Vitamins???

KansasGal
KansasGal Posts: 268 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So many people out they say take this, don't take that! I feel overwhelmed when I see all the vitamins out there!!! Is just a multivitamin enough? Do I need to add more? Or should I skip the multi and just get certain ones? Also, I see a lot of people say fish oil is great for you, anyone take it? I don't want to go spend all this money on some vitamins that I don't need because honestly my budget can't handle wasted purchases right now, lol!

Thanks in advance!!! :smile:

Replies

  • SRHelicity
    SRHelicity Posts: 36
    It's best to get your vitamins and minerals through real food. However, if you are running a significant caloric deficit to lose weight, it's sometimes very difficult to eat enough of the "right" foods to meet the recommended amounts. Therefore, a daily multivitamin can be a good way to make sure you're getting the essential vitamins and minerals. Don't *rely* on a multivitamin, however, to meet the RDA. Eat good food (e.g., don't eat fast food all the time) that will give you a good amount and a wide variety of vitamins and use a multivitamin as a sort of "insurance policy".
  • rubberbiscuit
    rubberbiscuit Posts: 128
    I take a multi-vitamin to cover my bases, and because it's hard to consistently take in the right amount of the correct nutrients daily, especially while in a calorie deficit. I also take calcium with D, because I'm a woman approaching menapause and I feel I need it. And finally, I've recently added fish oil (a brand which has been purified to remove mercury), because it's supposed to help lower LDL, raise HDL, and lower blood pressure.
  • jesindc
    jesindc Posts: 724 Member
    To truly get the correct answer, you need to ask your doctor to do a macro-nutritional blood test. I had one done and was really shocked to see how deficient I was with some nutrients (like the B spectrum) and how perfectly normal I was with others I thought I might be low in (like iron).

    I take calcium, zinc and B vitamins in addition to a daily multi vitamin, but you have to know how to take different supplements or else you'll just end up with expensive pee. Some vitamins absorb if different ways -- some should be taken on an empty stomach, some will make you sick if you take them on an empty stomach, some should not be taken at the same time as others -- Also, your body can only absorb so much of certain vitamins at a time so if you do want to take more vitamins, you may want to stagger them throughout the say (for example, if your doctor says that you should have an extra 1000mg of Calcium a day, you might want to take 500 of it in the am and 500 of it in the pm).

    For the most part, most people can absorbs nutrients better from foods than from supplements; however, for whatever reason sometimes our bodies lose the ability to absorb what they are supposed to from a good diet and that is when supplements come into play. I think it is totally worth in to get the blood work done b/c being deficient in certain vitamins can really affect you mood, your metabolism, your energy level, your weight and your appearance.
  • beckymlong
    beckymlong Posts: 111 Member
    To truly get the correct answer, you need to ask your doctor to do a macro-nutritional blood test. I had one done and was really shocked to see how deficient I was with some nutrients (like the B spectrum) and how perfectly normal I was with others I thought I might be low in (like iron).

    I take calcium, zinc and B vitamins in addition to a daily multi vitamin, but you have to know how to take different supplements or else you'll just end up with expensive pee. Some vitamins absorb if different ways -- some should be taken on an empty stomach, some will make you sick if you take them on an empty stomach, some should not be taken at the same time as others -- Also, your body can only absorb so much of certain vitamins at a time so if you do want to take more vitamins, you may want to stagger them throughout the say (for example, if your doctor says that you should have an extra 1000mg of Calcium a day, you might want to take 500 of it in the am and 500 of it in the pm).

    For the most part, most people can absorbs nutrients better from foods than from supplements; however, for whatever reason sometimes our bodies lose the ability to absorb what they are supposed to from a good diet and that is when supplements come into play. I think it is totally worth in to get the blood work done b/c being deficient in certain vitamins can really affect you mood, your metabolism, your energy level, your weight and your appearance.

    I agree with this you can take too much of some things, best to get a blood test to be 100%

Categories