Nutritional supplements can come in all different shapes and sizes - many different nutritional supplements can make a huge difference in your life. Nutritional supplements are exactly what they imply; they are the vitamins and minerals and other nutrients that your body needs to be healthy. Here are a few of the nutritional supplements available as well as what they are used for.

Calcium and vitamin D are very important in the development of children, because these supplements help to promote the development of healthy and strong bones. Many different foods contain calcium and vitamin D, but just eating these foods is sometimes not enough.

Taking some extra calcium and vitamin D supplements can help your bones to stay healthy and strong, and even help prevent osteoporosis in women. Another very important nutritional supplement is folic acid. Folic acid can protect women from giving birth to children with neural tube birth defects, and also may lower the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Folates can be found in leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits and grains. However folic acid is much easier for your body to use, because it does not need to be broken down by your body before it can be taken advantage of.

One of the most interesting nutritional supplements these days are antioxidants. These supplements can help against heart disease, lower the risk of cancer, and help to protect eyes, lungs, and the brain. Fruits and vegetables are very high in antioxidants, so you should make sure that you try to eat them whenever possible. However most of the time we do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, so taking antioxidants in the form of nutritional supplements is a viable alternative.

Phytonutrients and glyconutrients are two newer classes of nutrients, but scientific research suggests that they may be very helpful.