Taking vitamins together in correct amounts ensures they work in harmony. Ingesting mega-doses of some nutrients will cause a deficiency in others. While Vitamin C can be taken in mega-doses during cold and flu season, this is not the case for most supplements. Vitamins and minerals work in synergy with each other to release energy from foods. They do not work independently as stand-alone miracle cures to change health at the cellular level.
Instructions
1. Become familiar with the daily recommendations for all basic nutrients by reviewing a nutrition guide. For example, adults need 4,000 International Units of Vitamin A per day. Research how much of the essential nutrients you need for your age, weight and gender. Don't assume that you need the same amount of any vitamin or mineral as another person.
2. Take half as much magnesium as calcium. Calcium cannot be properly absorbed nor utilized without magnesium. For example, post-menopausal women who take 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily should take 600 milligrams of magnesium. Take Vitamin D daily or acquire it through foods to help calcium absorb more effectively as well.
3. Avoid taking B-complex vitamins by themselves. Taking large amounts of B-1, B-2, B-6 or any in this family tends to cause depletion of the others. This family of nutrients work together. If you receive B-12 shots to correct a long-term depletion, take a good liquid multivitamin containing other B-complex vitamins. Otherwise, the B-12 excess will run the others out of your body via your kidneys.
4. Take magnesium and eat magnesium-rich foods if you take potassium supplements. Patients with high blood pressure sometimes need potassium to run out excess table salt (sodium) from the body. Potassium, sodium and magnesium all balance each other in the system. A diet including plenty of fish, fruit and green vegetables will help keep potassium and magnesium in balance.
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