Have you ever asked yourself the question, should I take vitamins or perhaps do I need vitamins to stay healthy? The answer to this question can become very confusing, so let's break it down into simple terms.

First and foremost, if you are eating a well-balanced, nutrient dense diet consisting of whole foods like fresh vegetables and fruits with a calorie intake that is north of 1,500 calories a day, it is likely you do not need to take vitamins.

There have been many studies done proving that people who take vitamins are no healthier than people who eat a very healthy diet. In one study, 180,000 men and women were followed over a period of time to see if the folks who took the vitamins lived longer and developed less incidents of heart disease and cancers than those who did not. The findings came back showing that the people taking vitamins did not live longer or have less cases of cancer or heart disease.

So we all get the idea that eating whole healthy foods in the right amounts will give us all the vitamins and nutrients we need, but there are a number of people who need vitamin supplements. To name a few are people with specific vitamin deficiencies or people who are fighting certain types of degenerative diseases and also pregnant women.

The question now comes back to one of a personal nature. Will vitamins really benefit me? Here is where you have to look to your lifestyle and include good habits like eating lots of fresh vegetables and bad habits, like low calorie intake, eating highly processed empty carbohydrates, smoking or consuming high levels of alcohol.

Once you define where you are with your lifestyle, you most likely will know if certain vitamins should be taken. Let's look at which vitamins may have the most value for your health.

The problem with multivitamins is they cover the whole spectrum from a to z, which may be good for some and it ensures you get what you need. But multivitamins may also be giving you too much of something you do not need. Keep in mind that recent studies have linked too much vitamin intake to adverse health issues. Like with most things, it becomes a confusing balance.

Here are a few key vitamins you must have to retain optimal health. First and foremost are the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K, which tend to be lacking in low fat or no fat diets. These fat soluble vitamins are very important for good health. With so many people dieting these days, we are told don't eat fat, use low fat and so on. This practice tends to leave us deficient in A, D and K vitamins.

Vitamin A is important for your immune system and support good eye and skin health.

Vitamin D is a critical vitamin and one that we here in North Idaho get little of in the wintertime from sun exposure. D is very important to our endocrine health, which is the system in our bodies that controls hormone production and distribution. D is also very important for bone health and our immune system as well.

Vitamin K is another essential vitamin that most people do not know too much about. K is found in leafy greens like kale for example. But for K to effectively support bone health and your immune system it should be consumed with a little good fat like olive oil for example. Italian balsamic dressing with your kale, anyone? K also helps with proper blood clotting and helps fight against some degenerative diseases.

Then there are the water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and the B complex group that if taken in excess, will cause a number of unhealthy and uncomfortable conditions.

For that reason many health care providers recommend getting these vitamins from natural sources like fruit, eggs, meats and poultry.

As you can see, we have a very mixed bag regarding which vitamins are best taken in a supplement, which are better from natural sources and so on.

Let's add one more question to the vitamin landscape: synthetic vitamin verses natural vitamin supplements.

Let's establish one fact right out of the gate: a synthetic vitamin can be called all natural, so you can see where this is going. Are you taking natural or synthetic ... chances are you may not ever know. Synthetic vitamins are very effective, and if they have one fault is that they can be very concentrated, so overdosing or maybe better stated over doing it with synthetic vitamin supplements is a real possibility.

Are natural vitamins more effective than synthetic? Studies have shown in some cases depending on the vitamin yes, but findings in these studies have had a lot of variance. The one aspect of which type to use is this: Your body will get some benefit from either synthetic or natural. If you're going to take vitamins you may not want to get to hung up on this issue.

Where does that leave us on the vitamin subject? I think eating macronutrient dense whole foods and minimize highly processed foods, sugars and other unhealthy choices is your best approach to the vitamin question. Ensure you are getting key fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D in a supplement during the dark days of winter.

For a better understanding of what fits your personal needs and lifestyle, check with your doctor. They can run tests to see if you have nutrient deficiencies and they will put you on the right course that best suits you.

Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corp.