Supplement Taking Tips: The Do’s and Don’ts of Taking Vitamins

Taking supplements is an easy way to empower your diet with foundational nutrition and provide your body with the nutrients it needs to keep you feeling great. But taking supplements requires dedication and consistency. It isn’t enough to pop a vitamin when you’re feeling low-energy—you’ve got to take supplements the right way in order to get the best results. 

It’s a bit like going to the gym. You can’t just pick up a dumbbell and swing it around any way you want. You need to move your body the right way to build muscle and burn fat, AND be consistent with it throughout your lifetime. Taking supplements works the same way, which is why some people don’t get the results they’re looking for; they have no plan and they don’t stick with it Lucky for you, the team at Manna are the personal trainers of the supplement world, and we’re going to provide the tips you need to take your supplements for maximum gains.  

Supplement Do’s and Don’ts: Get the Results You Want from Your Vitamins

Follow the advice below to make the most of your vitamins. Remember that not all vitamins are the same and some may have special instructions, so make sure to read the label and/or talk to your doctor before taking any new supplement. 

5 Do’s When Taking Supplements

1. DO make it a daily habit.

Your body needs essential nutrition every single day to perform its daily tasks. So, if you’re taking a supplement for a nutrient you don’t get enough of in your diet, you need to take it daily. Other nutrients, such as Vitamin C, are not easily stored by the body, so you need to take them every day to maintain optimal concentrations [1].

2. DO use supplements as instructed.

Always read the instructions and supplement facts panel on the supplement packaging. They will tell you how to maximize the bioavailability of the active ingredients. For example, they may instruct you to take the vitamin with a meal or to avoid foods that prevent the nutrient from doing its job.  

3. DO be patient.

Just like at the gym, getting visible results from your vitamins takes time. This is especially true if you are deficient in a vitamin or mineral. It can take up to 3 months to overcome a nutrient deficiency [2]. 

4. DO make healthy lifestyle changes.

Supplements are part of a healthy lifestyle—not a replacement for it. To maximize the effect of your vitamins, accompany them with healthy choices like regular exercise and a consistent sleep schedule. It’s especially important to cut back on drinking and smoking, both of which can impede your body’s ability to absorb nutrients [3,4].

5. DO reassess your health goals.

As your life changes, so do your health goals. It’s important to adjust your supplements based on your choices and your environment. For example, you may want to take a Vitamin D supplement during the darker, winter months to make up for the lack of sun exposure. Women trying to get pregnant may choose to take a prenatal supplement with DHA, an essential omega-3 for fetal development [5]. And those going through menopause might take a calcium supplement to protect against osteoporosis [6].  

6 Don’ts When Taking Supplements

1. DON’T take inconsistent serving sizes.

When it comes to supplements, more is not always better. If you miss a day, don’t double your dosage. And don’t assume that a 1000mg dosage is better than 100mg when shopping for supplements. The quality of a vitamin or mineral source is often more important than the quantity per serving. Natural nutrients are part of a matrix of compounds that affect bioavailability. Supplement brands like Manna consider this when formulating their products. Other brands may offer high doses of isolated nutrients without including critical support ingredients. 

2. DON’T feel discouraged early on.

If your supplements don’t have an immediate effect on your mental and physical health, don’t feel discouraged. If your body is lacking a certain nutrient, it might take up to three months to get your levels back to normal. Other supplements simply take time to work, such as collagen. Studies have suggested that taking collagen supplements can visibly improve skin, hair, and nails—but around 8-12 weeks of consistent supplementation are required to see results [7,8]. 

3. DON’T take a new supplement without talking to your doctor.

Supplements are considered safe to consume because they are extensions of a healthy diet, but we always suggest checking with your doctor prior to taking a supplement you’ve never taken before or if you are unsure about how it will interact with any of your current medical care. This is especially true if you’re pregnant, nursing, have dietary restrictions or taking any medication. 

4. DON’T replace a healthy diet with supplements.

They’re called “supplements” for a reason. They supplement your diet—they don’t replace it. A healthy diet provides a lot of the nutrition you need. Supplements are there to enhance your healthy choices and fill in any cracks. For example, if you don’t eat meat, you may want to take a B complex supplement or a zinc supplement to support a vegetarian diet. If you don’t eat many leafy greens, a magnesium supplement can help fill in that nutritional gap.      

5. DON’T assume all supplements are created equal.

Supplement brands have very little oversight, and they do not require FDA approval. So, many brands use poor ingredients that barely affect your health, low or ineffective dosages, and some supplements contain harmful additives [9]. It’s important to choose a supplement brand with a basis in science, transparency and whole-food ingredient sourcing. Manna is proud to produce scientifically formulated supplements in an FDA-registered and Good Manufacturing Practices-compliant facility. We believe in maximizing health—not profits. So, we only use the highest quality natural ingredients with no fillers or unnecessary additives. Learn more about the Manna story here.  

6. DON’T give up!

Think of something you started in the past but gave up on. Maybe a sport, hobby or musical instrument?  Now, think if you hadn’t quit and how proud you’d be today that you stuck with it.  Stick with using your supplements every day and your future body will thank you for taking such good care of it! 

Consistency is Key in Getting Results from Supplements 

You may have noticed a trend in our do’s and don’ts above: Consistency is the most important part of your supplement routine. Much like going to the gym, visiting just once doesn’t do much good. The real benefits come from consistent healthy choices over time. When taking supplements, it’s critical to maintain a daily routine to keep your body empowered with the health you need.

That’s why Manna offers subscriptions on all of our supplements and bundles. When you subscribe, we’ll ship you a monthly supply of our highly bioavailable liposomal products  every 30, 60 or 90 days—you don’t have to lift a finger. Even better, you’ll save 20% on every order just by subscribing. It’s the easiest way to maintain a regular supplement routine that delivers real results. 

Get Better Results from Your Effort and Money

The do’s and don’ts on the lists above will help you get more nutrition each time you take your supplements while avoiding dangerous and money-wasting mistakes. But even our tips won’t do much good unless you choose a high-quality supplement brand that maximizes bioavailability. Manna vitamins are formulated with real nutrients and protected by liposomes, helping you absorb up to 10x more nutrition with every dose. Good supplement habits, Manna vitamins and positive lifestyle choices—that’s the recipe for getting the best results from your supplement routine.