Vitamins - worth it?

aamberrr
aamberrr Posts: 115 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've read a lot of varying opinions on the topic of vitamins.

Aside from supplements I take after lifting, I try to start each day with the following vitamins (pill form):
-Multivitamin (Women's One a Day)
-Biotin (Hair, Skin & Nails, which I've begun taking because over the past year I've noticed my hair seems thinner/less healthy)
-Fish Oil

In all honesty, I have to literally choke the first 2 down, as they smell and taste horrible, and I'm not a good pill-taker, and I don't know if I really feel any difference since taking them. It feels like a small torture each morning to take the pills... the fish oil ones I don't mind because they are in a gel-cap form, but the other two are just nasty.

Does anyone have any opinions/info on whether these vitamins I'm taking even make a difference? I read somewhere that taking vitamins is just making your pee more expensive because your body gets rid of most of it... is that true?

Thanks! :)

Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I take vitamins because I am B12 deficient, as determined from bloodwork by my doctor. I now take a multi and a B12 and, confirmed by bloodwork, am no longer deficient. So yes, they do work if you are lacking either naturally or by diet. I take Nature Made brand B12 and Whole Foods 365 house brand multi.
  • kimtpa1417
    kimtpa1417 Posts: 461 Member
    Right now I take Alive womens after lunch and a B-complex after breakfast. If anything they keep me from falling asleep. Although my nails grow like crazy and if I dont take the Alive I feel a difference in energy
  • Mathguy1
    Mathguy1 Posts: 207 Member
    I take CoQ10 and Fish oil (I sometimes forget to eat 3 servings of salmon per week). I dont bother with multi-vitamins. If you eat a balanced, healthy diet, you dont need them. However, for women, I would say to be vigilant about getting enough vitamin D and calcium in order to reduce your chances of osteoporosis and bone health problems. If your diet doesn't contain enough vitamin D and calcium, I would recommend taking them in vitamin form. If your diet contains enough, then skip the vitamins. Your doctor should be able to do some blood work and state if your diet is lacking.

    Also, if you are pregnant, folic acid is very important.
  • kajpen
    kajpen Posts: 120 Member
    I take New Chapter Organics One Daily for women, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, and Krill Oil (which is Omega 3's). I definitely notice a difference if I don't take them versus when I take them.

    The New Chapter multivitamins don't have that strong "vitamin" smell and they don't give me "vitamin" burps. It's the first one I've found that I don't have an issue taking :-).
  • GCLyds
    GCLyds Posts: 206 Member
    Vitamin D is so important esp if you wear sunscreen and stay indoors a lot. I take the upper limit of 2000 IU per day. I take that on top of my (Now Foods Daily) multivitamin, and I also take fish oil as I dont get much omega 3 fats in my diet.

    Lots of companies make chewable multivitamins for adults now. Try one of those. There are lots of liquid B vitamin formulations as well.

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