Multivitamin pills - Any good?

[A Touch of Evil]

Does anyone here take multivitamin tablets? If so, are they healthy/safe? What about certain brands, are some better than others? Which one is safest and best?

Is Women's One a Day a good brand? Will multivitamins make weight loss easier to achieve? I know they won't make you lose weight, but maybe, if I get all the vitamins I need, it might be easier for my body to lose weight......right? Or does it not work like that?

I'm just interested because I always worry about not getting enough nutrients and vitamins....I'm sure I am, but I can't help but worry.

Please share any experiences/stories you may have had/or are having with multivitamin pills. (hopefully, all good stories)

Thanks in advance
-Sarah.  

[Stars in my Pocket]

I love your signature.

Also, I take Women's One-A-Day or a generic equivalent, depending on what my paycheck is looking like. I don't always remember to take it, but hey. It works.

I find that when I do remember to take my multivitamin in the morning (always in the morning, as some nutrients can bother my sleep pattern if I take it late) my body isn't like, "OH HEY I NEED IRON LETS EAT 12 STEAKS" or another craving equivalent. I stick to my diet better, and end up happier overall.

While you're getting the nutrients you NEED, you might not be getting enough for optimum performance. Think of your food as gasoline, and the vitamins as the upgrade from Regular to Premium gas. You'll still run just fine without them, but it never hurts to upgrade your diet a bit to be sure.  

[Munkers]

I also take the Women's One-a-Day (usually the generic form) and like it. It's never bothered my stomach or anything like that.

I think that a good multivitamin can help stave off food cravings. Cravings are one way of your body telling you "Hey, I need this" and if you can satisfy its needs before then, then it won't have to pester you as often. xd And controlling my cravings or figuring out how to satisfy them with fewer calories has been an important part of me getting and keeping myself on track.

Also, this is a total vanity thing, but my nails are always super strong and purdy when I've been taking my vitamins. When I slack off, they get thin and squishy on the tips.  

[A Touch of Evil]

Thanks for the replies, I'll have to look into that one then, I just might end up trying it.  

[Sunsway]

An interesting topic! I don't know much about vitamin supplements, but sports nutritionist Glenn Cardwell makes the following points in his book Gold Medal Nutrition, Ed. 4:

- If you have a well-rounded diet you probably get the vitamins you need from that. Excess vitamins don't get absorbed by your body, therefore if you don't really need it you should consider if it's worth the money;;

- Don't take iron supplements unless recommended by your doctor after a blood test (it can build up in your liver, yada yada yada, it's dangerous unless you have an actual iron deficiency).  

[A Touch of Evil]

I don't think I have an iron deficiency, but I should probably get some blood work done, just to see, I could see my cholesterol levels too. Speaking about cholesterol, My mom was able to drop hers from 200 to 164 in under a year buy never eating mayo or dressing with sandwiches, (basically eating burgers dry and always getting grilled fish) and eating veggies instead of fries. That's when she would be forced to eat out because of no time. Just a random tid-bid I thought I would throw out there. xd  

[Lady Kayura]

Sunsway

- If you have a well-rounded diet you probably get the vitamins you need from that. Excess vitamins don't get absorbed by your body, therefore if you don't really need it you should consider if it's worth the money;;.

I can't speak for everyone but I know that in an attempt to change my lifestyle, I'm trying to eat better. But is my diet well rounded? Doubt it. Since I don't get my blood tested to check to see what I need, I simply take a multi-vitamin. Perhaps I don't need it and I do eat well enough. But if I'm wrong, I'd rather not risk being deficient in something.  

[A Touch of Evil]

I'm too afraid to get blood work done.... ._.' I have this fear or needles......last time I had blood withdrawn for a test, I nearly fainted because I was retarded enough to watch the syringe fill up with blood. I felt so sick. Another time, I had to get this minor surgery in my ear, and they used needles to numb my ear, when I saw the needles, I felt like running out of the building at high speeds. Instead I started crying T-T sweatdrop because the thought of a needle in my ear scared the living s**t out of me. So, I usually avoid blood tests....I would like to take a multivitamin pill, but I don't want to have excess vitamins build up in my blood or organs and then get sick later...  

[Sunsway]

I'm not a dietician so don't listen to me, but in the aforementioned book Glen Caldwell said that excess vitamins don't build up but exit the body. He only warned about iron building up. Don't panic. =) I'm sure this information can be found in a library anyway.

Last time someone tested my iron it was just a quick jab to the finger, not the whole needle-in-elbow scenario. @_@ That is pretty terrifying.  

[A Touch of Evil]

Lol, sweatdrop thanks. I'll just avoid iron then. Over the counter vitamin pills should be safe, right? Otherwise, they would be prescription drugs...  

[Sunsway]

Yup. I don't think they put iron in the multivitamins you're referring to (not too sure). I think iron is generally sold separate... that's how my mom buys it anyway, in separate tablets.

I didn't mean to scare you, I just thought it was interesting information. <_< Before I found that out I was tempted to take my mom's iron tablets because I thought it couldn't do any harm. That's the scenario I was warning off. =)  

[Lady Kayura]

My multivitamins do have iron in them. I've tried a few different brands and they've all had iron. Check out the labels to see how much your vitamins do.  

[Iconised Ghost]

I know this is a bit of an old discussion, but I thought that I would add that for people who are dieting and restricting their intake multivitamins can kinda cover your a** in case you cut too much of something out. For example, I started eating more fruit and less red meat and so I had plenty of vitamin c, but less iron xD And because for many of us this is a learning curve I think multivitamins can help you stay healthy in case you screw up a bit (like i did)  

[A Touch of Evil]

I bought a generic brand similar to womens one a day called Equate womans once daily. It's $5 cheaper and it was pretty much the same exact thing. I bought it a couple days ago so I take it every morning and I still feel pretty much the same. Although, I don't really crave weird foods at weird times anymore. My bf Matthew bough the Equate mens once daily multivitamin and he felt a big jump in energy. He doesn't feel tired during the day anymore and recently, he had been feeling sad and depressed, especially at night, and after taking those pills once everyday, he feels much better. So he must have been malnutritioned or something because he wasn't really having much time to eat right or exercise. (he works two jobs so he is very stressed)

So, it's pretty cool how one little multivitamin can drastically change your attitude and health.  

[A Touch of Evil]

About the iron: the pills I have contain 100% of the daily reccommended amount, but I'm not too concerned because I don't eat as much meat and the iron will help when I'm on my menstrual cycle every month.