6 Reasons to Take a Multivitamin

Imagine trying to brush your teeth without toothpaste. It might work, but is it working as well as it could be? You mouth probably doesn’t feel as fresh or as clean as it should after brushing your teeth. Your body works kind of like that when it comes to vitamins and minerals.

Every moment of the day, chemical interactions are happening in your body. For that kind of magic to happen, your body needs the right ingredients. When the right vitamins and minerals are available, every cell is operating at its best, your body feels good, and things run smoothly. When an important ingredient is missing from the recipe, everything gets thrown off.

Nutrient insufficiencies can be the root of all kinds of problems, from low energy and fatigue to premature aging, and even bone loss. That’s why supplementing a healthy diet with a multivitamin and Omega-3 is so important. Sometimes even that may not be enough to get things running their best, but it’s a start!

“Shouldn’t I be able to get all my nutrients through my diet?” This is a question lots of people ask. My answer is always this: In an ideal world we would eat lots of whole foods, including fruits and veggies, packed full of nutrients. In reality, there are many reasons why most of us aren’t or haven’t been getting enough nutrients.

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Industrialized Farming

Farming methods have become more industrial, relying on methods like monocropping and the use of petrochemical fertilizers. These practices accelerate the growing process and degrade the soil that food is grown in. So, the food that is being grown now is not as nutrient dense as it once was. Decades ago, 5 fruits and veggies a day used to be a typical recommendation for health. Then that recommendation became 7-9, and now it is closer to 9-11.

Animals raised in factory farm conditions produce products that are lower in essential nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, a heart-healthy fat which reduces inflammation, boosts brain function and helps the body stabilize blood sugar. These factory-farmed animals are also higher in pro-inflammatory fats that can contribute to heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

Non-Regional Food Supply

Food is often grown far from where it is consumed, harvested before it is ripe, transported thousands of miles to a warehouse, and finally to the grocery store. After we buy it, fruits or vegetables may often sit for a week before being used.

Gut Health

Gut health is a factor, too. Even if our food supply is better than average, we lose stomach acidity with age, stress or illness. These factors trigger the body to stop making as many digestive enzymes and gastric juices, which normally begin the breakdown of food. Microflora balance in the intestines can impact absorption further downstream. Food sensitivities can compound the problem further, causing nasty symptoms like brain fog, headaches, rashes, acne, low energy, and autoimmune flare-ups.

Stress

Our bodies’ response to stress shunts blood away from the digestive system, and uses extra calcium, magnesium and potassium to try to keep blood pressure regulated and the body primed to fight, freeze or flee. that’s good news for survival in extreme circumstances, but bad news for our nutrient status.

Convenience Foods Centered in Diet

People often have periods of time where they don’t eat a nutritious diet. Have you even known someone who hates most vegetables and will barely eat them? How about someone who is too busy to cook and eats a lot of take out or fast food? Also keep in mind that vast food deserts in urban and rural communities. For a lot of people, it’s all but impossible to get the nutrients they need.

Food Restriction

Periods of reduced calorie intake also decrease nutrients. Certain diets, while helpful to some, not only limit calories, but also limit entire food groups. Over time, this leads to missing out on nutrients that would otherwise be available from eating a diverse diet. For example, a typical ketogenic diet is low in folate, thiamin, calcium, potassium and magnesium while a typical vegan diet is low in vitamin D, zinc, B12 and heme iron.

How to Choose Supplements

It’s time to make up for all of the factors just mentioned by taking a high-quality multivitamin and an Omega-3 Supplement. But when it comes to choosing a multivitamin, things can get tricky.

Because the supplement industry in the US is unregulated, manufacturers can get away with all sorts of things, including cutting them with fillers, using hard-to-digest binders, sourcing from shady suppliers, and using synthetic forms of vitamins (keep reading for examples). Often, manufacturers don’t have an outside agency inspect and verify the quality of the product, which means that no one is watching them!

Keep in mind that supplements are a big, highly profitable industry. In 2021, the global supplement industry was valued at $151.9 billion. So, while it may seem hopeless or overwhelming at first, knowing what to look for can simplify things quite a bit.

Easy to Digest

For multis, look for an easy-to-digest gel capsule rather than a pressed pill. If you aren’t really a pill person, there are plenty of gummies that could work for you.

Third-Party Tested

Third party testing is important to ensure that you are getting what you paid for and avoiding potentially harmful things that might make their way into vitamins. NSF International is the most reputable organization that does this, which involves ingredient inspections, independent plant visits and ongoing audits. Companies are then scored on good manufacturing practices (or GMP). You can usually find this information by visiting the manufacturers website, while some add it to product labels.

Naturally Sourced

When supplements are formulated, sourcing high-quality natural ingredients is crucial. Some manufacturers use synthetic vitamins to boost profitability or when supply of the natural form is not available. Lab-made vitamins are cheaper, but for people with certain genetic mutations, the synthetic vitamins can’t be absorbed by the body. These people make up somewhere between 20 and 40 percent of the population, so it’s more common than one might think. Not every form of a vitamin does the same thing in the body, but many companies either don’t know or care enough to make sure you are getting what you need out of a supplement.

The following are 2 low-quality lab-derived ingredients to keep an eye out for when you select a multivitamin:

Methyl Folate, Folate and Folic Acid

Vitamin B9 is labeled as either folic acid or folate depending on whether it is synthetic or naturally derived. Folic acid is made in a lab, while methylfolate is found naturally in dark, leafy vegetables like kale. Be aware that Folate is a generic term that can mean either synthetic or naturally sourced. Often there will be additional information to help you determine whether it is folic acid or methyltfolate. Avoid vitamins with synthetic B9 (folic acid). Just look for the word “methyl” and you’ll be OK. 5MTFH, methylfolate, and methyltetrahydrofolic acid are acceptable forms and are easily absorbed in the body.

Vitamin B12

The other one is vitamin B12, which is supposed to boost energy, mood, brain function, improve sleep and support the immune system. It comes in four forms, two of which are commonly used in supplements.

In its natural form, B12 can be found as methylcobalamin, while the synthetic version is called cyanocobalamin. The difference between the two is pretty stunning. Cyanocobalamin is a cyanide molecule attached to a cobalamin molecule. It must be converted into a different form before it finally becomes methylcobalamin and is used by the body. Instead of the cyanide molecule, methylcobalamin has a methyl group. For people with MTHFR gene mutation, this can mean the difference between vitamin deficiency and health. At the very least, feeling their best.

Omega-3

Omega-3 supplements can be tricky in a different way. The most important thing to note is that some manufacturers do not list EPA or DHA on the label, which are the two active ingredients in Omega-3s. The reason they don’t list it is because they don’t actually know, because they have used oils like nut and seed oils to cut it. These seed oils can break down into Omega-3 fatty acids in your body, which is how the manufacturers get away with doing it. As you might have guessed, profitability usually drives this swap. If EPA and DHA aren’t listed, it also makes it harder to figure out how much you need to take.

Thanks to pollution, mercury and other toxins occur to some degree in all ocean products, so with Omega-3 supplements, it’s helpful to consider things that will help you get less of it. The lower down the food chain, the less mercury naturally occurs in the source of omega-3s, which is either algae or fish. A bigger type of fish, such as salmon, will likely contain more mercury than a smaller species, such as anchovy. Ideally, these oils would be distilled to remove as much remaining toxic material as possible before bottling. A little sleuthing on the brand’s website may give you those answers, but not always.

How much to take? With Omega-3 supplements, it all depends on whether you already eat a diet high in anti-inflammatory fats like fatty cold-water fish, egg yolks, pastured animal products, nuts, and seeds. It also depends on your goal. For example, if you have blood sugar issues including prediabetes, cholesterol issues, skin problems, and joint pain, you may want to take a bit more, around 2400 combined EPA & DHA per day, ideally in divided doses. Here are some ways to figure out your ideal Omega-3 dosage.

Targets:

• If you are already at or near your goal body composition or lipid profile, your goal is 1,200-2,400 mg combined EPA & DHA per day.

• If your LDL cholesterol is elevated, or you have other signs of inflammation, your goal is 2,400 mg combined EPA & DHA per day.

• If your body is showing signs of widespread inflammation, or you have an active autoimmune condition or injuries, your goal is 2,400-3,600 mg combined EPA & DHA per day.

Are you a super student? Use divided doses to split your Omega-3 consumption up throughout the day for a steady supply of inflammation-fighting goodness.

Make it Easy

Keep your supplements convenient, like in a pill case or at your desk or near where you brush your teeth in the morning and evening. It’s always great to piggyback on another healthy habit.

Supplements can be tricky, so relying on brands like Thorne and Pure Encapsulations is a good way to know that what you’re getting is legitimate. when you use the affiliate links in this post, you’ll get a discount and you’ll also be supporting the educational work that I do.

As a side note, people often ask me if a multivitamin makes you gain or lose weight. The answer is no. Not directly. But no matter what your goal is, there’s a downstream effect from improving your nutrients status.

To stay motivated, think of how taking your supplements ultimately helps you achieve your goals. Do you want more energy so you can take awesome vacations or play with your kids? Whatever it is, that’s great motivation for doing something good for yourself.