Are you getting enough?

A recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey revealed that many people in the UK aren't getting enough vitamins and minerals from the food they eat every day. For example, more than half of the men and women surveyed had a very low intake of vitamin A, and over 40% of them fell short of their RNI* for zinc. Even more concerning was that 30% of women weren't getting enough folic acid and over 90% were under their RNI for iron.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet can be difficult, particularly if you're short of time. You also have to contend with the fact that certain foods can lose nutrients when they're harvested, shipped, stored, processed and cooked, leaving them with lower levels of vitamins than you'd expect.

What's more, there are times in your life when you may have increased needs for vitamins and minerals. Trying to ensure you eat a balanced diet at these times is important, however for some people it may be necessary to supplement your diet as well, in order to meet your body's nutritional needs:

• if you're pregnant or trying for a baby
• if you're breastfeeding
• if you're recovering from illness
• if you're on a restricted diet, such as vegetarian, vegan or for weight loss
• if you're an athlete in training
• during childhood and adolescence and periods of rapid growth
• as you grow older

* RNI stands for Reference Nutrient Intake. This value is the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals for a healthy population and are based on age and gender, and also taking account of a woman's needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding.