Even if you pride yourself on eating whole foods and cooking healthy meals, it can still be super hard to get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. That’s when it can be helpful to pop a capsule or two (or three?) juuust to make sure. To make things a bit harder, your nutrient needs change as you age.
For instance, “as women navigate through the wonderful world of the menopause transition, there are changes, health-wise, that happen,” says Leslie Bonci, RD, a sports dietitian based in Pittsburgh. As your hormone levels start to decrease, you may be more likely to lose bone density and muscle mass. When these changes happen, “there are certain nutrients that are going to be needed more than others,” she adds.
Meet the experts: Leslie Bonci, RD, is a sports dietitian based in Pittsburgh. Navya Mysore, MD, is a primary care physician, women's health expert, and WH advisor based in New York City. Knowing which supplements you should take in each stage of life may be complicated, but we found the right experts to simplify everything.
Consider this your supplement roadmap. First, have a conversation with your primary care physician—they should know about all of the medications and supplements you’re currently taking or are considering. Your doc will help you ensure supplementation is the best course of action after considering your holistic health care plan.
Then, they can rule out any potential medication interactions and decide which dosage is best, says Navya Mysore, MD, a primary care physician, women's health expert, and WH advisor based in New York City. Here are some of the most common interactions, per Dr. Mysore and Bonci: You also might want to get bloodwork done before starting a supplement, especially if you think you may have a deficiency.
However, you don’t need bloodwork if you’re just taking a basic prenatal or multivitamin. Just remember: “Supplements are a complement to—not a replacement for—eating,” Bonci says. They’re just one piece of the puzzle; in order to live your healthiest, longest, best life, you’ll want to make sure you’re eating nutritiously and exercising consistently.
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