Do we really need vitamins if we eat whole foods?

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heykatieben
heykatieben Posts: 398 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If so, what vitamins do we need? Opinions?
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  • exacerbe
    exacerbe Posts: 447 Member
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    If you eat a wide range of fruits, veggies, lean proteins... not really. But a multivitamin won't hurt.. It depends on the person and your body's ability to absorb and use vitamins/minerals. Vegetarians have to watch out for iron deficiencies. Lactose intolerant have to watch out for calcium deficiencies... and so forth..

    Bottom line, if you eat healthy, whole foods with a wide range of fruits and veggies then no.
  • emergencytennis
    emergencytennis Posts: 864 Member
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    It is hard to get all the iron you need if you dont eat red meat - you have to live on spinach and dried apricots.
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
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    You don't need vitamins if you eat a balanced diet.
  • JPDad
    JPDad Posts: 147
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    I eat a balanced whole food diet. The only vitamin I add is Vitamin D during the winter months. The reason being there is not enough sunlight during the winter months in Canada. When it is sunny in January, the sun is too low to the horizon and has more atmosphere to go through. It's also hard to soak up the rays in a parka.

    Multi vitamins are waste of money.
  • sharonhauptman
    sharonhauptman Posts: 60 Member
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    I agree. Sometimes when I go to give blood, my count is too low. I run home and start pouring spinach and some meat into myself so I can give blood. I hardly ever eat meat, but will compromise on that so I can help someone with blood.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I don't think they are necessary unless there is a specific one that you know you have issues with (ie, if you've been diagnosed as deficitient in iron or vit b12 or you live somewhere with no sunlight - gah!).
    Otherwise you are just producing rather expensive urine as many vitamins aren't stored in your body if they aren't needed, they just go straight down the toilet. In my opinion, most of the vitamins out there are sold as a result of good marketing rather than need.
  • Lazlocats
    Lazlocats Posts: 22 Member
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    The problem comes not with whole foods but how the food was grown....In 1950 you would get a lot of vitamins and minerals from the food grown and eaten whole, but today you are lucky to get 10 percent of that, due to the farming methods and the soil quality. So, yes vitamins with minerals are needed even with whole foods and organic foods. But not all vitamiins are created equal. Some are chemicals and the body sees them as thus. If you want a good vitamin don't go to Walmart or any of these corner pharmacies. Health food stores have whole food vitamins and natural sourced good vitamins that the body can use. Don't let anyone fool you with chemicals and bad advice.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    The problem comes not with whole foods but how the food was grown....In 1950 you would get a lot of vitamins and minerals from the food grown and eaten whole, but today you are lucky to get 10 percent of that, due to the farming methods and the soil quality. So, yes vitamins with minerals are needed even with whole foods and organic foods. But not all vitamiins are created equal. Some are chemicals and the body sees them as thus. If you want a good vitamin don't go to Walmart or any of these corner pharmacies. Health food stores have whole food vitamins and natural sourced good vitamins that the body can use. Don't let anyone fool you with chemicals and bad advice.

    All vitamins are chemicals.


    Don't let anyone fool you with naturalistic fallacies and woo.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
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    All matter is composed of chemicals.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    The problem comes not with whole foods but how the food was grown....In 1950 you would get a lot of vitamins and minerals from the food grown and eaten whole, but today you are lucky to get 10 percent of that, due to the farming methods and the soil quality. So, yes vitamins with minerals are needed even with whole foods and organic foods. But not all vitamiins are created equal. Some are chemicals and the body sees them as thus. If you want a good vitamin don't go to Walmart or any of these corner pharmacies. Health food stores have whole food vitamins and natural sourced good vitamins that the body can use. Don't let anyone fool you with chemicals and bad advice.

    I believe the word you are looking for is bio-availability. Some chemical forms of vitamins are less easily absorbed by the body than other chemical forms. Usually, cheaper vitamins use less bio-available forms. That doesn't mean you have to go to a fancy-schmancy health store to get a decent vitamin. I take Target brand and I'm doing just fine.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    Are there any foods you don't eat much of? You need meat or grains for B vitamins, animal products for B12, green vegetables for vitamin K (often not included in vitamin tabs, by the way), sunlight for vitamin D, yellow/red/green vegetables for carotene that becomes vitamin A, unsaturated fats for essential fatty acids, a balanced assortment of proteins for essential amino acids. Potassium, calcium, magnesium are needed in significant amounts, and you also need trace amounts of things like selenium and zinc.

    If you even need to ask, it's a good idea to read up on nutrition and maybe analyze your daily intake. There is extensive information on the USDA website:
    http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    Possibly Vit D. Vit B12 if you are vegan. You may need others if you have celiac disease or malabsorption issues.

    Pam
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    My opinion, and from what I've read, I don't believe you really need vitamins if you eat whole foods. Unless you are actually deficient in something, like Vitamin D. I would say some vegans or vegetarians may have a need to take some vitamins as well, like B12. There may be other reasons to do so, related to fitness (like for some reason many of my bulking friends take fish oil and I have yet to ask why).

    There is no evidence that taking a multi-vitamin has any effect on long-term health. The research tells us that, in general, people who take multi-vitamins are "healthier", but there is no evidence that it is actually the multi-vitamin that makes those people healthier, or if people in general who take multi-vitamins simply eat more whole, nutritious foods and naturally lead healthier lifestyles.

    I like Michael Pollan's view, based on the research that is out there - "Eat and live like you take vitamins, but don't take them."
  • Lazlocats
    Lazlocats Posts: 22 Member
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    the test then is in the end ....when you are older.
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    I believe so. Multi, vitamin B, calcium
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    It is hard to get all the iron you need if you dont eat red meat - you have to live on spinach and dried apricots.

    I track my iron because I'm a vegetarian and I'm rarely under. Calcium is the one I usually need to supplement.
  • kathleennf
    kathleennf Posts: 606 Member
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    OK well I used to work in the Vitamins and Minerals Nutrition research center for the USDA. I was just a student- so don't count me as an expert on this. Plus it was a LONG time ago. With that disclaimer I will tell you this- the prevailing wisdom there amongst the scientists who do research in this full time was: our bodies were made to live as hunter-gatherers and small-time farmers. This involved a huge amount of energy expenditure and thus a huge caloric intake - all completely natural foods of course. So unless you live a very active lifestyle and are eating about 4000 calories a day of meat, chicken, fish and vegetables mostly- YES, you need to take vitamins.
  • choirgirl1130
    choirgirl1130 Posts: 80 Member
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    If you eat a variety of whole foods and very little processed or packaged food, a vitamin isn't necessarily needed but a mineral supplement might be good to incorporate. today's soil is leeched of many of the minerals due to high volumes of fruit/vegetable production.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    If you are eating a healthy balanced diet every day, I don't believe that you need any form of vitamin supplements.

    Personally though, I'm aware that although I try and eat a varied healthy diet, sometimes I fail, and even when I eat extremely healthily I still can't eat the quantities of fruit and veg that would be normal.

    Therefore, I currently take:

    1. A daily multivitamin and mineral
    2. Fish fish oil because I've had to cut back on the amount of oily fish I'd normally eat on maintenance calories.
    3. Glucosamine because I believe it has been a factor in helping my knee recover
    4. Calcium because again, I eat far less dairy than I would normally eat on maintenance calories.
  • Play_outside
    Play_outside Posts: 528 Member
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    You can track a lot of your vitamins on MFP so if you are concerned I woudl just keep an eye there. Also, you could go see a dietitian for a professional opinion on whether you are eating enough of a variety to get the vitamins you need. If you have certain health issues then there are likely things you are lacking. I take vitamins because I am celiac and I eat very little meat and very little dairy.

    Not sure where you live, but pretty much everyone in the northern hemisphere should be taking Vitamin D.

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