Oh good GOD.

Gee_24

Hello again.

Well all is well with weight loss and staying under cals. But today out of curiosity I looked at my vitamins. WOW.

I hit zero more than half of the time...for all of them. ( apart from fiber and calcium ) the most worrying for me is the lack of Iron as I have been losing hair since 2011.

Anyway I'm looking into multi vitamins but I've read recently that they are actually considered BAD for you. Would you agree?

I intend to take in more veg ( hate fruit, but may make smoothies ) as this has been a major wake up call. I think this journey is leading to small steps every month to becoming " Healthy ". :-) My diet is still atrocious by most members standards but I like what I like!

Question: Do you take Multivitamins? Should I?

MityMax96

I don't.

I try to eat the right foods......

Gee_24

I used to take Perfectil ( for the hair loss ) and it worked wonders. I have just discovered it actually has many of the vitamins I may be needing.

Vitamin D (D3 200 IU) 5 µg 100
Vitamin E (Natural Source) 40 mg α-TE 333
Vitamin C 60 mg 75
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 8 mg 727
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 4 mg 286
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 18 mg NE 113
Vitamin B6 10 mg 714
Folic Acid 400 µg 200
Vitamin B12 9 µg 360
Biotin 45 µg 90
Pantothenic Acid 40 mg 667
Iron 12 mg 86
Magnesium 75 mg 20
Zinc 15 mg 150
Iodine 200 µg 133
Manganese 0.5 mg 25
Copper 1000 µg 100
Chromium GTF 50 µg 125
Selenium 100 µg 182
Cystine 10 mg --
Natural mixed carotenoids 2 mg --
Grape Seed Extract (95% proanthocyanidins) 15 mg --

Guinivere

I just get mine from food. Watch out for smoothies - they were too much for me and I put weight on again as thy are so high in carbs. And you lose all the good fibre. I eat very little fruit but lots of veggies. Probably 8 portions a day for variety.

Gee_24

I don't.

I try to eat the right foods......

Fair enough! I started out eating right, myself. Eating fish steaks and lots of broccoli, etc. But when I upped my cals to 1400 I found it hard to eat enough of the only healthy foods I can stomach. So in creeped the chips, pizza and chocolate! And because I was still under my macros ( most of the time ) and losing the same amount I thought " Well, why not? "

I am losing weight steadily and that was all I cared about before. But now, I'm caring more each day about my general health. So at least Im heading in the right direction. ^^

MinnieInMaine

If you're going by the listings on MFP, in my experience, user entered listings tend to be way off in the vitamin department.

Your hair loss could be due to a variety of reasons. Have you ever talked to your doctor about it?

I'm not great about taking my vitamins every day but I do have some here at my desk that I take when I remember. Like right now...LOL!

randomtai

I take a multivitamin. I can't eat most fruit due to oral allergy syndrome, and veggies... well.. I eat them usually with dinner or so.

TheGymGypsy

You hate fruit? Your life must be so empty...

Lizzy622

Have you been tested by your doctor? You may want to do that before going on mega doses of anything. I am on mega dose of D due to doctors orders.

SwitzEngine

I take every day a multivitamin and eat lots of fruits

sobriquet84

i don't understand the whole vitamins = bad thing.

i'm on a prenatal. i'm not pregnant, but i [hopefully] will be within the next 6-12 months. switched to a prenatal from a regular multi because of really bad anemia and other deficiencies.

annie7hudds

No, I don't take any supplements.
.
From what I have read you do need to be careful. Some vits and minerals can be a bit dodgy if you have too much, and others next to useless.

I had a quick peek at your diary.

There is one food group missing - vegetables . But you know that.

Veggies don't have to be dull - by cooking them differently you may be surprised and like them.

Have a look at some of the recipes, there are some inventive members on mfp.

I love vegetables, we eat in excess of the 5 a day here But new recipes are always good - to keep it interesting. Tonight with roasted turkey breast I served brooli. But it wasn't boiled to within an inch of its life. I tossed the florets in a tiny bit of oil, with minced garlic, sprinkling of chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Then roasted in the oven (in the same oven dish as the jacket potatoes). When they were done - 15 mins - I sprinkled a little bit of grated parmesan, and some lemon zest on top and served. Delicious - spicy and tasty enough for anyone's tastebuds. Give it a go!!

Gee_24

If you're going by the listings on MFP, in my experience, user entered listings tend to be way off in the vitamin department.

Your hair loss could be due to a variety of reasons. Have you ever talked to your doctor about it?

I'm not great about taking my vitamins every day but I do have some here at my desk that I take when I remember. Like right now...LOL!

I think this may be the first post of mine to help another member! I helped someone remember their vitamins! haha

When I had bloods done I was ever so slightly under on Iron. By the Doctors standards, not enough to cause much harm. So he put it down to stress. Unfortunately I have anxiety issues. Not for no reason, when something big happens. I dont live day to day being worried, but I cant handle the big things in life. I found out I owe £5000 ( wont discuss it here ) and it ruined me in Jan 2012. It took 3 months for it to happen, but my hair came out in clumps for about a year until it finally stopped shedding and started growing again by Christmas.I used to pick strands of hair that had fallen onto my arms all day. I even had to buy a pet vaccum to hoover my hair up as the carpets were so bad. I see no hair falling, but it certainly looks thinner thesedays.

Perfectil, it is.

xapril77x

I've heard the same about vitamins but I'm new to the eating veggies thing & am slowly developing a taste for them so I plan on continuing to take them until I can successfully achieve them all with food... I think getting a juicer & adding them in with fruit would be a good idea 4 me...

SoDamnHungry

I take a multivitamin for a condition that I have. Not sure if I would take one except for that. Supposedly getting ones with iron in them are bad for you (unless you have low iron levels, of course), so I always get like brand X Centrum Silver.

MityMax96

I don't.

I try to eat the right foods......

Fair enough! I started out eating right, myself. Eating fish steaks and lots of broccoli, etc. But when I upped my cals to 1400 I found it hard to eat enough of the only healthy foods I can stomach. So in creeped the chips, pizza and chocolate! And because I was still under my macros ( most of the time ) and losing the same amount I thought " Well, why not? "

I am losing weight steadily and that was all I cared about before. But now, I'm caring more each day about my general health. So at least Im heading in the right direction. ^^

On my workout days, I can bang out 3200 - 3800 calories...
None of which is pizza, chip or chocolates.

But if it fits your calories and macros, you should be good.

bcattoes

I do not agree that mutilvitamins are bad. I think it's much better to get your vitamins from food, and certain nutrients aren't as good in pill form, especially if they are lab created instead of naturally sourced.

Here is an article on multivitamins from the Harvard School of Public Health
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamins/

That said, it's unlikely that you really have been getting zero amounts of many vitamins. More likely the entries you've chosen simply didn't list all the nutrients in the foods.

Boogage

I can't take multi vitamins (I can take folic so I don't know about other single vitamin doses) because they make me really ill and cause stomach cramps and stuff but if you can I don't see the harm as long as you stick to the recommended dose.

Most of the foods I've entered into the database didn't have vitamins on the packets so its worth looking into the foods you eat to see if you are really likely to be deficient.

grimendale

I take a multivitamin for a condition that I have. Not sure if I would take one except for that. Supposedly getting ones with iron in them are bad for you (unless you have low iron levels, of course), so I always get like brand X Centrum Silver.

It's not that iron is bad for you, it's that it is fat soluble, so you don't pee out the extra (like you do with Vitamin C). If you accumulate too much, you can get iron poisoning, but that's usually hard to do. I take a multi with iron because, as a vegetarian, I'm often low on iron unless I make a conscious effort to eat a metric crapton of spinach. I find the multi is easier and makes meal planning a little easier. I do try to eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies daily though.

Gee_24

You hate fruit? Your life must be so empty...

I totally agree. I would love nothing more than to snack on a peach or an apple like all the girls do in work. My boss brings in a basket full of different fruits for us all. Every now and then I buy lots of random fruits and try them. But no, I just...cant.

Have you been tested by your doctor? You may want to do that before going on mega doses of anything. I am on mega dose of D due to doctors orders.

I was tested last year. Just slightly low on Iron, everything else was in order. I was given Iron tablets that made my BM just terrible!! I came off them as it was just unpleasant. I then started eating more iron rich cereals and corned beef rolls. ( mmm )

I take a multi, a vit c supp as well. Vitamins bad for you? As opposed to what? A vitamin deficiency? Everything is bad for you according to someone.

I know! Its all so confusing. I read a few articles before I went on ebay and they were all negative and I thought " No, ask your MFP friends " :-)

No, I don't take any supplements.
.
From what I have read you do need to be careful. Some vits and minerals can be a bit dodgy if you have too much, and others next to useless.

I had a quick peek at your diary.

There is one food group missing - vegetables . But you know that.

Veggies don't have to be dull - by cooking them differently you may be surprised and like them.

Have a look at some of the recipes, there are some inventive members on mfp.

I love vegetables, we eat in excess of the 5 a day here But new recipes are always good - to keep it interesting. Tonight with roasted turkey breast I served brooli. But it wasn't boiled to within an inch of its life. I tossed the florets in a tiny bit of oil, with minced garlic, sprinkling of chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Then roasted in the oven (in the same oven dish as the jacket potatoes). When they were done - 15 mins - I sprinkled a little bit of grated parmesan, and some lemon zest on top and served. Delicious - spicy and tasty enough for anyone's tastebuds. Give it a go!!

Thank you so much. I over-boil my broccoli, its terrible. I love it soft, and salty! So its one of the few veggies I eat but I somehow manage to suck all the goodness out of them and also add a tonne of salt! lol

That recipe sounds absolutely delicious. I have bookmarked this and will be reading it in the supermarket tomorrow as I buy in dinner. Thanks!

Its a shame really. My boyfriend cooks himself lovely looking meals. Usually chicken breasts with herbs and veggies in those " Cook in the bag " things. I should let him make me some.