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Although we live in the land of plenty — and for the most part overeat — there are some critical vitamins that people tend to be short on, especially women. These include calcium, folic acid, iron, and vitamin D. Despite trying to eat well, we may not get all the nutrients we need, so taking a daily multivitamin is a good idea. More difficult than the decision of whether to take a multivitamin, though, is which one to take. How do you make that decision? It can be difficult, given the aisles of choices that face us today. Here are some guidelines to help you find a good multivitamin that will provide you with the safety net you’re looking for:

Beware of hollow promises. Don’t make choices based on the claims on the label — words like “Energy Pak,” “Performance Enhancer,” and “Stress Control” have no science to back them up.

Search for a vitamin with most of your daily needs. Look for a vitamin with 100 percent of the daily value for the following vitamins: vitamins A, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6, B12, C, D, E, and folic acid.

Take calcium separately. Because calcium is bulky, you can’t get the daily value in a single tablet or capsule. Take a calcium supplement if you’re not getting enough from your diet instead of trying to make up for it with two or more multivitamins a day.

Watch out for missing ingredients. Some multivitamins are short on some vitamins and minerals ‐ check for brands with at least some of the daily value amount of chromium, selenium, zinc, and vitamin K. Note however, if you take blood thinners, vitamin K could be a problem (which is why a lot of multivitamins don’t contain vitamin K); ask your doctor if you can take it and how much is optimum for you.

Remember that more is not better. Too much of a good thing can cause harm: High amounts of vitamins in supplements plus what you get in food can put you over the safe limit. There are several vitamins that you can go overboard on: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Beware of mega-amounts — several fold beyond the daily value — in supplements.

Take your age and gender into account. The amount of iron you need depends on both. Men and postmenopausal women need only around 8 mg a day, while premenopausal women (who are still menstruating) need 18 mg a day. Going with one of the age formulas — under or over 50 — is a good idea.

Finally, don’t expect a multivitamin to be a miracle pill. Your daily diet should be the main source of your nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Be sure to eat a wholesome diet of plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, and good fats (such as those found in olive oil, nuts, and cold-water fish like salmon and tuna).

In this era of fast-paced everything, even the act of eating a meal has become something we can do on the run. Breakfast comes in bars, lunch can be eaten while speeding down the highway, and dinner is merely an accompaniment to the evening news, squeezed in between other pressing activities. Invariably, when eating plays second string to everything else, every meal becomes “fast food,” as in eaten-very-fast food. If you find yourself wolfing down your meals in a hurry, you’re actually shortchanging yourself in more ways than you might think.

It turns out there’s a reason food tastes so good. You’re supposed to enjoy it—slow down and savor it, not just get it to your stomach as quickly as possible. Chewing your food thoroughly is actually the first step in the complex process of digestion, and if you glaze over it, just chewing the minimum amount of times necessary to get the food down your esophagus, you’re actually compromising this process. And it’s a mistake many people make.

If you try to imagine swallowing a whole piece of pizza, it’s easy to see why chewing is necessary. But besides breaking up your food into manageable chunks, there’s another good reason to put in the effort and chew. The saliva that coats your food as you chew actually contains digestive enzymes that begin to digest your food before you even swallow it. The enzymes alpha-amylase and lingual lipase begin digesting carbohydrates and fats, reducing the amount of work for which the stomach will be responsible. And it isn’t just a nice gesture. If food fragments are swallowed un-chewed, not only do nutrients remain locked in the fragments, but these fragments create an environment in the colon that is conducive to digestive distress—bacterial overgrowth, gas, and bloating.

For food particles to even leave your stomach though, the “gates” of the stomach, the pyloric sphincter, must open. Conveniently, chewing also aids in this process, signaling this event. And speaking of signals, just seeing your food causes your brain to send signals to the pancreas and stomach to secrete digestive acids and enzymes that are essential to digestion. And the longer your food has contact with your taste and smell receptors—the longer you chew each bite—the stronger these signals become. Strong signals mean more digestive molecules, less indigestion, less acid reflux, and superior nutrient absorption.

Chewing your food thoroughly and eating your meals more slowly has another benefit. It might shrink your waistline—and not just because you’ll have less bloating and indigestion. Eating more slowly gives your body a chance to tell your mind that it’s full, so that you stop eating before you go overboard. In a preliminary study presented at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity’s Annual Scientific Meeting in 2004, study subjects ate less when they were instructed to eat more slowly.

Here are some practical tips for chewing more thoroughly and eating more slowly:

* Give yourself enough time to eat—at least 20-30 minutes just to eat the meal, plus additional time to prepare it.
* Don’t eat amidst distractions, like the TV, computer, or while driving.
* Be fully present while you eat. Notice the smell, temperature, texture, color, and subtle flavor differences of each food you consume.
* Take smaller portions, taking a break before refilling.
* Put your fork down after each bite.
* Eat mindfully, chewing each bite as many times as necessary to pulverize any texture.
* If you’re eating in a group, be aware of the speed at which others are eating. Challenge yourself to be the last to finish.

Besides all of the physical benefits, perhaps the most pleasant benefit of all is that, if you allow yourself to slow down and chew, you’ll enjoy your food much more.

Fruits and vegetables should make up a large portion of your diet. They are low in calories, which is good, and they are high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber, which is even better. Experts suggest that you eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Eating the suggested amount of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis is difficult for many people. Busy schedules, eating on the run, and the temptation of junk foods are all barriers to getting enough fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Do you need some help getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet? Here are some tips:

• Make Fruits and Vegetables Convenient at Home
• Apples, pears, bananas, oranges and cherry tomatoes don’t need any refrigeration. Keep your fruits and vegetables in plain view on your countertop or table.

When snack time rolls around it will be easy to grab a piece of fruit or a handful of cherry tomatoes. With this idea in mind, make sure you keep the cookie jar and the candy bars out of sight.

Frozen vegetables are quick and easy: Heat them quickly on the stove or in the microwave. You can choose single vegetables such as peas, carrots, green beans, and cauliflower, or you can try seasoned blends of vegetables.

Pre-cut vegetables and fruit are convenient, but don’t buy them with the idea that they will last a long time. Fruit may begin to spoil within a day or two after cutting, however some fruits can be purchased in frozen or canned forms that last much longer.

The pre-cut and pre-washed salads-in-a-bag make meal time easy too. Just don’t assume that the pre-washed salad blends are really clean. Give them a good rinse before preparing your meal.

Make Fruits and Vegetables Convenient at Work
Dehydrated fruits such as raisins, dates and dried cranberries keep well in plastic bags. Tuck a bag of raisins in your purse or bag for an easy snack. Single serving packs of apple sauce or fruit cups that don’t need refrigeration can also be kept at your desk. Pack sliced carrots and celery with your lunch for a nutritious afternoon snack.

Eating away from home can be difficult, but with some thought you can still get enough fruits and vegetables into your diet. At lunch, choose a side salad instead of French fries and drink juice instead of a soda. Order vegetarian sandwiches and wraps. They are usually low in calories and can give you two or three servings of vegetables with just that one sandwich.

Fruits and Vegetables as Snacks
After school snacks or nighttime snacks often mean bags of greasy chips, bowls of ice cream or bottles of sugary sodas. Those snacks are high in calories and low in nutrition. Here are some great snack ideas instead:

• Freshly cut vegetables are absolutely delicious with your favorite dip. Eat them at snack time instead of potato chips or tortilla chips. Choose low-fat ranch, dill or French onion dip or make your own low fat spinach dip.
• Drink juice instead of soda. Mix your favorite 100 percent fruit juices with club soda if you miss the fizz.
• Make a delicious parfait instead of scooping up high calorie ice cream. Layer fresh or frozen berries with vanilla yogurt and nuts or granola.
• Eat a chocolate-covered strawberry instead of a candy bar. Choose dark chocolate for the extra antioxidants.
• Instead of milk and cookies, have a small bowl of whole grain cereal with sliced fruit or raisins and low-fat milk.
• Keep seedless grapes in the freezer instead of popsicles and ice cream bars.

Add Fruits and Vegetables to Sandwiches, Salads and on the Side
Eating a salad can give you several servings of fruits and vegetables. Start with some lettuce and add sliced tomatoes, apples, pears, berries, celery, cucumbers, sprouts, raw green beans, broccoli or cauliflower. With so many combinations, you can eat a different salad every day. Eat a salad as a meal once or twice each week.

When you make a sandwich, be sure to add lettuce and a couple of thick tomato slices. Take the rest of the tomato, slice it up and serve it on the side. Add extra vegetables to your soup and stew recipes. If you choose canned soups and stews, add extra frozen vegetables when you heat them.

Set a goal to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. If you need a little help, you can add a delicious fruit and vegetable supplement beverage. Or buy a juicing machine to make your own fruit and vegetable juices.