Micronutrients are an essential addition to the daily diet because they are necessary ingredients for every function in the human body.

Every person needs micronutrients in order to survive, let alone to thrive. 
The most important reason micronutrients are needed is because the body cannot make micronutrients on its own, so these essential nutrients must be provided in some other way.

Micronutrients are necessary because they consist of vitamins and minerals the body cannot synthesize (or produce) naturally.

Therefore, in order for the systems in the body to function properly, micronutrients must be provided through proper diet and supplementation.

If Micronutrients Are Needed by Everyone, What Do They Do?
Think of micronutrients as the essential ingredients of a recipe for success within the body’s processes.  When one or several ingredients are missing, the recipe is incomplete. 

For instance, for healthy and strong bones, the body needs Calcium.  In order for the body to uptake Calcium effectively and put it to good use, it must first be available in an absorbable format and then paired with the right amount of Vitamin D, because Vitamin D promotes Calcium absorption. [1]

If essential micronutrients are not provided together in adequately bioavailable amounts, the brain and body suffer, and breakdown can occur in the form of mood swings, sleeplessness, or even diseases and disorders.  To avoid micronutrient deficiency, adults and children need daily micronutrients--in fact, it is imperative that these essential vitamins and minerals be provided in a highly absorbable and balanced format.  This short video highlights the effects of nutrient deficiency:

Furthermore, the following short video highlights the importance of providing balanced levels of micronutrients in the diet and illustrates the idea that micronutrients work in concert together to provide the body with the needed ingredients for life.  If single nutrients are added to the diet individually, or at imbalanced levels, such as supplementing with single vitamins and minerals, the body’s systems can get out of balance which may create—or at least exacerbate—serious health problems.

Watch:

Can We Get Micronutrients We Need From Food?
Micronutrients may be obtained from eating a healthy diet, however in order to obtain therapeutic levels of micronutrients, additional broad-spectrum supplementation may be necessary.

Consider this example of a child's “average western diet” which illustrates why micronutrients are needed:

In this example, a fairly generous amount of fruits, vegetables and other healthful, unprocessed foods are included. In fact, this could be considered a “healthy diet” by many standards today.

However, in the above real-life scenario, there is a huge lack of the following essential nutrients:

-Vitamin A
-Vitamin C
-Vitamin D
-Vitamin E
-Thiamin
-Riboflavin
-Niacin
-Vitamin B6
-Vitamin B12
-Magnesium
-Potassium
-Copper

If a person were to follow a similar dietary habit daily, they would likely incur a glaring micronutrient deficiency over time, which could result in mood instability, and long term health problems, which is why micronutrients are often needed in supplementation form. 

In fact, micronutrient deficiency can cause headaches, lethargy, mood swings, brain fog, sleeplessness, irritability and more.[2]

What About Supplementing With Micronutrients?
Eating a diet high in vitamins and minerals is step one. As a prevention or treatment, therapeutic doses of the right balance of supplemental micronutrients have been clinically proven to positively impact a wide range of mood and mental health disorders.

However, beware of cheap forms of micronutrients such as multivitamins from health food stores, which are often not absorbable due to the fact that the minerals in discount micronutrient formulations or cheap multivitamins are typically provided in rock form and are usually out of balance.

Also, when considering addressing a micronutrient deficiency, remember that the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) published by the FDA is a minimum standard, and should not be considered a guideline for clinical or therapeutic micronutrition.

In fact, prevailing research supports the idea that up to 4 times the daily minimum recommended values of vitamins and minerals can affect health in a positive and noticeable way, as long as they are provided in research-backed ratios.

Broad-spectrum clinical micronutrient supplements provide balanced, absorbable levels of vitamins and minerals and are backed by over 40 independent medical journal publications for a wide range of brain related disorders, supporting the fact that the body needs micronutrients in order to maintain optimal health.

Where to Get Micronutrient Supplements
Hardy Nutritionals®, founded by world-renowned micronutrient formulation pioneer and nutrition expert David L. Hardy, offers two levels of micronutrients for adults and children.

Their general health complex, Optimal Balance™ ($45) is available in both male and female versions and their clinical level micronutrient complex, Daily Essential Nutrients ($129), is available in both powder and capsule format.

Whether you need micronutrients for preventative health reasons or if you are simply in search of a powerful daily multivitamin mineral formula, both of Hardy Nutritionals’ two levels of broad spectrum micronutrients have all 40 essential nutrients adults and children need according to the independent university research on their site.

The ingredients in both of Hardy’s broad-spectrum formulations are incredibly well balanced according to independent university research, which outlines the benefits of properly formulated vitamin-mineral supplements by citing powerful outcomes such as calmer moods, less stress, better sleep and more focus.[3]

Why Can’t We Get The Micronutrients We Need From Food?Unfortunately, even the most carefully selected diets are lacking in vitamins and minerals, according to world’s nutrition expert Dr. Bruce Ames.  His famous quote, “Even though we are all getting fat, we are starving for vitamins and minerals,” illustrates the fact that today’s food sources are severely lacking in important nutrition.

In fact, an apple today has 40% less nutrients than an apple 40+ years ago due to soil depletion, chemicals, and other factors.[4]

Supplementing properly is incredibly important. Just consider the drastic difference in those who participated in this first-ever randomized double blind placebo controlled trial on pediatric ADHD.  Researchers from the University of Otago, the University of Canterbury, the Canterbury District Health Board and Oregon Health & Science University systematically evaluated Hardy’s clinical broad-spectrum formulation, Daily Essential Nutrients, as a treatment for childhood ADHD.

Their findings were published in print in March 2018, in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.  University researchers commented, “This is the first fully blinded randomized controlled trial of medication-free children with ADHD assigned to either micronutrients or placebo…”

Half of the study participants (aged from 7 – 12 years) were randomly assigned Daily Essential Nutrients and the other half were assigned placebo [micronutrient look-alike pills but with no active ingredients] for 10 weeks.”

Researchers found that study participants in the micronutrient group had significantly reduced impairment and improved overall function, significantly improved attention, dramatically improved emotional regulation and aggression. Most importantly, no side-effects were found.

References:

[1] Vitamin D for Calcium Absorption

[2] Nutritional Psychiatry: Harvard Health

[3] Independent Research - Micronutrients

[4] Soil Depletion and Nutrition Loss

About Hardy Nutritionals®

Hardy Nutritionals® multivitamin-mineral products are powered by our proprietary NutraTek™ mineral delivery technology, which combines each mineral with specialized organic molecules—just like nature—to optimize absorption and distribution to body cells. Our flagship supplement, Daily Essential Nutrients, is widely considered to be the most research-backed micronutrient treatment.