Thoughts on vitamins? Pros? Cons?

Don't waste your money on multivitamins. Almost all studies done on them find them to be useless. And they're probably worse than useless for anyone who eats a remotely healthy diet.

Why would you take any nutrient risk when "eating small"? You may be nutrient deficient or not - how can you tell until your health fails? Unless you have an proper dietician work out your diet you can't tell if you are getting all you need or not. Nutrient supplements from established manufacturers are safe. Take the multi's - if you don't need them, you lose only money. Money is for spending; health is for keeps.

I have a good diet, so the only thing worth taking for me is vitamin D. Like most people in Vegas (ironically) I'm rarely in the sun, so I supplement.

I also get blood tests twice a year through my insurance, and those can be helpful in spotting deficiencies.

xmichaelyx wrote: »

I have a good diet, so the only thing worth taking for me is vitamin D. Like most people in Vegas (ironically) I'm rarely in the sun, so I supplement.

I also get blood tests twice a year through my insurance, and those can be helpful in spotting deficiencies.

Salmon and mushrooms help with vitamin D but salmon is the best. However the best salmon is wild salmon.

Unless you have an actual deficiency or feel your diet is deficient because of a lack of certain foods (ie. vegan, paleo, lactose intolerant, etc.), the vast majority of vitamins are a ripoff. They do absolutely nothing for you. Exceptions may include things like omega 3 or fish oil, and Vitamin D and calcium. The majority of the ingredients in a multivitamin are just peed out because your body can't use them. Supplemental herbs? You might as well just place your dollars directly in the toilet and flush.

Ladybug1250 wrote: »

So I've always tried to take my vitamins, just a regular multi with a vitamin C kicker if I felt like I was getting sick. I remember my MD told me a couple years ago that you really don't need one if you're eating a good diet. You should try to get your vitamins from your food. While that's true, I'm not perfect at eating well rounded meals every time, most times sure, but I think I'm probably lacking in some areas. Anyways I'm back to taking my vitamins and truth be told I feel better. More energy and all that good stuff.

Test yourself, but serum levels are not always accurate tests, there is something called "intracellular test", which is going to test your levels inside the cells, which is actually the relevant thing. Some nutrients are vital, and your body will do every thing to have normal levels in blood, so it will take the nutrient from whenever you have it, cells.

Ladybug1250 wrote: »

The reason for my question is I recently bought this book that talks about a vegetarian and vegan diet/ lifestyle and why it's healthier. It said something about vitamins and about how they do more harm that good, I didn't get deep into the why but it was referencing some studies. I need to keep reading but I'm sure this book is one sided and wondered what others thought about this.

Vegetarian/vegan diets are not healthier and I will give you one link with an explanation

http://empoweredsustenance.com/is-vegan-healthy/

Vegetarians/vegans have insane amounts of nutritional deficiencies due to the lack of fat and protein. If that book is telling you that vitamins do more harm than good, then you should just accept that it was a bad purchase, is not a problem, we all make mistakes.

Kalikel wrote: »

If you go meatless, you'll need a B-12 supplement. Ask your doctor about it and he will tell you how much to take. If you go the route of the melt-in-your-mouth B-12, try the Natrol ones. They melt really fast and taste really good. Some B-12 tastes like...excrement.

Otherwise, you can get all your vitamins and minerals from a vegetarian diet. And they can be healthier than meat eaters' diets.

What about cholesterol and other fat soluble vitamins? Did you know that some of the vitamins and minerals found in plants are poorly absorb by humans? Vegetables contain many anti-nutrients, natural defences of the plants against predators, mostly minerals, they bind to them and you can't absorb them, vitamin A, it is almost non absorbable by humans, nonheme iron is another one and the list goes on.

RISEOFPATRIOTS wrote: »

Omega 3 and calcium isn't hard though.

For rich Omega 3 foods other than seafood are:
Flaxseeds
Chia seeds
walnuts
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower

Calcium rich foods:
Milk
cheese
Almond Milk
Sesame seeds
Chia Seeds
Spinach
Kale
Cinnamon spice (I'm serious)
yougurt
Bok Choy

Look here for their info http://nutritiondata.self.com/

There are several types of omega 3 and omega 6, the ones found in plants are ALA and LA, seeds indeed contain a high amount of them, but the ones that our body needs are EPA and DHA, it is true that our bodies can convert some ALA to them, it is also true that the ratio is incredibly low, also, if you consume high amounts of omega 6, your body will not have time for the omega 3 conversion, and most of the plant-based foods that are rich in omega 3 are richer in omega 6. There is nothing that can compare to fish in that regard and the EFA's are crucial for optimal health.

Calcium has a similar story, thing is that calcium interferes with iron absorption, therefore consuming many plant-based-calcium-rich foods is going to make you iron deficient. Another story is how much calcium is enough, which can be discussed.

Anyway, calcium needs vitamins D and K2 in order to go where you want it, if you just consume calcium from plants and you do not consume natto (a Japanese fermented food rich in K2, only plant source of this vitamin), you will clog your arteries and have a cardiovascular disease, stones, osteoporosis or things of that matter.

That is why the best sources of calcium usually come packed with the other things that you need, like eggs or milk products.

One last thing, most of the non-dairy milks sold out there contain calcium carbonate which is a pretty much non-absorbable form of calcium, so you are just basically throwing your many away.

The studies I've read on multivitamins have been less than convincing.

Three new papers published in the Annals of Internal Medicine add to an accumulated body of research that has studied the health effects of routine vitamin and mineral supplements in healthy populations. The best available evidence gives us good, reliable information to conclude that multivitamins offer no meaningful health benefits to the generally healthy consumer. It’s time to bring an end to the era of indiscriminate multivitamin use.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/more-evidence-that-routine-multivitamin-use-should-be-avoided/

Scarecrowsama wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

If you go meatless, you'll need a B-12 supplement. Ask your doctor about it and he will tell you how much to take. If you go the route of the melt-in-your-mouth B-12, try the Natrol ones. They melt really fast and taste really good. Some B-12 tastes like...excrement.

Otherwise, you can get all your vitamins and minerals from a vegetarian diet. And they can be healthier than meat eaters' diets.

What about cholesterol and other fat soluble vitamins? Did you know that some of the vitamins and minerals found in plants are poorly absorb by humans? Vegetables contain many anti-nutrients, natural defences of the plants against predators, mostly minerals, they bind to them and you can't absorb them, vitamin A, it is almost non absorbable by humans, nonheme iron is another one and the list goes on.

RISEOFPATRIOTS wrote: »

Omega 3 and calcium isn't hard though.

For rich Omega 3 foods other than seafood are:
Flaxseeds
Chia seeds
walnuts
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower

Calcium rich foods:
Milk
cheese
Almond Milk
Sesame seeds
Chia Seeds
Spinach
Kale
Cinnamon spice (I'm serious)
yougurt
Bok Choy

Look here for their info http://nutritiondata.self.com/

There are several types of omega 3 and omega 6, the ones found in plants are ALA and LA, seeds indeed contain a high amount of them, but the ones that our body needs are EPA and DHA, it is true that our bodies can convert some ALA to them, it is also true that the ratio is incredibly low, also, if you consume high amounts of omega 6, your body will not have time for the omega 3 conversion, and most of the plant-based foods that are rich in omega 3 are richer in omega 6. There is nothing that can compare to fish in that regard and the EFA's are crucial for optimal health.

Calcium has a similar story, thing is that calcium interferes with iron absorption, therefore consuming many plant-based-calcium-rich foods is going to make you iron deficient. Another story is how much calcium is enough, which can be discussed.

Anyway, calcium needs vitamins D and K2 in order to go where you want it, if you just consume calcium from plants and you do not consume natto (a Japanese fermented food rich in K2, only plant source of this vitamin), you will clog your arteries and have a cardiovascular disease, stones, osteoporosis or things of that matter.

That is why the best sources of calcium usually come packed with the other things that you need, like eggs or milk products.

One last thing, most of the non-dairy milks sold out there contain calcium carbonate which is a pretty much non-absorbable form of calcium, so you are just basically throwing your many away.

Makes sense. I was just saying omega 3 fats aren't as hard some think. Well for calcium you aren't supposed to consume more than 250% of it per day but then again you can get vitamin D from mushrooms, salmon, and sunlight. I consume eggs, meats, and cheese which do have this K2 you speak of. Natto is bad for you because of the fact it has soy which used to be one of the best superfoods until a bunch health concerns rose on it.

Even almond milk though almonds are a good source of calcium?