Do you take vitamins?

NeuroticVirgo
NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just recently started taking some. I don't "do" pills, so unfortunately mine are full of calories and sugar because they are a Woman's GUMMY multivitamin. :embarassed: I've never been a fan of vitamins because I always felt you should get what you need from your food, but I think when I'm eating at a deficit that I'm not getting what I need. Last year I was losing a lot of hair, and I'd like it to not get any thinner so this year vitamins it is.

This is what I'm taking
- Woman's multivitamin - Gummies
- Biotin - (The kind that melts)

I want to take fish oils...but I can't get past the fishy smell/taste. Any suggestions for this? I looked into flavored/gummy kinds, but they are all for kids and I'd have to take like 12 gummies to get an adult dose. :noway:

What do you take (or don't take) and why?

Replies

  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    You can't get all of the vital nutrients that your body needs through food. There are a ton of things your body needs that food doesn't provide which is why supplements are a good thing. I take a plethora of supplements some of which are:

    Vitamin D
    Daily Multi
    Genewize vitamins
    Calcium
    Omega 3
    Coq10
    Vitamin C
    Gelatin
    Cranberry pills
    Blueberry pills
    "Berry complete" which is a mix of berries
    Endothelial defense
    Liver defense
    Something for the eyes

    These are just a few that I take. There's a lot more, I just can't remember all of them. It's a PITA to take them all the time however I'm hardly sick and when I am sick it doesn't last more than a couple of days. My diet is (fairly) good for the most part but I know I can't possibly get everything my body needs from food alone.
  • Nessiechickie
    Nessiechickie Posts: 1,392 Member
    I don't take vitamins regularly.
    But when I do I have a huge container of Woman's MultiVitamin
    Also I was taking zinc, CoQ10 enzyme.
    I don't mix the multivitamin with anything when I have it.
    A lady I work with takes a whole bunch of vitamins a day such as the fish oil and calcium.
    I'm not a medicine person, but my biggest worry with taking a lot of vitamins is the effect they have if you mix a lot together.
    I might be wrong with this, but overtaking "metallic" like zinc or iron can be dangerous.
  • Glamrd1
    Glamrd1 Posts: 1 Member
    I take a multivitamin everyday since I also do not eat sugar or bread.

    Try putting the fish oil pills in the freezer - helps with the aftertaste.
  • MsP90X
    MsP90X Posts: 1,053 Member
    I just started taking the GNC Active woman's supplement pack... but they are not easy to take :S Six large vitamins... at least it takes me 24 oz of water to get 'em down :P
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I don't take vitamins regularly.
    But when I do I have a huge container of Woman's MultiVitamin
    Also I was taking zinc, CoQ10 enzyme.
    I don't mix the multivitamin with anything when I have it.
    A lady I work with takes a whole bunch of vitamins a day such as the fish oil and calcium.
    I'm not a medicine person, but my biggest worry with taking a lot of vitamins is the effect they have if you mix a lot together.
    I might be wrong with this, but overtaking "metallic" like zinc or iron can be dangerous.

    There's no effect of mixing them together. I take all my vitamins together in the daily doses and have had no ill side effects. I think it's different taking vitamins together vs. certain meds. With vitamins what your body doesn't use passes through you. And yes, it isn't good to get too much iron but that's why one should get their blood tested to make sure they're not too high on the "metals".
  • ashbee03
    ashbee03 Posts: 274 Member
    I HATE taking medicine.
    Although, I thought while trying to lose weight, I might not get everything I need in my food.
    & it's too tiring to try and get everything in everything I eat.
    So why not a little bit of help to make sure you atleast get some right ?

    Only pills I'll take are vitamins/supplements.
    Daily Multi with green tea extract
    Folic Acid
    B12
    Fish oil supplement
    & a vitamin c

    I could probably take a lot more, but it's expensive !
    I take a multi to get a little bit of everything, a folic acid because i have PCOS, and want to keep my tubes healthy, also because i plan to have kids lol.
    b12 because my b12 was low and my doctor said i should take it, because i don't eat lots of foods with b12.
    fish oil to keep my heart and brain working haha. also because i had high cholesterol once upon a time, and found that this helped me lower it quicker.
    and because i don't eat seafood or anything like fish with the major omegas in it.
    also, vit C because it keeps your immune healthy. can't afford to get sick !
    lol
  • BeautyCrys
    BeautyCrys Posts: 209 Member
    Don't get the fish oil ( I burped fish all day) GROSS!!! Buy Flax Oil, take them with food. I take Flax oli, Alive!, Hair, skin, and nail supplement and echinacea...all whole foods :)
  • dwh77tx
    dwh77tx Posts: 513 Member
    I take the One a Day women's gummies. I know they have sugar, yes, but if they weren't chewable and yummy I probably wouldn't take them.
  • ashbee03
    ashbee03 Posts: 274 Member
    Don't get the fish oil ( I burped fish all day) GROSS!!! Buy Flax Oil, take them with food. I take Flax oli, Alive!, Hair, skin, and nail supplement and echinacea...all whole foods :)

    this actually goes away after a while.
    i gagged the whole first day i started taking mine, every burp, i dreaded burping.
    but now it's very faint.
    barely notice it.
  • oOMusicBabii
    oOMusicBabii Posts: 494
    I take a multivitamin once a day, a calcium chewy with added vitamins D&K twice a day and a joint supplement twice a day.

    I'd like to hear more about fish oil and flax oil in general since the interwebz is extremely unclear.
  • hellou76
    hellou76 Posts: 33 Member
    I take a multi vitamin and mineral complex (A-Z) just as an insurnace policy, I probably get everything I need form my food but I take this anyway.

    I also take codliver oil capsules and glucosamine sulphate (only recently started to try to help with my very creeky knees)

    I also started taking a herb called Agnus Castus, which is supposed to help regulate the natural estrogen and progesterone balance, with the hope that my PMS is sorted out.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    I was taking a multivitamin, One A Day women's, I started taking it because my hair was falling out in alarming(to me quatities.) Just the multivitamin didn't appear to be changing the rate of hair loss though. Two weeks ago my doctor had me add Vitamin D3 and Calcium, I don't know if those will help with the hair loss, but I certainly feel better. My hair is super healthy by the way, and very thick, I've just been shedding a lot more than before I started losing weight.
  • UrbanWild
    UrbanWild Posts: 48
    Don't get the fish oil ( I burped fish all day) GROSS!!! Buy Flax Oil, take them with food. I take Flax oli, Alive!, Hair, skin, and nail supplement and echinacea...all whole foods :)

    this actually goes away after a while.
    i gagged the whole first day i started taking mine, every burp, i dreaded burping.
    but now it's very faint.
    barely notice it.

    BUY THE ENTERIC COATED FISH OIL CAPS--YOU WON'T TASTE THEM!:wink:
  • UrbanWild
    UrbanWild Posts: 48
    I started taking PharmaFreak Vita Packs. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and stuff for digestion, etc. There are two doses per pack--one for morning, one for lunch. I don't take vitamins at night. If you go to BodyBuilding.com and plug that product in the search on their store, you'l see the ingredients list--it's amazing! The pills go down easy. I also take Optimal Nutrition enteric-coated fish oil caps (no burp!), a generic calcium tablet, and CoQ10.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
    I assume your problem with pills is that you can't swallow them

    For fish oil I use a product called Carlson's lemon flavor fish oil. I add a table spoon to my olive oil and vinegar dressing (a teaspoon is all that's necessary) or else mix it in to my yogurt. It doesn't taste fishy and adds a pleasant lemon flavor to whatever you put it in

    I have a teenage son who doesn't eat a healthy diet so I found a high dosage chewable vitamin (pineapple flavor ) I think the brand name is nature made but I'm not sure. They are found in most health food stores. A little dry and chalk like but firly palatable
  • rllewell
    rllewell Posts: 234
    Understand I am coming from a “raw fruits and vegetables is the answer” perspective so when talking about vitamins and supplements I simply ask where is the research. Where is the independent 3rd party clinical research studies published in peer reviewed journals on the product as a whole? I am not saying they all DO NOT work but I am saying many of them DO NOT and some have actually been found to be harmful to your health. So do very thorough research.

    Over 4000 clinical studies show that eating the daily recommended amount of raw fruits and vegetables will lower the risk of chronic illness (cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc...) and deliver the vitamins and minerals your body needs daily. Medical science reminds us every day that good nutrition and good health go hand in hand. The problem is that most of us don’t eat nearly enough raw fruits and vegetables, especially not a wide variety every day. We find fruits and vegetables too inconvenient and too expensive and most fail to get the recommended 9 to 13 servings every day.

    In my own research I asked these questions: Does it deliver key antioxidants and other phytonutrients that are absorbed by the body? Does it reduce oxidative stress? Does it support a healthy immune system? Does it help protect DNA? Does it positively impacts several key indicators of cardiovascular wellness? If it does, buy it and take it religiously!
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    I assume your problem with pills is that you can't swallow them

    For fish oil I use a product called Carlson's lemon flavor fish oil. I add a table spoon to my olive oil and vinegar dressing (a teaspoon is all that's necessary) or else mix it in to my yogurt. It doesn't taste fishy and adds a pleasant lemon flavor to whatever you put it in

    I have a teenage son who doesn't eat a healthy diet so I found a high dosage chewable vitamin (pineapple flavor ) I think the brand name is nature made but I'm not sure. They are found in most health food stores. A little dry and chalk like but firly palatable

    Ya, I have a huge problem swallowing pills. I can do it, but if I had to do it everyday I'd probably stop taking them. Thanks for the tips on the Carison's lemon flavor, I think I'm going to look for that!
  • katymcd81
    katymcd81 Posts: 73 Member
    I don't take vitamins regularly.
    But when I do I have a huge container of Woman's MultiVitamin
    Also I was taking zinc, CoQ10 enzyme.
    I don't mix the multivitamin with anything when I have it.
    A lady I work with takes a whole bunch of vitamins a day such as the fish oil and calcium.
    I'm not a medicine person, but my biggest worry with taking a lot of vitamins is the effect they have if you mix a lot together.
    I might be wrong with this, but overtaking "metallic" like zinc or iron can be dangerous.

    There's no effect of mixing them together. I take all my vitamins together in the daily doses and have had no ill side effects. I think it's different taking vitamins together vs. certain meds. With vitamins what your body doesn't use passes through you. And yes, it isn't good to get too much iron but that's why one should get their blood tested to make sure they're not too high on the "metals".

    This isn't true for all vitamins. Vit. B6 (on its own, not as part of B complex) can accumulate and cause permanent nerve damage (usually only if you are taking very high doses, e.g. to extend your luteal phase when TTC). Excess B3 can cause skin problems. The fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) do not flush through, they are stored in your adipose tissue and accumulate, and can cause toxicity if you take high doses over time. It is really important to make sure you are sticking to the RDA of vitamins and minerals, unless you have a doctor's advice to take higher doses.

    Myself, I am just taking a 'conception support' supplement, and have been for a year - hoping to TTC within the next few months-1 year, and there is a lot of evidence to suggest that taking folic acid for longer than the standard 3 months before conception is beneficial in preventing preterm births, and that a multivitamin supplement is good for the baby's development. I am currently looking into a vegetarian source of omega3/6, for the same reasons (as well as for my own benefit), and think I may try to go the dietary route for that (oils etc) rather than a supplement.

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