Multivitamins?

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kmturtle3
kmturtle3 Posts: 556
in Food and Nutrition
I've been at this since the end of January, and I feel like I have a really good grasp on my food intake... I'm eating tons of fruits and veggies, lean meats, drinking all kinds of water, trying to stay away from processed foods and stick to whole grains, etc...

I just looked back over my nutrtional trending, and I'm doing awesome and meeting all of my nutritional goals except for calcium and iron. I'm almost 28, and I know how important calcium is. I love milk, but I'm not drinking a ton of it necessarily because I'm trying to stick to my calorie goals while eating 5 times a day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner).

Anyone have tips on things I can eat to up the intake of calcium or iron? Or am I better off just taking a multivitamin or a calcium and iron supplement?

Replies

  • Pange33
    Pange33 Posts: 63
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    I know I do best w/ calcium and iron when I take a multivitamin. Soymilk and other non-dairy beverages that are fortified with calcium may help, but I find it's too easy to go over on carbs/sugar with these options. Otherwise, eat a TON of spinach (which is very easy for me to do, I LOVE it!)
  • MissKeeKee
    MissKeeKee Posts: 13 Member
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    I take a multivitamin.
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
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    I personally think ALL WOMEN should be on a calcium pill...such as caltrate or citrical. A multivitamin is essential too, but it's always good to supplement it with calcium. There are some vitamins that get stored in your body as fat in excess...A, D, E, K. But unless you're doing huge amounts of them...You'll be fine.

    Good luck! Hope this helps some :)
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
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    Oh..and they do have iron supplements, I bought some myself because I don't get enough either. My suggestion with those, however, is to take them with food because they can be hard on the tummy otherwise :)
  • jms023
    jms023 Posts: 37 Member
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    I have trouble getting enough iron as well. I drink a lot of fat-free milk so I'm usually ok with the calcium, though even so it is usually a little on the low side. I tried taking a multivitamin but my stomach can't handle it for some reason, and it always gives me stomach pain. You could try the multivitamin, although be careful with the fat-soluble vitamin (A, E, D, K) as they get stored in your body in excess, as stated above. Also, do not take calcium and iron supplements at the same time (within ~2 hours of each other) because calcium inhibits the absorption of iron. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron, so you could try eating something rich in vitamin C when taking the supplement. Hope that helps a bit!

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