Let’s face it, if every meal we ate looked like the poster image for MyPlate — the United States Department of Agriculture’s campaign to promote healthy eating — we’d never need to think about supplementing our diets with additives, like vitamins and minerals. But eating a balanced diet isn’t always as easy, affordable or enjoyable as it’s made out to be.

And, for seniors living alone, it can be even more challenging to eat nutritiously.

“I start out with good intentions every day,” says Edie Dunwoody, 76. “But most days I end up snacking and grazing on foods that I know aren’t good for me because I don’t care to cook a healthy meal just for myself.”

For Dunwoody’s friend, 70-year-old Doris Stamm, healthy eating is essential to managing her diabetes, but she admits to slipping up fairly often.

Both women take vitamins. Stamm takes a multi-vitamin to make up for not eating as well as she should, and Dunwoody takes a few supplements a friend recommended, including magnesium because she says it stimulates hair growth.

Taking vitamins — and lots of them — is good for you, right? Not necessarily, especially if you take supplements as an insurance policy against poor eating habits or without the advice of your health professional. Taking too many vitamins could actually be increasing your risk of health problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. For example, vitamin E may raise the risk of heart failure, and taking more than the recommended dose of vitamin B-6 can lead to nerve pain and seizures. Too much vitamin A can be bad for your bones.

Also, remember that not all vitamins are created equal. According to pharmacists Paul and Pam Grisnik, in the United States, supplements are not regulated as drugs. Rather, they’re regulated as food, so it’s important to know what you’re purchasing.

“This is one case where you get what you pay for,” pharmacist Paul Grisnik says. “When buying vitamins, always look for pharmaceutical-grade products. The popular ones we’ve all heard of have about as much value as the bottle they come packaged in.”

The Grisniks agree that most seniors could benefit from taking vitamins and mineral supplements, but they also say that not everyone needs a multi-vitamin.

“Not everyone needs everything in them,” Paul says.

The best way to find out what vitamins you need is to have an honest discussion with your doctor about your daily eating habits and lifestyle.

And, if you do regularly take vitamins and mineral supplements, clue in your pharmacist.

“Your pharmacist can work with your physician to identify supplements that may interact with medications you’re taking,” Pam says.