Over the years, I’ve heard the same questions again and again. Different women, different situations - but the same worries, the same confusion.
So this week, I want to answer the questions I hear most often. No fancy words. Just simple, honest answers.
Do I really need a multivitamin, or can I get everything from food?
This is probably the question I hear the most. And the honest answer is: it depends. In an ideal world, yes, food could give you everything you need. But today, even a very healthy diet often falls short. Farming today produces food with less minerals in it than it did fifty years ago. So even if you eat lots of fruits and vegetables, you might still be missing something. A multivitamin can help close that gap - but it’s not automatically a “yes” for everyone. It depends on your diet, your body, your age, your lifestyle and where your own gaps actually are.
How do I know which vitamins or supplements are actually right for me?
There’s no single answer that works for everyone. What’s right for you depends on your own diet, your symptoms, your age, and your life right now. This is why I always say: don’t just copy what worked for a friend. Look at your own body. What are you missing? What symptoms are you noticing? Start there.
What’s the difference between the number on the label (like “100% Daily Value”) and what I actually need?
This one surprises a lot of people. The number on the label is usually the smallest amount needed to avoid getting sick from a deficiency. It’s not necessarily the best amount for feeling your best. So “100%” on a label doesn’t always mean “the ideal amount for me.” It just means “the minimum to avoid a problem.”
Is it safe to take more than 100% of the daily value?
For many nutrients, yes - your body simply uses what it needs and lets go of the rest, especially with vitamins like C and the B vitamins, which don’t stay in your body very long. But this isn’t true for every nutrient. Some vitamins and minerals can build up in your body if you take too much for too long. This is exactly why “more is always better” isn’t a safe rule to follow blindly. If you’re taking higher doses of anything, it’s worth checking with a doctor first.
How long do vitamins like vitamin C actually stay in my body?
Not very long, actually. Water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C, usually leave your body within a day - sometimes within just a few hours. This is part of why taking them consistently, a little bit each day, tends to matter more than taking a big amount once in a while.
Is what’s written on the label actually what’s inside the bottle?
This is a great question, and an important one. Supplements are not checked as closely as medicine is. This means a company can make mistakes, or in some cases, not be fully honest, and it can be hard for a shopper to know the difference just by looking at the front of the bottle. This is exactly why I talked, in an earlier post, about looking past the front label and understanding what’s really inside.
How can I check if a company or product has had safety problems?
This is a step most people don’t know they can take. Government health websites often keep public records of supplement recalls and warnings. It takes a few minutes to search a product or company name and see if anything has come up. It’s a simple habit that can save you from a bad choice.
Has this supplement actually been tested by someone outside the company that makes it?
This is worth asking, because a company testing its own product isn’t the same as an outside, independent lab testing it. Independent testing means someone with no financial reason to say “yes, this is good” is the one checking. It’s one more way to trust a product a little more.
When should I stop guessing and just talk to a doctor?
If you’re feeling tired all the time, getting sick often, or struggling to eat a balanced diet, these are all good reasons to bring it up with a doctor - not to guess on your own. A doctor can run simple blood tests to see what you’re actually low in, instead of guessing and hoping a supplement fixes it. Supplements can support your health, but they’re not a replacement for real answers when something feels seriously off.
So Many Kinds - Where Do You Even Start?
Here’s something that makes this whole topic feel overwhelming: supplements aren’t just one big group. There are many different kinds.
There are supplements for longevity - helping your body age well. There are ones for digestive wellness, and others made just for cleansing. There are targeted supplements, made for one specific issue. There are general, everyday supplements too. Some are made just for women, others just for men. There are supplements for rest and sleep, for exercise and sports, for gut health - and the list keeps going.
No wonder it feels like too much. If you tried to learn about every single type all at once, you’d never know where to begin.
So here’s the simple way I like to think about it, and the way I suggest you think about it too.
Start with the foundation. Before anything specific, focus on the basics - unburdening your body from things that weigh it down, and giving it the nutrients it’s been missing. Think of this as clearing the ground and building good soil, before you plant anything else.
Then, add what’s specific to you. Once that foundation is in place, that’s when it makes sense to add something more targeted - something aimed at a specific need you have, like sleep, digestion, or hormone support.
This order matters. Adding something very targeted before your foundation is solid is like trying to grow a garden on hard, dry ground. It’s much harder for anything to take root.
It’s not complicated. It just has a few layers to it - and once you understand the order, it makes a lot more sense.
I’d love to help you feel energized and vibrant again, starting with the right foundation for you.
One Last Thought
If there’s one thing I hope you take from this month of posts, it’s this: your body isn’t random, and it isn’t malfunctioning. It’s sending you information all the time - through fatigue, through cravings, through how you feel after a meal. Learning to read that information, instead of ignoring it or guessing, is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself.
You don’t need to become an expert overnight. You just need to start asking better questions - about your food, about what’s in your supplements, and about your own body. That’s really where all of this begins.
Ready to figure out your own foundation?
If you’d like personal guidance on where to start - and how to build the right foundation for your body - you’re welcome to book a wellness consult with me.
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Asking good questions about your body is a habit, not a one-time thing. I hope this month gave you a few new ones to carry with you.
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