Vitamins and Supplements

I think Vitamins are extremely important and most of us do not get enough of them from the foods we eat. I don't think you are wasting your $.

I think they're good as a supplement only when you're deficient or you have trouble with the absorbtion of some nutrient. They aren't good to use in place of the nutrients found in food itself. They don't absord as well into the system, especially when given to your body in one lump sum rather than over time. As one of my professors used to say "it just gives you expensive urine". :laugh:

But they may be needed to simply supplement the good food we all should be taking anyway where some deficiency exists.

I don't think you are wasting your money to take supplements, but you want to take the right stuff.

For example, you probably don't need to take the pre-natals. They are expensive compared to a regular multi-vitamin and have extra stuff that pregnant women need, but the rest of us don't necessarily need. Unless you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Then take them and drop the multi-vitamin. Right now you are essentially taking two multivitamins and there are other things you need that you aren't taking.

Some typical supplements and what they are good for:

Multi-vitamin - good catch-all

Calcium, preferrably citrate - 1200 mg a day in 400-600 mg doses. If you take more than that at once, it doesn't get absorbed - to prevent osteoporus, bone loss

Vitamin D3 - helps with your bones as well and your energy levels - most North Americans are deficient in this - the amount to take varies, but 2000 IU a day is a reasonable starting place. Alternately, you can take 50,000 IU every so often (once a week, every other week, once a month). Vitamin D is stored in your fat so you can take a big dose like that and then not worry about it. Oh and you take D3 because D2 isn't utilized well

Omega Fatty Acids (3, 6, 9) - 1-3 capsules a day - most people don't get enough of these essential fats from food because we don't eat a lot of fish

B-complex - helpful for people who burn the candle at both ends

Co-enzyme Q10 - helps rebuild our cells and gives us energy at a cellular level - 50 mg a day - most people don't get enough of this from food either

Also, you shouldn't take calcium at the same times as your multi-vitamin or you won't get the benefit of any iron that's in the multi. Calicum and iron compete for the same receptors and calcium always wins. The amount of calcium in the multi is usually not enough to be an issue unless you get a multi with extra calcium. It sounds like a good idea, but it's actually counter-productive. First, the calcium in multi-vitamins tends to be a cheap kind that's not well absorbed and, secondly, it makes the iron in the multi useless. It's better to take your extra calcium separately.

Btw, taking Vitamin D and/or Magnesium at the same time as your Calcium helps with its absorption. Taking vitamin C at the same time as iron helps with its absorption. It's possible to get too much iron though so I wouldn't supplement with it unless your labs clearly show you need it.

I take a men's multi and a omega 3 about 4-5 days a week and think I can tell a difference in the way I feel or is this just in my head? I have noticed my pee turns a neon yellow, is this ok or am I just waisting the vitamins? I do drink alot of water so I think I'm covered on that end.

I've heard that if you want to test your vitamin put it in a glass with some vinegar, if it dissolves it's good, if it sits there for a few hours, it's crap. Anyone else heard this?

I'm a little skeptical of supplements, but I do take a multi-vitamin and fish oil. The reason I'm skeptical is because some vitamins and minerals require others for absorption and I remember hearing that it is best for absorption into the body to get the vitamins and minerals from their natural food sources. I have also heard that your body can't absorb all of the vitamins in a pill before they pass through the body.

So, why do I take them? Hedging my bets. But, I also don't spend a lot of money on them.