Daily vitamins?

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Sbaphomet
Sbaphomet Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi I’m f/30/146lbs and have lost 6 pounds so far. I’m on a 1230 cal a day diet which leaves very little room for mistakes. I try to eat fresh and simple to help me stay on track, but I’m finding it hard to meet my goals in vitamins. I’m sure that a varied diet would be best but I find that less manageable right now and tend to eat the same things daily.

I’m thinking that maybe taking a daily vitamin will help ensure I’m not depriving my body of essential nutrients? But I’ve never taken one before. I have heard that some vitamins also need to be accompanied by other types of food to help be absorbed by the body. Is that true? I know nothing about it.

What type of vitamin should I look for and what should I know before taking them?

Daily food-

1.) Egg white spinach scramble
2.)Grilled tofu with peppered vegetables
3.) Vinaigrette veggie sandwich on lite English muffin
4.)Strawberry and almond No-fat yogurt parfait

I tend to be *very* low in iron, calcium, and vitamin A, but also have 180% of my daily intake of vitamin C.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please add me as a friend if you’re interested in staying on track together as well since I am “new”. <3

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    When you say you tend to be *very* low in iron, are you referring to what MFP tells you or a blood test? Be careful with what MFP tells you if you are using user-created entries from the database (as opposed to those MFP pulled from the USDA DB) as users may not bother to add values for nutrients in which they are not interested.

    I'm anemic and have to manage this carefully, in conjunction with my doctor and blood work. I don't recommend supplementing iron without bloodwork, as too much can cause problems too. There are many forms of iron and the first two my doctor gave me did not get both my energy and iron levels back up. I wouldn't take iron in a multi, nor would I rely on food that was fortified with iron, like cereal, as I don't expect food manufacturers to use anything but the cheapest and potentially useless forms of iron as well.

    Iron is best taken with Vitamin C. Milk, calcium and antacids should NOT be taken at the same time as iron supplements.

    If I were to take a multi, it would be Ritual's. https://ritual.com
  • Sbaphomet
    Sbaphomet Posts: 10 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    When you say you tend to be *very* low in iron, are you referring to what MFP tells you or a blood test? Be careful with what MFP tells you if you are using user-created entries from the database (as opposed to those MFP pulled from the USDA DB) as users may not bother to add values for nutrients in which they are not interested.

    I'm anemic and have to manage this carefully, in conjunction with my doctor and blood work. I don't recommend supplementing iron without bloodwork, as too much can cause problems too. There are many forms of iron and the first two my doctor gave me did not get both my energy and iron levels back up. I wouldn't take iron in a multi, nor would I rely on food that was fortified with iron, like cereal, as I don't expect food manufacturers to use anything but the cheapest and potentially useless forms of iron as well.

    Iron is best taken with Vitamin C. Milk, calcium and antacids should NOT be taken at the same time as iron supplements.

    If I were to take a multi, it would be Ritual's. https://ritual.com

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. You seem to really know what you’re talking about and I very much appreciate your insight. You’re right, I’m too dependent on user logged foods. I was supposed to get my blood work done last week, but chickened out. My doctor is concerned because of my vegetarian diet and my health history (low b12).

    I keep seeing Ritual pop up when I seek out vitamins, but I was apprehensive because they come off as a brand that might up charge. But, I honestly haven’t even given it a look, but I will today. Thank you. I might even stop by my local hospital on my walk today to see if they can get my blood work in today instead. Merci!!!! <3

  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I take SmartyPants gummy multi (I only order from Amazon or SamsClub, it's literally half price of regular stores). It has Omega 3s and fish oil (I don't eat fish, like, ever), a well-absorbed form of folate (not folic acid), a good form of K, etc. I like them. I feel they make sure any holes in my diet are filled on days that I eat a sandwich for lunch and pizza for dinner, you know? I try to eat good, but I don't always.

    I also take an additional magnesium supplement and probiotics. These are things I take specifically for my mental health.

    Ritual are selling too hard, imo. Like Thirdlove. I won't buy stuff just because I'm inundated with ads.

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