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 Health food stores, pharmacy and supermarket shelves stocked full of supplements.
We all know that vitamins and minerals are essential for good health, so should we be stocking up at our next trip to the supermarket? We investigate…
If you eat a healthy, balanced diet it’s unlikely you’ll need supplements. However, there are certain vitamins and minerals that some New Zealander’s fall short on. The most common mineral that we fall short on is iron. Others include iodine, vitamin D and selenium. BUT we don’t necessarily need to take supplements to get enough. Here’s how you can get your daily intake:
Iron Iron is a mineral that is an integral part of the red blood cells that transport oxygen around the body. Red meat is the most readily absorbed source of iron. Eating red meat twice a week, and eating a wide range of foods from the different food groups should ensure you get enough.
To supplement or not?
Not without a check up. If you’re feeling run down and tired, don’t self medicate and buy iron tablets, get a check up from your doctor as other deficiencies can cause similar symptoms.
 IodineIodine is essential for making thyroid hormone. Because our soils are low in iodine, so is our food. Salt is iodised to help provide iodine deficiency, but the commonly used sea salt isn’t and many of us are cutting back on salt intake, meaning iodine deficiency is increasing in NZ. An enlarged thyroid gland in the neck (goitre) is the earliest sign of an iodine deficiency.
Good sources include seafood and seaweed. Low-fat milk and eggs are also a source of iodine: 2-3 servings of dairy products provide half your needs. Two pieces of sushi will provide you with your daily intake.
To supplement or not?
Not recommended.  SeleniumThe selenium content of New Zealand soil is particularly low, which means that foods grown in our soils are also low in selenium. Sources of selenium include seafood, meat and eggs. Deficiency in selenium generally produces no obvious symptoms, but most New Zealanders will benefit from having more selenium in their diet. How to get more? Two Brazil nuts will provide twice your daily needs of selenium.
To supplement or not?
It’s not advisable to take supplements because the toxic level of selenium is not known.
 Vitamin DVitamin D, along with calcium is essential for healthy bones. Seafood provides the richest food source, but there aren’t many food sources that are high in Vitamin D. A lot of our vitamin D is made through our skin through the sun. But because we are being more sun smart, our vitamin D production has decreased.
To supplement or not?
Not. Getting just 10 minutes of sunshine will ensure you get enough vitamin D – no need to sunbake! Also a small tin of tuna will give you your daily Vitamin D needs.  Summary - Do we need supplements?Most people take supplements “just in case”. But unless you have special dietary needs, such as during pregnancy or if you are a vegan, its best to eat a diet high in variety to get all the vitamins you need. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables will not only give you lots of nutrients, it will also give you health promoting phytochemicals – and you can’t get those from vitamins.
To supplement or not?
Vitamin supplements are definitely not a replacement for a balanced diet, so eat well, and add lots of variety to ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need to keep you fit and healthy.
Nicola, Nutritionist |
