Nowadays dietary supplements can be found in most drugstores, pharmacies, even supermarkets. Do you need them? This answer depends on numerous factors such as your eating habits, your general health, age, gender, some of which are within your control and some of which are not.

However, if you are practicing one of the following you might have to consider dietary supplements.

In case you are a vegetarian, the chance is that you are not getting enough zinc, calcium, iron, vitamin B and D. While you can get all of these with non-meat sources, such as wholegrain products, fortified soy products and the like, in case you do not consume these, you might have to consider dietary supplements.

If you are pregnant or trying to conceive, the essential nutrients that you need are calcium, iron and folic acid. Consult a doctor for a good prenatal supplement that will give your baby all the nutrients it needs for growth and development.

In case you are postmenopausal woman, your estrogen levels are lower and due to lower estrogen, bone density is lower. You need calcium and vitamin D, both of which will keep your bones strong. In case you are still not menopausal but suffer from heavy bleeding during your menstruation cycles you might be deficient with iron. Prolonged iron deficiency might lead to anemia.

If you do not eat well (meaning less then 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day) or not often enough (like only once or twice a day) or if you are on a low calorie diet, your body is not getting enough nutrients it needs to function properly.

If you are a smoker, you might have to consider vitamin C, magnesium, calcium and folate, as tobacco decreases the absorption of most vitamins and minerals. Same can be applied for alcohol as well.

Dietary supplements are not meant to be a substitute for food - that means there is no way to dodge those 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. However, it would be best if you would access your needs, especially if you belong to one of the groups described above and decide what are the possible vitamins and minerals you might be lacking. When buying dietary supplements make sure to check the labels and what are the active ingredients. It would be best to go for a multivitamin-mineral supplement, as these supplements have all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, rather then dietary supplement that has a high dose of one vitamin and lower dose of another.