3 Common Essential Vitamins & Minerals Women Lack

1. Calcium

Calcium is important for building strong bones, among other benefits. But did you know that a developing fetus draws its source of calcium directly from your bones? If you don’t have enough stored up before and during pregnancy, you compromise its development and run the risk of getting fractures yourself.

The recommended daily intake is 1000mg, which is roughly 22 oranges. That’s pretty difficult to chalk up, which is why many women lack sufficient calcium. Other sources include leafy greens, almonds, dried beans, salmon, sardine and dairy products, the last of which is handy because dairy contains vitamin D and protein, both of which are required for calcium absorption.

2. Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 essentially directs calcium to where it should be and away from where it shouldn’t. Brittle bones, poor dental health, cardiovascular problems and even wrinkles are linked to vitamin K2 deficiency.

It’s an often overlooked vitamin, but without it, bone forming calcium and vitamin D can become useless and even cause harm. Those with Vitamin K deficiency are also more susceptible to bruising and bleedingii.

Dietitians have not come to a consensus on the daily recommended intake of Vitamin K2, but liver, meat, egg yolks, high-fat dairy and natto are good food sourcesiii.

3.Iron

Iron helps your blood deliver oxygen to all parts of your body. When you don’t have enough, you end up fatigued, develop an impaired brain function, a compromised immunity system, increased risk of premature childbirth and compromised health in your skin, hair and nail cells. It’s important.

Unfortunately, iron deficiency is the most common type of anemia. For women, iron and red blood cells are lost during heavy menstruation or childbirthiv.

You need 18mg of iron daily, which is just under 6 cups of spinach. The good news is, there are many sources of iron. Meat, poultry and fish provide heme iron, which is more easily absorbed while dark leafy greens provide non-heme iron but with additional vitamin C, which aids iron absorption.

Get your daily dose of vitamins

With so many vitamins and nutrients needed to live an active lifestyle, a controlled diet is especially important. But as we all know, that can be hard to follow sometimes especially with all this good food around us in Singapore.

If you find yourself in a similar predicament, multivitamins that fill you up with your daily dose of nutrition may be your answer! There are tons of products out there to choose from, some of which are better for you than others. Try looking for a complete multivitamin to cover your daily dose in a convenient solution.