In order to be fully healthy, your body needs to have ample supplies of certain vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are essential in supporting your body’s ability to grow, heal, and fight off illnesses.
While eating a well-balanced diet can help you get certain vitamins and minerals, eating a good diet won’t necessarily guarantee you’ll get everything you need. One way to make sure you get what you need is to take supplements.
At Creekside Family Practice in Cypress, Texas, compassionate and highly experienced board-certified physician Hammad Qureshi, MD, has been providing care to patients in the region for more than eight years. Dr. Qureshi and his skilled staff offer a full spectrum of medical services that can help you gain and maintain optimum health, including nutritional counseling.
What vitamins and minerals do I need?
There are 16 minerals and 13 vitamins that are essential for your body to perform all of its necessary functions. While you can get all of these substances by eating a perfectly balanced diet, that can be challenging to do.
You need vitamins and minerals to help your body grow and repair tissue, to help your blood clot if you get cut, and to help your immune system fight off infections. Furthermore, these vital substances are essential for building strong bones, producing hormones, and having a healthy heart.
You need vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, along with six different types of B vitamins. You also need a total of 16 minerals, which include familiar ones, such as iron and fluoride, and also lesser-known minerals, such as selenium and chromium. It can be overwhelming to keep track of all these and make sure you’re getting enough of each one.
Tailoring your vitamins and minerals to your needs
While vitamins and minerals are in all kinds of foods, there may be foods you don’t like or can’t eat due to allergies or other health issues. This can make it challenging to get the nutrients you need.
There also might be different factors and conditions unique to you that may change the level of vitamins and minerals you need as opposed to someone else. For example, if you’re injured or recovering from surgery, you may need more nutrients, such as vitamins C and A, to support healing and help prevent infections. And, as you age, you may need higher amounts of certain minerals, such as potassium and iron, to stay healthy.
After taking into consideration any conditions, illnesses, or special needs that you may have, Dr. Qureshi will develop a plan that integrates supplements you need into your diet so you can get the nutrients your body needs.
To learn more about taking vitamin and mineral supplements, book an appointment online or over the phone with Creekside Family Practice today.