How to Decide Which Multi-vitamin

If you're eating a decent diet, you really don't need to supplement. All you're doing by taking synthetic vitamins is making expensive pee.

ETA: "Dr." Mercola is a snake oil salesman. I wouldn't trust him if he told me water was wet.

I am allergic to synthetic Vit. Bs so I have to use only food based vitamins. I used Rainbow Light when I was pregnant, here is the link: http://www.rainbowlight.com/immune-support-complete-nutri...

But now I am using the Green Source ones from Vitamin World because it has a lot more stuff in it, and you only have to take one pill. I would look into something that is food based because then you know it is healthy and that your body knows what to do with it. If it needs it, it will take the vitamins, and if it doesn't, then it will let them go.

I would check out drmercola.com << on his website, he lists why which vitamins might be good for this or that.. I take the multi ,krill for women and chlorophyl green .. I like his website.. if anything, it s just good info to have ..

good luck

I work in the field and I have to say, there are some good suggestions below and also a whole lot of misinformation.

So, for starters, do not take pills. They are only absorbed 15-30% tops so the rest is eliminated from your system. (I can send you something from the PDR - Physicians Desk Reference - if you like.) Waste of money. They also contain a whole lot of additives, fillers, wax and other things to help the pill hold its shape. As someone said, they are manufactured in all kinds of places that have no standards. And many companies outsource - that's why, if you go to the vitamin aisle, you'll see a whole bunch of stuff from different companies that looks the same. That's because it is!

Don't take liquids if they are premixed - they break down during time spent on the shelves. Powder that is mixed in liquid at the time of consumption is best.

Don't take individual vitamins or minerals because you think you are low in that one - so don't just take Vitamin D or Vitamin B complex or magnesium or even a combination of 10 or 12 things. Just not effective. There are many nutrients which only function in combination with many others, so again, you waste your money if you take some without their nutritional partners.

The idea that you "create expensive pee" is correct IF you do any of the above things. The issue is ABSORPTION. If you have a high absorption level in the supplements (upwards of 90-95%), then you've got something.

It's NOT true that you can get everything you want from your diet - not anymore. Eating locally and eating organically is advisable, sure, but still, you don't really know what you're getting overall. The first strawberry in June doesn't have the same nutritional content of the strawberry in August - and even if was grown organically 3000 miles away, it loses a lot in the shipping and waiting time. Plus, frankly, we don't have a universal definition (or any oversight) of "organic farming" - so a lot is mislabeled. That's why the American Medical Association recommended in 2002 that every single person supplement, and use liquid supplementation. (Not the FDA as someone else suggested.)

You want a supplement that has no warning labels - no "keep of reach of children" or "do not exceed recommended dosage". Then it's not food based. If it's "FDA approved" then it's considered a drug. If it's not, that's not necessarily a bad thing - it means it's food. What you want is to be sure that the company has the FDA's Good Manufacturing Processes" designation. You want it manufactured in the US under very strict, near-pharmaceutical grade conditions (higher standards than the food industry) and you want to know the credentials of the Chief Scientific Officer. A recent survey of 5000 CSOs was very enlightening.

If you can find US Government patents on the entire formula (not just an ingredient or two), that's fantastic. It means the effectiveness, safety and uniqueness have been proven. Most companies won't go to the trouble or expense of getting a patent, which is particularly difficult to get in a food product. They put more of their money into advertising or hiring celebrity endorsers - you're not always better of with a "company you've heard of" because that's just a function of their advertising.

And of course, you don't want genetically modified foods at all, ever. The regulations to require companies to label GMO foods did not pass - that's the "Monsanto laws" you've been reading about. The big companies like Monsanto just don't want their ingredients and sources under any scrutiny.

Someone mentioned the doctor recommending gummy vitamins - I find that astounding since gummies are not dissolved well in the digestive process. Put a gummy, or any other vitamin, in a dish of white vinegar and time it for how long it takes to dissolve. If's it's more than 20 minutes, it's useless! Gummies usually take 45 minutes or more. And most physicians have not taken any nutrition courses at all - or they took one elective 20 years ago in medical school.

A juicer is a fine idea, but it's only as good as what you throw into it - and you don't know how long that vegetable has been off the vine or out of the ground, or where it was grown. And again, if you only get certain vitamins or minerals in that juice, then you are missing the necessary "partner" ingredients and not getting full benefit.

Happy to help you more. I've been going to training and conferences for years and I've learned a lot. My family tried EVERYTHING - from what's available in stores to what the chiropractor was hawking, and we never saw appreciable benefits until 6 years ago. We haven't been sick since, not one "sick visit" to the doctor, better lab results on everything (cholesterol, sugar, blood pressure, and more), and more energy. We eat as well as we can, but we eat what we want because we are making up the difference with proper and effective supplementation at 95% absorbency in a comprehensive formula.

Please get a blood workup and see what your body needs. If you do end up taking viamins, get high end ones.

Check into probiotics, too !

Eat alot of organic fruits and veggies !! I go to a few local, organic farms and what the food being picked just before i eat it !

Beware of vitamins---many are loaded w/ GMO's and a whole host of other things that are not good.

The other day, I drove to a vegan cafe and had the lady juice: organic kale, organic ginger, organic lemon, and she added a few other organic greens ! ...Energy and vitamins...A juicer is better than a bottle of vitamins!

You are right to do your research. The majority of vitamins on U.S. shelves are made in China. Something to think about from the land of tainted baby formula, pet food, kids' jewelry, etc etc. etc.

Some moms H. have told you right: if you are getting a good and complete diet, you will not need supplements; however if you feel you are not getting enough buy vitamins from health stores not from any store since most of them have corn syrup , artificial colors, and/or sugar (bad stuff), and they will not be easily absorbed. Ask your doctor first and tell him/her about your symptoms that you think it may be lack of vitamins.
You need to know that there are water soluble vitamins (C, complex B), these are not stored by our bodies, so you can take them daily, and there are fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K)which are stored in our bodies, therefore you don't need to take these every single day.
To find out if the water vitamins you are buying are actually absorbed in your body, you can drop one of them in a glass of water, if it dissolves in about less than 30 min., the vitamin is good and easily absorbed, otherwise it will do nothing to your health.
It is also important that you have protein in your diet since all work together (vitamins, minerals, proteins, etc.) Many times, tiredness, mood swings, digestive problems comes from a diet poor in protein, since you are vegetarian you may want to include in your diet legumes, tofu, nuts, etc. to consume more protein.
I hope this helps

My husband is a physician and has recently become concerned about some of the additives in conventional vitamins. He has started taking a multivitamin from a company called Metagenics. I don't remember if he said it is prescription-only, or if he meant that only doctors can distribute it, but you'd have to ask a doctor for it.

I take these because they are chewable and quickly absorbed into your system: http://www.GBGisIT.com They are vitamins and minerals and have pro-biotics. Good luck.

If you eat a healthy diet, vita,ins are not needed. You just end up excreting them.

Hi Tia!

Honestly, you have to be careful, because even though the FDA states that all adults should take a multivitamin, what a lot of people don't realize is that they are actually doing more harm than good because they are crystalizing in your small intestines and letting off free radials. I have partnered with a great company for the past 5 years that specializes in nutrition and health and have a multivitamin & mineral supplement as well as prenatals that are over 85% more absorbable than anything on the market and helps to protect against harmful free-radicals. They offer vitamins for every need and age....and yes, you do need more of certain vitamins as you age, and these are excellent for vegetarians! Email me and I can share more with you. ____@____.com

I use vitacost.com which has great information about all sorts of vitamins and it also lists customer reviews. Our chiro highly recommends a liquid vitamin made from whole foods.

Research is finding that the shotgun approach of a multivitamin isn't really helpful. If you have a deficiency, like I do with Vitamin D, and you take D, it will help. Pregnancy multi-vitamins supplement deficiencies and increase what is needed during pregnancy.

But if you don't have a deficiency, more of something isn't necessarily better. Like more medicine can make you sick vs. helping you. So get a physical, see if there's an issue, and go from there.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/mixed-results-multi...

Vitamin Code RAW from Garden of Life is very good. You may need something extra being a vegetarian, I wouldn't know. You can get them for a good price on Vitacost.com and if you want a $10 coupon off, let me know I can refer you.

H.

I had gastric bypass in October and as a result take a whole bunch of vitamis and medicines daily. My multi-vitamin is One A Day woman's gummies. My surgeon said this choice was good for me.

Talk to your doctor's, get a blood work up, then you'll really know what you need.