As you enter your 30s, you have slightly different vitamin needs than you did in your 20s. During this stage of your life, you may be pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to keep up with toddlers or school-age children. You also may be busy with work and relying on convenience foods, which don't have all of the vitamins that you need. Ask your doctor before taking any supplements other than a general multivitamin.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for immune system and bone health. Although you can get some vitamin D in the foods you eat, such as fortified milk and fatty fish, most of what you need comes from the sun. It's important that you use sunscreen because of skin cancer concerns. Unfortunately, sunscreen often blocks beneficial vitamin D, which can cause a vitamin D deficiency. Take 400 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 each day to keep your levels up. Ask your doctor for a blood test to determine whether you are deficient; if that is the case, you may need to take more than the recommended daily amount.
Calcium
Calcium helps to prevent osteoporosis later in life. Osteoporosis can lead to painful and debilitating bone fractures. While you are in your early 30s, you should be consuming 1,000 mg of calcium each day. Much of this can come from foods such as low-fat dairy products and leafy greens. You still may need to take a supplement if you are not eating a lot of dairy products. Because vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, take the supplements together.
Folic Acid
If you are planning to get pregnant or if you already are pregnant, folic acid is vital. This vitamin helps to prevent neural tube defects when taken several months before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy. Examples of neural tube defects are spina bifida and anencephaly. Make sure that your multivitamin or prenatal vitamin has at least 400 mcg of folic acid. Your doctor might prefer that you take 800 mcg daily; talk to her about this.
Iron
Many women are iron-deficient during their childbearing years. You lose blood every month when you menstruate. Although eating animal products such as meat and eggs, and some plant products such as beans and fortified oats can raise your iron levels, your doctor may recommend an iron supplement. If you are not pregnant, you should get 18 mg daily; pregnant women need 27 mg daily. Calcium may reduce the amount of iron that your body is able to absorb, so do not take the two supplements at the same time.
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