Does anyone take vitamins? I don't take them and I was told that I should. Are there any good ones to take?
Although they are better than nothing, I wouldn't recommend most of the vitamins you could find at a pharmacy, such as Centrum or One a Day. A lot of those vitamins add extra stuff that needn't be there, like coloring. Many of them aren't complete either, usually missing important stuff like Iron or Selenium. Your best bet is to visit your local health food store and talk to a nutritionist there. She or he can determine the nutrients your body requires and will find a vitamin that suits those requirements. Oh, also, some vitamins require you to take 3 or more a day. If you're like me and can't remember to do that, then make sure you find a once-daily. I take Natures Way's Once Daily Muliti Vitamin and Mineral. Good luck.
I took the Flintstones with vitamin C (now called immunity plus or something) I took 3 vitamins every day, and you know I like the flavor so much I still do. The ones with iron don't taste good, but the iron was what made me sick with the prenatal viatmins, so....just make sure you eat healthy foods. But my son turned out fine with the Flintstones. He is definitely a Flinstone kid!
My nutrition teacher said vitamins can be really dangerous because they have the exact amount of every vitamin you should have for the day - the problem is, you eat. If you eat healthy then you run the risk of having toxicity problems. So I say no to multi-vitamins. But what you can do is eat healthy and find out what you're lacking and either eat foods with that or take a supplement of whatever it is you're lacking... like if you don't eat meat, you might wanna take a B vitamin, that kinda thing.
Best to eat healthy, but as for vitamins: You certainly don't need any super-vitamins. The standard multivitamins are quite adequate (100% of minimum requirements for most vitamins and minerals) and you don't need thousands of % of B or C vitamins unless you have underlying problems. Women who are or may become pregnant should always make sure there's folic acid in vitamins. Women's vitamins have iron, men's don't, there is that difference.
If you are an adult and follow the recommended dose then you are fine. The levels of toxicity are so high in most cases that you would have to down a whole bottle. The exception is iron which can be bad, especially if kids overdose because they have a lot less body mass, but even if you had steak 3 times a day and took a multivitamin with 100%, you wouldn't have to worry. If you did it every day for a year, maybe, but your chances of toxicity are slim to none with a normal diet and following the dose they suggest.
I take suppliments for iron & calcium because I don't tend to get enough of those just in my diet - and osteoporosis runs in the family. As for multivitamins... my kids take children's multivitamins with extra calcium, but I've got two picky eaters with mild lactose intolerance so their diet is usually CLOSE to balanced, but not perfectly. Most of what's in their vitamins are "booster" vites for things like their A & B-vitamins, calcium & a little vitamin D - the ones found in foods they don't always want to eat. I'm not a big fan of most multivitamins. A lot of the ones I see have so many "other ingredients" that I feel that the cardboard box would be less toxic. To me, it seems that eating right & supplimenting just the few vitamins your diet doesn't usually cover would be the healthier/safer way to go. love, mom
There are many vitamins and one could get carried away quite easily. Firstly! Ask yourself if you have any illnesses or low levels or certain things, for instance, iron or vitamin C ? A good way to know this is to have a full blood test. If you have no obvious complaints, a simple multi vitamin with Omega 3 fish oil is a good choice. This is what i take daily, because i don't like fish and other seafood. I take Nature's Own. Of course, if you do have a regular intake of fish, a multi on its own is fine. Those older people, who have calcium deficiency, need to take calcium supplements, again, if you have dailry products often, you do not need this. So! Ask yourself what your diet lacks. Vitamins and supplements do not replace a balanced diet, but sometimes it can be impossible to get all of your food groups and necessary nutrients in ne day. Vitamins and supps. bridge that gap. A good way to research these is to look on Pharmacy websites and to ask chemists. If you look on the vit. and supp. websites, they obviously recommend what they sell. You need a neutral source. Check our these websites. There are Australian and American and talk about specific vits and supps for men and women and certain ailments. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Vitamins_and_Mineral_supplements?OpenDocument http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=nutrition&category=vitamins.supplements&conitem=e50a99edbbbd201099edbbbd2010cfe793cd____ http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/vitamins/115 http://www.hairlossinformation.com/hair-care/best-vitamin-supplements.shtml http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-3-91-276-6154-1,00.html http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com/vitamins-for-women.html http://www.womenshealthmag.com/article/0,6176,s1-2-64-1656-1,00.html
