A daily multivitamin and mineral supplement can help ensure you meet recommended micronutrient intake levels, such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulfur (macrominerals) as well as zinc selenium and iron (trace minerals).
Our vitamin and mineral supplements come in pill-free formulations to make reaping the benefits of essential nutrients easier for you. Take a look at our selection here!
Calcium
Calcium, the body’s most abundant mineral, plays an integral part in building and maintaining strong bones. Furthermore, calcium also assists nerve impulse transmission and blood clotting processes.
Preventing osteoporosis requires adequate calcium consumption throughout life; the amount varies based on age and gender.
Foods such as yoghurt, milk and cheese provide most of the calcium your body requires each day, along with leafy vegetables, beans and nuts as good sources. Supplementation has been linked with higher rates of kidney stones and cardiovascular disease risk. Furthermore, high doses of calcium may hinder certain medications (like calcium channel blockers).
Chloride
Chloride (Cl-) is an essential nutrient essential to basic and complex bodily processes like breathing, digesting food, fighting disease and maintaining acid/base balance while transmitting nerve impulses and controlling water in and out of cells. Together with sodium and potassium it works together to keep acid/base levels within their proper ranges while transmitting nerve impulses as well as regulate water movement into and out of cells.
Your chloride levels can be checked via either blood or urine tests. A healthcare provider will prick your arm and send the sample off for testing in a laboratory – these tests typically cause little discomfort or pain.
Most people get all of the chloride they require from salt (in the form of sodium chloride) and vegetables, especially rye, tomatoes, lettuce, celery and olives. Due to no data being available to determine average requirements and population reference values for chloride intake (EFSA NDA Panel 2019), adequate intake values used are similar for chloride.
Iron
Iron is essential in creating red blood cells and hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body. Iron deficiency is common among infants, young children, menstruating women and pregnant or breastfeeding women – and even sometimes infants themselves!
When selecting iron supplements, opt for third-party tested products and a physician’s advice. Some individuals have hemochromatosis, an inherited disorder causing excess iron accumulation; treatment includes regular blood tests and a low iron diet.
Iron is found in foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, beans, nuts and seeds as well as whole grains and fortified foods. Doctors usually prescribe iron as ferrous sulfate and ferric citrate compounds because these forms of the mineral can more readily be absorbed by our bodies.
Magnesium
Magnesium is necessary for over 300 chemical reactions within the body, including nerve and muscle function regulation, maintaining regular heartbeats and managing glucose levels in blood. Furthermore, magnesium plays an essential role in bone health – studies link reduced intake with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures (35).
Magnesium also appears to help support healthy sleep, with one study among older adults showing magnesium supplements reduced the time it took them to fall asleep and increased time spent sleeping soundly through the night. Furthermore, magnesium may also play an integral part in treating and preventing migraine headaches.
However, taking proton pump inhibitors such as dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), esomeprazole (Nexium), or lansoprazole (Prevacid) could reduce magnesium absorption into your body, especially if you exceed your daily recommended allowance for magnesium intake.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral for supporting immune function and healing wounds, fighting infections and improving taste perception. Zinc can be found naturally in foods such as beans, meat and fish as well as supplements.
Inflammation and poor diet can contribute to zinc deficiency. People with rare genetic mutations, infants whose mothers provide inadequate amounts of zinc in their breast milk and those taking immuno-suppressing drugs are especially at risk of zinc deficiency.
Zinc supplements should generally be safe to take in doses up to 40 mg daily; however, extended use increases the risk of diarrhea and metallic taste in your mouth. It’s best to seek medical advice regarding taking zinc due to potential interactions with medications like quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics.
