You might think that if you eat enough fruits and vegetables, stay hydrated, expose yourself to adequate sunlight and get plenty of sleep, your body shouldn’t really need a supplemental source of vitamins and minerals, right? This is where you are wrong. Here are some powerful reasons to consider supplementing your diet with high-quality nutrients, no matter how healthy your lifestyle is.

1. Your ability to absorb nutrients from the food we consume decreases as we age. So while growing children should absolutely be taking a multivitamin to support healthy immune, tissue and bone formation, supplementation becomes equally important for the older population. Sure, you could just eat more food, but this introduces a problem with caloric balance. Beware that many medications also interfere with proper nutrient absorption.

2. Nutrient depletion in the soil. Modern farming techniques utilize fertilizers that actually     deplete the soil of essential nutrients. Agriculture relies on the elements in the soil for absorption of proper amounts of minerals, and when this process is interrupted, the plant does not contain essential minerals and cannot form essential vitamins. And if the plant doesn’t have it then you’re not going to get it from eating the plant!

3. Commercial harvesting, shipping processes, long term food storage, processing, and addition of preservatives degrades the nutrient content of food. Many foods are shipped long distances and are stored for long periods of time, both of which cause the depletion of vitamins in these foods, including the important B-complex and C vitamins. Therefore, unless you’re eating a very fresh plant, it is a far different species at consumption than it was when initially harvested. In addition, compounds added to the food during many of these processes, such as MSG, saccharine, nutrasweet, splenda, coloring, and flavors will increase your body’s need for nutrients to deal with these damaging synthetic derivatives.

4. Pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals found in the modern food supply are combined with chemicals in water, environmental contamination from elements such as degraded plastic, air pollution from carbon monoxide, lead and mercury. These synergistic elements vastly increase our need for extra vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to combat formation of free radicals and the attack upon our metabolism and immune system.

5. If you are a gym lover exercising will increase your nutrient needs. The vast amount of extra oxygen and energy used by active individuals will necessitate nutrient consumption that far exceeds the typical RDA of the average population. Consuming just the stated RDA can actually limit your athletic performance.

Remember, you should always consult a qualified health professional first to avoid any drug-nutrient interactions. Always read the labels to avoid supplements with sweeteners, colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, or fillers.  Children should always take supplement formulas designed for their needs.