Just like everything in life has rules, so do the consumption of vitamins and minerals. Many of us take vitamins to support our health, but we need to know when they can be taken and if they have interactions with other vitamins and foods. Some vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron can inhibit each other’s absorption in the gut, rendering them useless when we take them. Some vitamins such as iron and Vitamin C work well together, and are able to absorb better. Knowing these and other rules about vitamin and mineral consumption will help in choosing what to take, when to take them and what to take them with. Let’s get to some rules you should follow to get the most out of your vitamins and minerals.
Rule #1
Take vitamins B1, B12 and iron during the first half of the day, in the morning. These micronutrients boost your energy and are best taken in the morning to get through the day.
Rule #2
Take all fat soluble vitamins and minerals with meals that have fat. These fat soluble vitamins and minerals include Vitamins A, E, D, K, lycopene, lutein, astataxanthin and they need fat in the body to absorb better.
Rule #3
Calcium and magnesium are important minerals that help our bodies relax. The body uses calcium at night as muscle relaxant and having the proper amounts of calcium improve our deep sleep. So take these minerals in the evening.
Rule #4
As mentioned above, calcium and iron can inhibit the absorption of each other when taken together. So space out the intake of these minerals by at least four hours. Take iron with vitamin C such as fresh orange juice or a vitamin C supplement. These two benefit the absorption from each other.
Rule #5
Beverages other than juice or water contain polyphenols. These polyphenols inhibit the absorption of vitamins and minerals and render them useless when ingested. So do not take any vitamins and minerals with soda, tea or coffee and its preferable not to take the vitamins and minerals within 2 hours of ingesting these other beverages.
The Takeaway
While it might be convenient to take your vitamins and minerals at once, it is better if you know about some rules you should follow to get the greater benefits from them. To know more about vitamins and minerals
