This post is sponsored by Halal Living SPC. As always, all opinions are my own.

When starting to work towards a healthier lifestyle, many people get overwhelmed by the amount of information regarding health. A simple question can lead someone to multiple tabs open on their browser, left with even more unanswered questions. This sense of overwhelm often turns people away from healthy eating because it feels too complicated to even start.

One of those questions is often which vitamins you should be taking. Today, I wanted to go over some simple guidelines to help you determine if you should be taking vitamin supplementation. Here are 5 guidelines to help you decide which vitamin supplements you should be taking:

1. Review Your Current Food Intake

Before adding any supplementation, you should first review your current food intake. If you aren’t eating optimally to begin with, adding vitamins will not provide you with the energy and optimal health that you are looking for. Ideally, you can speak to a Dietitian or Nutritionist to help review your current food intake and identify how to make it healthier. You can also review your own food intake by writing down everything you are eating and drinking for 1-3 days. A good start to improving your daily eating habits is to:

• Swap processed snacks with fresh fruits

• Include half a plate of veggies at lunch and dinner

• Swap sugary beverages with water

2. Fruit and Vegetable Intake

A lot of the vitamins and minerals come from eating a variety of fruits and veggies. Eating the same 1-3 fruits all the time means that you are missing out on a lot of the nutrients. An easy way to get a variety of vitamins and minerals is to eat different coloured fruits and veggies. Every time you are at the grocery store, try to get at least one different fruit and veggie. By eating a variety of fruits and veggies in your day, you are likely to consume an adequate amount of most vitamins and minerals.

3. Supplementing Depending On Your Life Stage

There are certain life stages in which you need supplementation to have optimal nutrition, especially for women, no matter how healthy you are eating. These include:

• Considering starting a family: a prenatal vitamin is recommended to ensure you are getting an optimal amount of folic acid in the first few weeks of pregnancy to prevent birth defects. Most women don’t realize they are pregnant until a few weeks later, so it is safest to be taking a prenatal vitamin.

• Pregnant: a prenatal vitamin includes the important vitamins and minerals needed to provide optimal nutrition for mom and baby.

• Breastfeeding: even though you are no longer pregnant, a breastfeeding woman needs optimal nutrition to support her and provide optimal milk supply. A prenatal vitamin is also recommended at this time.

• Older adults: once you are over the age of 50, you need optimal nutrition to support bone health. While you can get calcium from a lot of food sources, if you have a low appetite, a calcium supplement is recommended. All older adults should be taking a vitamin D supplement as well to support bone health. Halal Living offers a calcium+vitamin D supplement to address both of these needs. 

4. Healthy Fat Consumption

Omega-3 fats are essential for optimal body function. Alpha-linolenic-acid, a type of omega-3 fat, is not produced by our bodies so it is an essential fat required from food sources. The amount of omega-3 fats recommended varies and a higher amount is recommended for those at risk of heart disease. Fatty fish such as salmon, omega-3 eggs, and ground flaxseed are good sources of omega-3 fats. If you find it challenging to consume enough of these foods on a weekly basis, a supplement may ensure you are getting adequate amounts of omega-3 fats. It is often difficult to find a Halal omega-3 supplement due to the gelatin content. Try Halal Living Omega-3 Capsules and save 10% off when you use code Naz10 at checkout. 

5. Sunlight Exposure

Vitamin D is also known as the sunshine vitamin because it is the only vitamin that can be produced by exposing your skin to the sun. However, if you are living in a part of the world that doesn’t have a lot of sunlight or you wear clothing that covers most of your skin, you are likely not getting enough vitamin D. During winter months, a vitamin D supplement is often a good idea for children and adults. Halal Living has a 25% off winter promotion for their Vitamin D. Use code Naz10 at checkout for an additional 10% off! 

If you are looking for a Halal line of vitamin supplementation for you and your family, try Halal Living. Be sure to use these coupon codes at checkout so you can save more when you buy more: 

Naz10: 10% off when you buy 1-2 bottles.

Naz15: 15% off when you buy 3-4 bottles.

Naz20: 20% off when you buy 5-6 bottles.

Naz25: 25% off when you buy 7+ bottles.