How-To Guide for a Healthier Body

You know you need vitamins for good health, but which ones and how much? Here's a rundown of the most important vitamins and minerals. Part 1 of a series.

WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

In a classic I Love Lucy, Lucy lands the plum role of "Vitameatavegamin girl" and attempts to hawk a tonic with healthy amounts of vitamins, meat, vegetables, minerals (and ample alcohol) all wrapped up in one power drink.

During rehearsal, Lucy drinks, and drinks, the vile tasting liquid. But by the end of the shoot and due to the high alcoholic content, Lucy begins to get drunk, slur her lines, and even begins to enjoy the taste.

For better or for worse, there is no such thing as Vitameatavegamin, but multiple vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other supplements are readily available in tonic, pill, and many other forms.

But what do you really need to be healthier? And how much do you need? And how can you make sure that you are getting it? For starters, WebMD compiled an expert-approved list of the top five healthiest nutrients and how to get them.

Boning Up on Calcium

Hands down, calcium (which comes from foods including low-fat dairy products and calcium-fortified foods) is essential for a healthy body, says Molly Kimball, RD, a nutritionist at the Ochsner Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans. The daily goal typically ranges from about 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams (mg) a day.

"If you are not getting enough calcium through your diet, supplements are a good idea," she says. How do you know? consider that an 8 oz glass of milk or calcium-fortified juice or a cup of yogurt contains about 300 mg.

So take a look at what you are normally eating, and if you are not in the range, consider a supplement, Kimball tells WebMD.

"The obvious thing that calcium does is help to build strong bones and increase bone density," she says. While getting enough calcium is important for everyone, people who are still growing and people who are at increased risk of osteoporosis really need their daily doses of this mineral, she says.

Managing Your Magnesium

When Carolyn Dean, ND, MD, of City Island, N.Y., was researching for her latest book, The Miracle of Magnesium, "most doctors said if you could get a person to only take one supplement, make it magnesium."

For sure, those are some fighting words. The Daily Value (DV) for magnesium is around 400 mg. However, most magnesium researchers say we need two to three times this amount, especially for people who are magnesium-deficient, says Dean.

Although doctors may recommend higher doses of magnesium supplementation for specific conditions, the Institute of Medicine states that the upper intake of supplemental magnesium for healthy adults is 350 mg. There isn’t an upper limit tied to dietary magnesium. Make sure to talk to your doctor about using supplements as they can interfere with some drugs and be unsafe in people with certain conditions or taking certain medications.

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