Vitamin pills. When do you take what?
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The shelves at the chemist's are abundantly filled with them and they are also available in the supermarket, the pharmacy and on the internet. Dietary Supplements. But how do you make the right choice within this maze of pills and powders? Time for an overview.
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Food supplements are capsules, tablets, powders or drops with active substances that have an effect on your health. They serve as a supplement to the daily diet. Since the European Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (EFSA) has assessed the promises (the claims) on the labels of supplements, you can assume that they are correct. Different claims have been approved per vitamin and per mineral, you can find them here. The difference between vitamins and minerals is in the origin. Vitamins come from living nature (think of vitamin C from fruits), while minerals originate from dead nature (think of lime, or calcium, from a limestone cave).
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Food supplements are capsules, tablets, powders or drops with active substances that have an effect on your health. They serve as a supplement to the daily diet. Since the European Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (EFSA) has assessed the promises (the claims) on the labels of supplements, you can assume that they are correct. Different claims have been approved per vitamin and per mineral, you can find them here. The difference between vitamins and minerals is in the origin. Vitamins come from living nature (think vitamin C from fruits), while minerals originate from dead nature (think lime, or calcium, from a limestone cave).
Simple vitamins or minerals
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Sometimes you need more of a certain vitamin than you get through food. You can then take a 'loose' vitamin. For example, children up to 4 years old, pregnant women and the elderly need more vitamin D and vegans and vegetarians need to take extra vitamins B2 and B12, among other things. There are also 'loose' minerals and combinations of two vitamins (eg vitamin A / D droplets), or of a vitamin and a mineral (eg vitamin D and calcium).
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11 minMain dishpeanut oil, tofu stir-fry cubes finely seasoned, stir fry sauce sweet and sour, thick noodles, carrot julienne, beetroot julienne, yellow bell pepper, watercress,rainbow salad with tofu
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45 minMain dishRed cabbage, mild olive oil, quinoa plus, forest outing, lemon, sesame oil, soy sauce less salt, Bio Today tahini white in pot, tap water,grilled red cabbage with quinoa salad
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30 minDessertBrie, Roquefort, port salut, gruyere, Camembert, walnut, garlic, thyme, honey, grape, baguette, Red onion, red grape, raisins, Red wine, Red wine vinegar, Brown sugar,generous cheese plate with onion marmalade
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30 minDessertFull Milk, whipped cream, macaroon, custard powder, vanilla sugar, sugar, protein, amaretto, almond liqueur, basic recipe cooking pears,macaroon pastry with casserole
Multivitamins
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To make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals, it is best to adjust your (eating) habits. If this fails, a multivitamin can provide supplementation. Usually all thirteen vitamins are in it. That's a good thing: they all have different but important functions in the body. Sometimes there are also minerals in a multivitamin supplement. The difference between the multivitamins is in the dosage. The Vitamin Information Bureau recommends a multivitamin with 100 to 300 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) per vitamin or mineral: one to three times the amount you consume in a day through food. That is sufficient and completely safe. You can find the percentage on the label. A healthy diet is of course always the basis.
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To ensure that you get enough vitamins and minerals, it is best to adjust your (eating) habits. If this fails, a multivitamin can provide supplementation. Usually all thirteen vitamins are in it. That's a good thing: all thirteen have different but important functions in the body. Sometimes there are also minerals in a multivitamin supplement. The difference between the multivitamins is in the dosage. The Vitamin Information Bureau recommends a multivitamin with 100 to 300 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) per vitamin or mineral: one to three times the amount you consume in a day through food. That is sufficient and completely safe. You can find the percentage on the label. A healthy diet is of course always the basis.
Fish oil and other fatty acids
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To ensure that you get enough (fish) fatty acids, there are also various supplements with omega-3 fatty acids, for example. The fatty acids in the omega-3 family are alpha linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Most of the health effects of EPA and DHA are known. A fish oil capsule usually also contains vitamin E. This is good for the quality of the fish oil. Vitamin E prevents oxidation.
Herbs and more
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In addition to the above supplements, there are supplements with herbs and other substances. Sometimes it also contains vitamins or minerals. The label claims of herbal preparations have not yet been assessed by the EFSA. That will happen in the short term. Other substances are, for example, coenzyme Q10 and glucosamine. Claims about glucosamine have been rejected by EFSA. Although it has not been scientifically proven that glucosamine can relieve joint pain, some people with knee osteoarthritis do benefit from glucosamine.
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5 minDrink without alcoholbananas, cool fresh apple-pear raspberry juice, Soy drink vanilla,soy fruit shake
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20 minMain dishsauerkraut, sticking potato, liquid baking product, half-to-half minced, Spice meatballs, pineapple, olive oil, liquid baking product,gratin sauerkraut dish with minced meat
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40 minMain dishlemongrass, fresh ginger, Red peppers, onions, tomato cubes, fresh cod fillet, coriander, oil, ground turmeric (koenjit), coconut milk, salt,fish in creamy coconut sauce
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15 minSide dishsweet potato, soft goat cheese, egg, spring / forest onion,stuffed sweet potato with egg
When do you take what?
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Which nutritional supplements are suitable for you depends on your personal situation. Most supplements are in addition to a healthy diet, but some people always need extra vitamins, as you can see in groups 1, 2 and 3. When in doubt about taking a supplement, it is best to consult your doctor or dietician. Group 1 This is the so-called risk group: no matter how healthy you eat, you always need extra vitamins in addition to the daily diet (advice from the Health Council). It's about: Babies: Vitamin K when breastfed (150 mcg per day up to and including 3 months) and 10 mcg of vitamin D per day (up to 3 years) Women who want to conceive: 400 mcg folic acid (vitamin B11) per day Women who are pregnant: 400 mcg of folic acid (vitamin B11) per day until the 10th week of pregnancy and 10 mcg per day of vitamin D Children up to and including 3 years: 10 mcg of vitamin D per day Women over 50 years old: 10 mcg of vitamin D per day Men and women over 70 years old: 20 mcg of vitamin D per day People who don't get outside enough or cover their skin: 10 mcg of vitamin D per day People with dark or tinted skin: 10 mcg of vitamin D per day Group 2 People who have to pay extra attention to their (eating) habits because of a greater risk of a vitamin deficiency. These are: (Top) athletes (B vitamins, vitamins C and E, selenium, copper and zinc) Dieters (all vitamins) Elderly (all vitamins, but especially vitamins D and B12) Smokers (vitamin C) Vegans and Vegetarians (all vitamins, but especially vitamins B12, B2 and calcium) Sick and drug users (depending on condition) It is best to adjust the (eating) habits, but if this does not work, a multivitamin can provide supplementation. Group 3 People who are unable to eat at the five-point diet daily also need additional nutritional supplements. It is striking that, for example, 95 percent of the Dutch do not achieve the recommended daily allowance of 250 grams of vegetables. A multivitamin ensures that you still get all the vitamins and minerals. For people who do not eat fish, fish oil can be a good supplement.