Skip to content
  • Register
    • We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

    Vitamins recommendation please

    Posts: 20 Member
    edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
    hello,
    I'm a pretty healthy 36 yr old female who's trying to drop about 15-20lbs but also wants to start taking vitamins, can anyone recommend a good multi-vitamin for someone my age please? Thank you in advance.

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register
    «1

    Replies

    • Posts: 3,529 Member
      edited June 2015
      Age and gender have very little to do with it.

      Correcting your diet would be the first point of action. For some insurance, look to a quality multivitamin with good sources and amounts such as AOR Orthocore, Controlled Labs Orange Triad, or Source Naturals Life Force, or Bodybuilding.com Foundation Series.
    • Posts: 1,626 Member
      https://labdoor.com/rankings/multivitamins
    • Posts: 3,529 Member
      edited June 2015
      ^That site recommends GNC (one of the most money hungry, slap in the face to the consumer companies ever) and NOW (repeatedly criticized for poor quality ingredients and false vitamin amounts). One a day??? Are you kidding me? Other than that, they seem to be heavy on the hipster, organic trend and they don't include some of the best multi's out there.

      I wouldn't trust that source... even if they recommend 2 out of 4 of my recommendations highly. The Carlson Super Multi has all the wrong amounts and they don't list the sources for those micronutrients, even though Carlson makes one of the best fish oils out there.
    • Posts: 9,603 Member
      Centrum for Women. :)
    • Posts: 47 Member
      Why can't you get all the nutrients you need from the food you eat? I'd look there first before shelling out for a multivitamin that may or may not actually be worth the money.
    • Posts: 5,235 Member
      edited June 2015
      errr just have a normal varied balanced diet with 5 fruit and veg plus some lean protein, then you wont need any.
    • Posts: 20 Member
      Thanks all, I just thought that at my age taking some sort of vitamins was a must, looks like I was wrong! I don't think I get it all thru my food so I may still look into something. I've been tired lately and everyone keeps telling me it must be my iron is low... I plan to get blood work done soon too.
    • Posts: 281 Member
      I am on a plan with a registered dietician at the local hospital. She recommends Flinstones Complete - it has everything you need.
    • Posts: 9,603 Member
      sandee07 wrote: »
      Thanks all, I just thought that at my age taking some sort of vitamins was a must, looks like I was wrong! I don't think I get it all thru my food so I may still look into something. I've been tired lately and everyone keeps telling me it must be my iron is low... I plan to get blood work done soon too.
      The vast majority of Americans don't get everything they need from their food. Walk up to 100 random people and ask them how much copper they ate yesterday and you'll get 100 "I don't know"s. Maybe 99.

      While it can be done, it's not easy and it takes a lot of time to fix. Just look how difficult it is for people to balance macros! Micros are much more work.

      With the vitamin, I get what I need. I'm working on being able to eat them all so I don't have to take it (one less pill and who wants to pay for it when they can eat it?), but I'm not sure I'll ever stop the vitamins.
    • Posts: 1,626 Member
      sixxpoint wrote: »
      ^That site recommends GNC (one of the most money hungry, slap in the face to the consumer companies ever) and NOW (repeatedly criticized for poor quality ingredients and false vitamin amounts). One a day??? Are you kidding me? Other than that, they seem to be heavy on the hipster, organic trend and they don't include some of the best multi's out there.

      I wouldn't trust that source... even if they recommend 2 out of 4 of my recommendations highly. The Carlson Super Multi has all the wrong amounts and they don't list the sources for those micronutrients, even though Carlson makes one of the best fish oils out there.

      You sound pretty biased. This site is based on non-biased lab results. I'm sure any of the top rated vitamins would be better than what you recommend. I'd recommend Alive or Rainbow Light although I'm currently taking Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men.

      Also it has been shown that practically no one gets all 100% of their daily micros without some supplementation. It's just not realistic that you are going to get all of your zinc, magnesium, vitamin e, etc. from foods.
    • Posts: 1,412 Member
      wickedpursuit wrote: »
      Why can't you get all the nutrients you need from the food you eat? I'd look there first before shelling out for a multivitamin that may or may not actually be worth the money.

      I do disagree, quite a lot. Usually on a weight loss journey, a multivitamin would be the very first of supplements for a person. When a person is eating at a deficit, it is usually difficult to get in all the necessary vitamins and minerals the body needs, this in conjunction with more strain on the nervous system from exercise will most likely cause a person to become sick.

      When on a weight-loss regime, I personally rely on 1 or sometimes 2 multi vitamin tablets a day, because I know the intensity at which I train is so strenuous on my CNS.
    • Posts: 7,097 Member
      sandee07 wrote: »
      Thanks all, I just thought that at my age taking some sort of vitamins was a must, looks like I was wrong! I don't think I get it all thru my food so I may still look into something. I've been tired lately and everyone keeps telling me it must be my iron is low... I plan to get blood work done soon too.

      Good plan.

      Vitamins are useless unless you have an actual deficiency.

      Vast amounts of money are sent down the drain from the vitamin industry, selling people things they don't need and preying on people's wish for an easy fix and their lazy attitude to nutrition.
    • Posts: 1,626 Member
      Orphia wrote: »
      Vitamins are useless unless you have an actual deficiency.
      Not true at all and that's horrible advice. Sometimes the first sign of deficiency is disease.
      Orphia wrote: »
      Vast amounts of money are sent down the drain from the vitamin industry, selling people things they don't need and preying on people's wish for an easy fix and their lazy attitude to nutrition.
      You don't eat that well yourself and may be lacking key nutrients.
    • Posts: 3,529 Member
      edited June 2015
      TheDevastator wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      You sound pretty biased. This site is based on non-biased lab results. I'm sure any of the top rated vitamins would be better than what you recommend. I'd recommend Alive or Rainbow Light although I'm currently taking Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men.

      Also it has been shown that practically no one gets all 100% of their daily micros without some supplementation. It's just not realistic that you are going to get all of your zinc, magnesium, vitamin e, etc. from foods.

      I don't think so. I would advise doing some more reading on the topic instead of relying on a single source, with a hidden agenda and investor driven marketing via a magazine.

      LabDoor's metrics are also quite whacky. Carlson is rated a solid A, yet they use magnesium oxide and cyanocobalamin, an inactive form of B6, underdosed on Vitamin D3, and overdosed on Vit A, E, Selenium, and Folate... which can be quite dangerous over time.

      Optimen is overdosed on Vit A, E, B1, Folate, Selenium, and Manganese. They use poor forms of B12, Vit K, Magnesium, and Zinc. They are underdosed on Vitamin D3,

      Here is a good read: http://www.aor.ca/assets/Research/pdf/fall_2005_article1.pdf

      Instead of relying on LabDoor, here is an example of a good 3rd party tester: Consumer Lab - https://www.consumerlab.com/
    • Posts: 1,120 Member
      sandee07 wrote: »
      hello,
      I'm a pretty healthy 36 yr old female who's trying to drop about 15-20lbs but also wants to start taking vitamins, can anyone recommend a good multi-vitamin for someone my age please? Thank you in advance.


      Just take Women's one a day and some fish oil.

      That's all you need. You can check to see if X brand has chlorophorostabletsdontgievashit, or if Y brand has magictomakeyourboobsbigger, but in reality, it's all minuscule differences, unless it's doctor provided / recommended, PERIOD.
    • Posts: 314 Member
      I take flinstones too. They're my favorite. Kind of is a waste I bet. But they taste good at least. The most important suppliments is omega 3s as they are so hard to get in diet. But I never take them.
    • Posts: 411 Member
      Why do you think you need vitamins? Have your physician run your blood work and then he will tell you exactly what vitamins you need or not.
    • Posts: 6,592 Member
      If you're worried about iron you could simply take an iron supplement. Not all vitamins even contain iron. I started taking a multivitamin at the advice of my doctor but I need one that is easy to digest because of a gastrointestinal disorder (the reason for the vitamin). So I looked to gummies rather than a solid, coated pill I'd probably never digest. Turns out that even the "women's" gummy vitamins don't have iron in them so I take a separate low-dose iron supplement.
    • Posts: 28,055 Member
      sandee07 wrote: »
      Thanks all, I just thought that at my age taking some sort of vitamins was a must, looks like I was wrong! I don't think I get it all thru my food so I may still look into something. I've been tired lately and everyone keeps telling me it must be my iron is low... I plan to get blood work done soon too.

      Consider having your Vitamin D tested as well - many people are deficient in this.

      I have anemia and do get extremely fatigued when my anemia is untreated, which also occurs when I'm taking a cheap form of iron that is not well absorbed.

    • Posts: 28,055 Member
      hockey7fan wrote: »
      I am on a plan with a registered dietician at the local hospital. She recommends Flinstones Complete - it has everything you need.

      The problem with these "complete" vitamins is that they just contain enough to prevent deficiency diseases per the RDA - the amount of vitamin C in Flinstones Complete will prevent scurvy, but 60 mg is not enough for optimal health. I take vitamin c to bowel tolerance, which for me when I'm healthy is 3,560 mg, or 1 t of my powdered vitamin C. (I'll absorb more before hitting bowel tolerance when I take it when I feel like I'm coming down with a cold.)
    • Posts: 5,377 Member
      kshama2001 wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      The problem with these "complete" vitamins is that they just contain enough to prevent deficiency diseases per the RDA - the amount of vitamin C in Flinstones Complete will prevent scurvy, but 60 mg is not enough for optimal health. I take vitamin c to bowel tolerance, which for me when I'm healthy is 3,560 mg, or 1 t of my powdered vitamin C. (I'll absorb more before hitting bowel tolerance when I take it when I feel like I'm coming down with a cold.)

      Except vitamin C won't do anything about your cold.
    • Posts: 6,592 Member
      edited June 2015
      senecarr wrote: »
      show previous quotes

      Except vitamin C won't do anything about your cold.

      True. Taking vitamin C when you feel a cold coming on is like closing the barn door after the horse has already escaped.
      kshama2001 wrote: »
      Consider having your Vitamin D tested as well - many people are deficient in this.

      This is a good idea. Mine tested on the low side of normal and I live in the skin cancer capital of the U.S. Even here where the sun intensity is high, it shines 300+ days of the year and I'm out running in it several days each week, I still don't make enough of my own Vitamin D. My sister, also a runner, is actually deficient and now takes a large dose supplement on a regular basis.
    • Posts: 9 Member
      Depending on how interested you are, I would go to a naturopath doctor. They check your blood work and make recommendations based on your specific needs. I learned that you can get omega 3's from grass feed beef, so a supplement may not be necessary based on your shopping.
    • Posts: 77 Member
      I take Nature Made Multivitamin for Women
    • Posts: 34 Member
      spaluzzi4 wrote: »
      Depending on how interested you are, I would go to a naturopath doctor. They check your blood work and make recommendations based on your specific needs. I learned that you can get omega 3's from grass feed beef, so a supplement may not be necessary based on your shopping.

      I have been seeing one for the past 2 1/2 years. She wouldn't recommend or suggest anything until a whole spectrum of lab tests came back to see what I was actually deficient on. Then she put me on these Multi-vitamins. I have my levels check every 4 months to make sure that everything is still okay.

      http://www.amazon.com/Douglas-Laboratories-Ultra-Preventive-Tabs/dp/B00MJ6WI58/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1435769806&sr=8-6&keywords=douglas+labs&pebp=1435770030940&perid=02SFHS25Z4Z33RRW4VT3

    • Posts: 8,619 Member
      A doctor recommended I take a multi, so I just got the Equate women's multi from Walmart. My labs showed I am only low on vitamin D, so I have to take an extra supplement for that. Other than the multi and the D, I also regularly take a probiotic and cal-mag-zinc. I usually order from vitacost or Swanson's online, but you can get them at Walmart or the grocery store, too.
    • Posts: 3,529 Member
      edited July 2015
      @shetripsalot That multi is awfully expensive for a 30-day supply at 8 tablets per day.

      I'm always wary of multi's that offer very high values of certain ingredients, specifically Vit A, E, Folate, and Selenium. It is fairly easy to get at least 50% dv of these nutrients from actual food. So the overdosed multivitamin is really just expensive pee that could actually be harmful over the long term.

      Read that link I posted earlier --> http://www.aor.ca/assets/Research/pdf/fall_2005_article1.pdf
    • Posts: 494 Member
      Hi please just be aware that if you are frequently getting too much of certain things it can be dangerous. Notably vitamin a. And maybe iron as well?
    • Posts: 194 Member
      Whatever you decide to purchase, check out vitacost.com. They are affordable.
    • Posts: 34 Member
      edited July 2015
      sixxpoint wrote: »
      @shetripsalot That multi is awfully expensive for a 30-day supply at 8 tablets per day.

      I'm always wary of multi's that offer very high values of certain ingredients, specifically Vit A, E, Folate, and Selenium. It is fairly easy to get at least 50% dv of these nutrients from actual food. So the overdosed multivitamin is really just expensive pee that could actually be harmful over the long term.

      Read that link I posted earlier --> http://www.aor.ca/assets/Research/pdf/fall_2005_article1.pdf

      The vitamins are quite pricey. I have been taking them for over 2 years now & have never felt better. I am not sure whether it's the clean eating, the vitamins, my healthy lifestyle or the combo that's making me feel awesome, regardless, I am going to continue taking them. :) Sure is cheaper than dr. visits.

    This discussion has been closed.

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Quick Links

    Categories