Paid partnership disclosure. This article names Vitakruid, a brand I have a commercial partnership with, and includes a discount code I earn from. The guidance below is based on Dutch national nutrition advice and the sources listed at the end.
A supplement adds value when it fills a gap your food does not. Dutch national nutrition guidance is direct about this: if you eat healthily and varied, other supplements are not necessary. The main exception is vitamin D, which is advised for specific groups — including all women from age 50. Everything else starts with what you actually eat.
- Voedingscentrum states plainly that other supplements are unnecessary if you eat healthily and varied.
- Vitamin D is the standing exception: 10 micrograms a day is advised for women from 50, and 20 micrograms from 70.
- The starting question is what you actually need, not what is trending.
- A supplement cannot compensate for insufficient food, short sleep, or training without a plan.
Why does the basis come before the supplement?
Supplements have become hard to separate from the fitness world. You see full stacks of ten bottles presented as though training, recovering or living healthily is somehow impossible without them.
I am more level-headed about it. If your nutrition is insufficient, you barely sleep, and your training is not built on anything, a supplement does not solve that. It changes one small input while the large ones stay broken. Once the basis is solid, certain supplements can be a practical addition — and at that point they are worth a real conversation.
Do you need a multivitamin if you already eat well?
Generally, no. Voedingscentrum, the Netherlands’ official nutrition body, puts it in one sentence: “Andere voedingssupplementen slikken is niet nodig als je gezond en gevarieerd eet.” — taking other food supplements is not necessary if you eat healthily and varied.
That is a firmer statement than most fitness content is willing to make, and it is the reason I do not hand out a standard supplement list. Someone eating enough, and varied, may need very little in isolated vitamins and minerals. The list should follow the person, not the other way round.
Who is actually advised to supplement in the Netherlands?
There is a real answer to this, and it is more specific than the internet suggests. Dutch national guidance singles out vitamin D, and names the groups.
Women from age 50 and men from age 70 are advised to take extra vitamin D. For people from 70, the advice is 20 micrograms a day; for the other named groups it is 10 micrograms. That also covers people who get limited sun exposure, avoid the sun, or wear body-covering clothing.
Worth saying clearly: this is national public-health guidance, not a personal recommendation from me, and it is not the same as a diagnosis. If you are unsure whether it applies to you, or you take medication, that is a question for your GP.
Which question should you start with?
For me it is always the same one: what do you actually need? Not what is popular, not what arrived in someone’s stack on social media.
Before I look at any product, I want the full picture. What does the nutrition look like across a normal week, not an ideal one? How is the training structured? How is recovery going? Are there specific needs to account for — a restricted diet, a period of high stress, a national guideline like the vitamin D advice above that applies to you?
Only after that does it get interesting to ask what a supplement might add. That is a more sensible route than buying a cupboard full of bottles and hoping one of them was the answer.
How do you judge whether a supplement is worth it?
This is roughly the filter I run before anything gets recommended.
| Situation | Is a supplement likely to add value? | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Eating healthily and varied, no specific need | Generally not, per Voedingscentrum | Nothing — the food is doing the job |
| Woman aged 50 or over | Yes, for vitamin D specifically | National advice: 10 µg a day, 20 µg from 70 |
| Limited sun exposure or covering clothing | Yes, for vitamin D specifically | National advice: 10 µg a day |
| Struggling to reach a daily protein target | Possibly — as convenience, not correction | Whether whole food could close the gap first |
| Training hard for strength or muscle | Creatine has the strongest evidence base | That training and food are already in place |
| Nutrition, sleep or training not yet in order | No | The basis — a supplement changes nothing here |
Based on the sources listed at the end of this article. General information, not medical or individual dietary advice.
Does the quality of a supplement matter?
Yes, in a plain sense: you want to know what you are taking and why, rather than buying whatever is newest because someone on social media said it works wonders.
In my own routine I use products from Vitakruid. I like knowing where my supplements come from and picking what fits what I actually need at that moment. That is a preference, and I am disclosing the partnership above rather than dressing it up as a neutral recommendation.
For which specific products have evidence behind them, I went through that separately in supplements for women: which ones are actually worth it.
Frequently asked questions
- Should you get your levels tested before supplementing?
- For most general supplements that is not standard practice, and the national vitamin D advice is given by group rather than by test result. If you suspect a specific deficiency, or you have symptoms that concern you, that is a GP conversation rather than something to work out from a blog or a shop.
- Is a more expensive supplement a better supplement?
- Not automatically. Price tracks branding and formulation complexity as much as anything. What matters more is that the product contains what you actually need, in an amount that matches the guidance, from a source that states its contents clearly.
- Can you take too much of a vitamin?
- Yes. Upper limits exist for several vitamins and minerals, which is one reason a stack of overlapping products is worse than a short deliberate list. Stick to the amounts in national guidance and check with your GP or a dietitian before going above them.
Sources
- Voedingscentrum. Heeft een vitale 50-plusser extra vitamines nodig? voedingscentrum.nl
- Voedingscentrum. Hoeveel extra vitamine D heeft een 70-plusser nodig? voedingscentrum.nl
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017;14:18. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
Vitakruid × Daphne Brands Coaching → Code: DAPHNEBRANDS
A paid partnership, as disclosed at the top of this article. Use supplements to support your basis, not to make up for one.
Want a coaching plan that looks at your full picture before adding anything to it?
Book a free consultation
Daphne Brands is an online fitness and lifestyle coach for women, and an active IFBB bikini competitor. She holds five certifications in coaching women’s training and nutrition. More about Daphne →