Taking Vitamins- What To Look For

Stop by any supermarket or drug store and you’ll see aisles and aisles full of multivitamins, including everything from Flintstones chewables to special formulas for different medical needs. Taking multivitamins is truly beneficial, as the adequate supplementation of vitamins and minerals can help prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases, such as heart ailments, cancer, and even osteoporosis. However, as you stroll up and down the store, you might find it difficult to determine which products are right for you. Multivitamins are an important part of your daily diet, but not all products provide all the necessary vitamins that you need.

The following are some of the things you need to look for before purchasing multivitamins:

The first and most important thing you need to do is to check for multivitamins that contain as many vitamins and minerals as possible. Good multivitamins contain the recommended levels of Vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, and minerals such as Biotin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Selenium. They should also contain the recommended dietary allowance for niacin, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, iodine, manganese and zinc.

Buyer beware – there are some multivitamins that contain only a few of these essential vitamins, but are branded as complete multivitamins. Compare a few of the major brands to see which specific vitamins each product contains. You might be surprised to find out that the most expensive multivitamins aren’t necessarily the highest quality products or the most well-rounded in terms of the nutrients they include.

The next thing that you should consider is the percentage of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for each nutrient in the multivitamin. The best multivitamin should contain 100% of the RDA for the most important vitamins, and at least 50% of the RDA for most minerals. Vitamins that have RDA rates that are lower than this won’t provide sufficient quantities of the vitamins and minerals you need from a multivitamin.

Another choice you’ll have to make is whether to buy natural vitamins (also called “whole-food” vitamins) or synthetic products. Due to the increasing demand for vitamins, there are some manufacturers that produce synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are difficult to absorb compared to natural vitamins, so if you’re looking for a good multivitamin, check whether the ingredients are synthetic or natural. Don‘t waste your money on multivitamins that won’t give you enough nutrition.

In addition, there are some multivitamins that contain ingredients that you’ve probably never heard of before. Usually, these ingredients – like nickel, vanadium and tin – are stuffers or fillers and aren’t really necessary, as you get most of these nutrients from the food that you eat every day. While it probably won’t hurt you to get a little extra of these ingredients in your multivitamin, don’t pay extra for a multivitamin just because it features these supplements.

Sometimes, multivitamins will include herbal supplements, like Echinacea or gingko biloba. These products aren’t necessarily a bad idea, but you may want to consult your physician before you purchase these multivitamins. If you’re taking any prescription medications, herbal supplements may cause additional side effects or affect how effectively your medications work.