Hello, Healthy!
Time to discuss vitamins! This power is sure to supplement your day! (Get it? Supplement?? Am I the only one laughing at this?) The vitamins added to your smoothie for this power-up are personalized for your needs! So why add vitamins? If you are someone who eats a perfectly balanced diet and is sure to include the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day, this power-up is definitely NOT for you! You’re doing great, and as a dietitian, I would love to give you a balloon and a big pat on the back! (I’m being totally serious, that’s awesome!) For anyone who doesn’t fit into that category, a good multivitamin is a great idea! I like to think of it as a “back up plan” for those days when your diet is not balanced, you miss some of those fruit and veggie servings, or even if your body just doesn’t absorb certain vitamins as well as it should. However, if you have any health concerns or are on prescription medications, you’ll want to check in with your doctor to be sure a multivitamin won’t cause any problems!
As mentioned, the vitamins we add to your smoothie are personalized for your needs, so for women, the vitamins added contain many important nutrients, but today I want to touch on the Vitamin b12 content and why it’s important for women in particular. Vitamin B12 is used to create red blood cells and prevents anemia, a concern for women due to blood loss (Oh, hello Aunt Flo!). It also appears to be involved in bone health and there is a relationship shown between adequate vitamin B12 and prevention of osteoporosis. This vitamin is also indicated as a factor in studies regarding mood and depression. In one study, it was found that those deficient in this vitamin were twice as likely to suffer from depression. You may have heard about vitamin b12 injections. These have become popular because b12 can provide energy! The amounts of b12 in a multivitamin obviously don’t come close to the amount you get from an injection, but getting some extra energy without involving a needle is a win in my book!
For men, again many important nutrients are included in the vitamins we use for the power-up, but I’ll focus just on vitamin E today so you don’t spend your whole day learning about vitamins (even though it would be a great way to spend your day, it’s fascinating stuff!) Vitamin E is an antioxidant, meaning it protects against damage to cells from oxidation (think rusty metal). The oxidation process is a natural part of aging, but antioxidants like vitamin E can help slow that process down by providing a little extra protection for your cells. Antioxidants are important in the prevention of heart disease and cancer and are being researched more and more to see just how they protect us, and how we can utilize them more. Keep in mind that vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means your body will store it and use it when needed, but it also means that you can get too much, which can cause problems. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for vitamin E is 22.4 IU (International Units) per day. Adverse health effects can be seen for many people at around 100 IU per day, so pay attention to your supplement labels!
If you want to get the benefit of these vitamins every day and have checked in with your doctor to make sure it’s ok for you, ask your friendly Smoothie Shop and Supplements team member for a recommendation that will meet your needs, they are well informed and can help you make a great choice!
-Amy Denker, MS, RD, LD
More about me:
I attended Oklahoma State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nutrition and Exercise. I went on to earn a Master’s of Science degree in Dietetics and Nutrition and completed the Dietetic Internship Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.
I was the Nutrition Services Clinical Coordinator at Crittenton Children’s Center for over 5 years before changing my focus to raising my family. I am excited to now be involved with a company that is focused on providing healthy options for customers as well as providing education and resources for customers to make informed decisions for themselves and their loved ones!
