues, changes in your skin or nails, or just not feeling like your best self.
These could be signs of inadequate nutrition, and addressing them with proper vitamins could significantly improve your well-being.
What You Can Do Right Now to Get More Daily Vitamins
We’re going to dive into the details of each vitamin in the next section of this article, but if you’re looking for quick and simple ways to support your vitamin intake, here are a few things you can do right now:
- Eat a healthy, varied diet: Different foods provide different nutrients, so the more variety you have on your plate, the more likely you are to get a range of vitamins. Whole foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fish are among the most nutritious.
- Take a multivitamin: A multivitamin can help provide many of the vitamins you need each day. If you’re not getting all the vitamins you need from your diet, a multivitamin can help fill the gaps. For example, Manna Liposomal Multivitamin is formulated to provide essential nutrients and support your health.
- Take an antioxidant supplement: Antioxidants help neutralize harmful toxins in your body that can damage cells and negatively affect your health. Reducing these toxins can benefit your immune system, mental clarity, and overall organ health. Manna Liposomal Curcumin is a natural antioxidant supported by scientific research [4].
- Take an immunity booster: Vitamins are essential for maintaining a strong immune system, but many people don’t get enough of key vitamins like C and D. An immunity booster like Manna Liposomal Elderberry Immune can help support your body’s defenses against illness.
- Take the FREE Manna Vitamin Quiz: If you’re not feeling your best, it could be due to a lack of essential nutrients. Take our quick 60-second vitamin quiz to discover which vitamins may help improve your nutritional foundation and overall well-being. Answer a few questions, and we’ll recommend the right vitamins for you. Take the quiz here.
Tip: If you’re interested in adding all of the above vitamins to your daily routine, you can save money by bundling them together.
Manna’s Starter Bundle includes a Multivitamin, Curcumin, and Immunity Support all in one. It’s an easy and convenient way to strengthen your nutritional foundation!
These Are The Essential Vitamins You Need Each Day
Here’s a closer look at the essential vitamins your body needs to function optimally.
When shopping, be sure to check the dietary facts labels to see which vitamins you get from your food items.
- Vitamin A: Vitamin A is a key player in maintaining good vision, ensuring the proper functioning of your immune system, and supporting cell growth. It’s vital for reproductive health and plays a role in heart, lung, and kidney function.
- Vitamin C: An antioxidant vitamin, vitamin C helps protect your cells from damage. It’s also essential for the creation of collagen, which keeps your skin looking youthful and smooth. Plus, it’s an immune system booster.
- Vitamin D: Often called the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D comes from the sun. Unfortunately, it’s one of the vitamins Americans get the least of. It’s crucial for bone health because it helps your body absorb calcium. It also supports muscle function, brain health, and immunity.
- Vitamin E: This powerful antioxidant helps combat the effects of free radicals (aka toxins) and supports skin and eye health. It plays a role in the function of many organs in the body.
- Vitamin K: Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and healthy bones. It works with Vitamin D to ensure calcium finds its way to the bones to help them stay strong.
- Thiamin (Vitamin B1): Thiamin helps your body convert food into energy, and it plays an especially important role in processing carbs. If you suffer from afternoon energy crashes, thiamin might help [5].
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): Riboflavin is another energy booster. It helps your body break down carbs, proteins, and fats to produce energy. It also assists in maintaining the body’s energy supply.
- Niacin (Vitamin B3): Niacin helps you digest food effectively and maintains a healthy nervous system. Like the other B vitamins, it’s another metabolism helper.
- Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is involved in more than 100 enzyme reactions in the body’s cells, making it a powerhouse vitamin. B6 also helps build new red blood cells.
- Folate (Vitamin B9): Vitamin B stands for “brain” in the case of folate. It’s essential for proper brain function and plays a critical role in mental health and emotional stability. Folate is also one of the most important vitamins for expecting mothers and their cargo.
- Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is well-known for its natural energy-boosting powers. In fact, many energy drinks contain B12! It also contributes to mental health, mood, and red blood cell formation.
- Biotin (Vitamin B7): Biotin is the beauty vitamin. It makes your hair, skin, and nails shine with health. Because it’s a B vitamin, it helps your body convert food into energy. Like folate, biotin is also important for pregnant women for its role in embryonic growth.
- Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): Worried about your cholesterol? Vitamin B5 might help. This metabolism booster is involved in fat and carb metabolism, and studies suggest that it may help lower bad cholesterol [6].
Each of these vitamins plays a key role in keeping you at your healthiest. They contribute to the high-level functions of your organs—but also to the daily body processes that keep you feeling like yourself each day.
Remember that your body can’t make these nutrients on its own, and it needs them to survive.
Luckily, you can get 100% of the above vitamins from one serving of Manna Liposomal Multivitamin. Plus, it includes essential minerals as well, such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc.
Build Your Foundational Nutrition
If you haven’t been making a conscious effort to get all of your essential vitamins, you may not be getting enough of them.
Over half of Americans do not meet the recommended intake for multiple vitamins. Ensuring adequate vitamin intake is an important step in supporting overall health and wellness.
The best source of vitamins is a well-balanced diet. Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins provide essential nutrients that contribute to overall health. However, even with a nutritious diet, it can sometimes be challenging to obtain sufficient amounts of certain vitamins.
This is especially true for individuals whose diets may not regularly include foods such as fish, fresh produce, seeds, and healthy oils.
A high-quality multivitamin can help complement a balanced diet and provide additional nutritional support.
If you are interested in learning more about how vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and probiotics may support your health, consider taking Manna’s Vitamin Quiz.
By answering a few questions about your daily routine and health goals, you can gain insights into potential nutritional gaps and how to support your well-being.
FAQ
While there are numerous vitamins and minerals crucial for maintaining good health, certain vitamins stand out for their essential roles. These include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and the B Vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B6, B9, and B12). An easy way to get all these nutrients is by taking a good multivitamin!
The daily requirement for each vitamin varies depending on factors such as age, sex, health status, and lifestyle. A good starting point is to meet the recommended daily amounts for adults. To understand how much of each vitamin you’re getting, especially if you’re taking a supplement, check the Supplement Facts label on your multivitamin. This label will show what percentage of the daily value (%DV) each serving provides. Keep in mind that individual needs can differ, so consulting with a healthcare provider to tailor the vitamin amounts to your personal health needs is advisable.
Yes! Daily vitamins are beneficial, especially if your diet doesn’t cover all your nutritional bases. They help ensure you’re getting enough of the essentials to support energy levels, immune health, and overall wellbeing. While vitamins are great for filling in nutritional gaps, they aren’t a substitute for a varied diet. Also, more isn’t always better—taking too much of some vitamins can be harmful. It’s a good idea to talk with a healthcare provider to get advice tailored to your specific health needs and lifestyle.
- https://www.sfsh.com/blog/the-three-vitamins-youre-not-thinking-about-but-should
- https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/micronutrient-inadequacies/overview
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28341729/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33210299/
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/pantothenic-acid-vitamin-b5/