What Vitamins Should You Actually Be Taking?

I’m a big vitamin taker. I take about six different pills a day, but no worries; they’re all vitamins, right? Some people say I’m crazy, but I like to think that these supplements are really helping me lead a healthier life.

However, should I really be taking all of these supplements (green coffee bean extract, biotin, B12, L-Carnitine, and a multivitamin)? Am I taking the right ones? Should I even be taking this many vitamins at all?

Experts say that if you eat a well-balanced diet (which of course means filled with lots of fruits and vegetables), most of your vitamin needs are taken care of. In reality, you’re really only supposed to be taking vitamins and supplements if your body is suffering from a deficiency.

Now, there’s a service to help us determine if your vitamin habits are good, or bad. Hum Nutrition is a customized-vitamin service that you can join for free. The membership is simple enough: first, you take a “lifestyle quiz” on the site, which is a five minute in-depth questionnaire that asks you about what you eat and how you eat, how much you exercise, how often you imbibe in a cocktail or two, and even the quality of air in your zip code.

After your answers are submitted, a registered dietitian goes through them and comes up with personalized vitamin recommendations, all based on what you do with your body on a daily basis. You then can buy the vitamins directly from Hum Nutrition, with a new bottle being shipped to you every four weeks (if you want).

I think this is an awesome service. Everyone’s body is completely different, and what you need varies from what the person next to you needs. Will you be trying this service?

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