In addition to taking a multi-vitamin every day, you may need some nutritional extras, especially if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. The article below, which appears in the May 2007 issue of Women's Health magazine, can help you figure out which add-ons are right for you.

If you're an avid athlete or you're pregnant
You need more iron. Intense exercisers (women who train for a sport for at least an hour daily) need 30 percent more iron than average, according to the National Institutes of Health. When you're pregnant, Baby gloms on to some of your iron stores, and increased blood volume and blood loss during delivery take their toll too. WH pick: Floradix Iron + Herbs Extract (10 mg iron, 10 mg vitamin C). The dose is lower than many iron supplements, so you're less likely to hit the 45-mg upper limit, and the vitamin C helps you absorb it. Take with a meal, but avoid washing down with milk -- calcium can stop iron absorption.

If you're breastfeeding
You need more zinc. Feeding Junior can sap your zinc stores, especially if you're a vegetarian. Ask your doctor before taking. WH pick: Zand Lemon Zinc HerbaLozenge (5mg). Your multi delivers most of what you need, but this low-dose lozenge provides extra insurance. Take at the same time as your multivitamin to ensure a balancing hit of copper, which zinc can otherwise deplete.

If you're a vegan
You need more vitamin A. Eggs and milk are typical sources, so vegans are the rare people who may need more A. Still, toxicity dangers such as nerve damage and birth defects make food a better choice than a supplement on top of a multivitamin. WH pick: A cup of carrot juice daily. Drink with dinner or shortly after to allow fat in food to boost absorption. Or snack on a cup of baby carrots.

If you're a vegetarian
You need more vitamin B12. Natural B12 comes only from animal foods like meat and fish, so vegetarians tend not to get enough. B12 is so safe that no upper limit has been established. WH pick: Country Life Vitamin B12 (500 mcg). While more than 8,000% above the DV (and still safe), the dose is nonetheless low for a B12 supplement, so you won't get more than you need. Take with a glass of water after dinner.

You also need more iron. WH pick: Floradix Iron + Herbs Extract (10 mg iron, 10 mg vitamin C). Take with a meal but not with milk -- calcium prevents iron absorption.

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