Milk is fortified with Vitamin D; some cereals are fortified with calcium. What does it mean when a company fortifies foods? Simply put, fortification means adding something to the food that does not naturally occur in it. Foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals that many people generally lack, like iron, folic acid, iodine, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, and thiamin. People tend to eat similar foods every day. Sometimes this is because a variety of foods are unavailable, and sometimes it is because the person is stuck in a food rut. As a result, the government passed regulation to fortify foods to avoid deficits.
Consuming fortified foods is not going to harm your health unless you are already getting enough of a certain vitamin or mineral in your regular diet. However, the best way to get your vitamins and minerals is through whole foods. By keeping track of your foods on sites such as www.fitday.com, choosemyplate.gov, or www.myfitnesspal.com, you will know if you are low in any particular vitamin or mineral. At that point, you can make a decision to add fortified foods into your diet.
Always keep in mind the vitamins and minerals that are added to foods are created in a lab and are not the naturally occurring form, and because of this, some companies are better than others. Do your research and expect to have to pay more for the higher-quality fortified foods.
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