Should I take a multivitamin?

Question

I'm a vegetarian, and eat fairly healthy every day. I also run and cycle regularly. My question is-- should I take a multivitamin daily, and why? Can you recommend any good vitamins? I don't want any type of gelatin or animal products in it. Also, should I be taking calcium as well? If I can get all of my daily requirements through food and beverage consumption, I'd much rather do that than take a vitamin.. Thanks for your help!!

Answer 1

you need to take one every day, it's very important to your development young lady.

Answer 2

If you eat a decent veggie balanced diet you do not need to take any supplements.

it really is that simple.

I have no idea why people now think they need to take vitamin pills ( not a comment on you, but on some of the answerers ). supermarkets start stocking vitamins and all of a sudden everyone thinks they need them. how does that work ? would all these people have died in the 1940's ?

Eat food, real food, and there will be no need for pill popping.

Best of luck with it, it seems you are sensible about your diet.

Answer 3

Calcium and Vitamin B are very good to take whether you are vegetarian or not. But you don't necessarily have to take a multivitamin. You can get all you need from a balanced diet. It is actually more effective to eat the actual food than take a supplement. You need to focus on getting iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins B2 and B12.

"The best sources for iron and zinc are eggs, whole-grain cereals, pulses, green leafy vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals. You can increase iron and zinc absorption by including a source of vitamin C with your meals, such as a glass of orange juice, fresh vegetables or fruit. For calcium, vitamins B2 and B12, try to eat two servings of low-fat dairy products a day.

If you don’t eat dairy, try soy milk, fortified orange juice, dark leafy vegetables, sesame seeds, tahini, tofu, or almonds. Since the best sources for vitamins B2 and B12 are animal products, vegans—who avoid animal products altogether—may lack these vitamins.

If you are still concerned about your diet, then it may be wise to take a general vitamin and mineral supplement. There are many available on the market especially designed for vegetarians and vegans. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor or dietitian for a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet that meets the needs of mother and child during pregnancy and breastfeeding. " (see source)

Answer 4

Hi: I was a vegetarian for over 20 years. Then a blood test showed that I was anemic. There are many different types of anemia, but what I had was vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. This is fairly common for vegetarians since there are very few high-quality sources of B12 in a veggie diet.

Maybe, in a year or so, I will go back to being a vegetarian, but right now I am eating fish or meat about 3 times a week and taking vitamin B12 injections once a month.

Finally, to answer your question, at the very least,  consider taking a good quality B12 vitamin. There are also multivitamins specifically for vegetarians.

There is controversy over how much vitamins really help and which brands are the best. Solgar and Twinlabs are probably two of the best.  A nutritionist told me that "Now" is a high-quality brand that is low in price.  Be well.

Answer 5

the best multi vitamin to take is centrum because it gives you a full and even spread of vitamins and minerals. It doesn't have geletin and is vegan friendly. However, recent studies have shown that people who comsume 5 or more multi vitamins per week are at an increased risk for certain cancers and diseases. Don't let this deter you though. The take home message from the studies is that, like with anything else, moderation is the key. Water is good for you, but you can actually die from it if you drink too much. In the case of multi vitamins, I reccomend that you break the centrum in half and take a half of a centrum each day or ever other day.

Answer 6

my doctor reccommended I do, I take multivitamins along with b12

Answer 7

A daily multivitamin is a good insurence policy for anyone, not just vegetarians.

Answer 8

My view is No, unless you start noticing health issues, however, it can't hurt.

I personally use the generic walmart brand multivitamins, i think they base it simmilar to Centrum

Answer 9

It's not a bad idea to take a multivitamin.  As someone else said, it's a good insurance policy.  There are several vegan brands out there such as Deva and VegLife.  Both have a once-daily tablet that's very easy to swallow.  There's also Emergen-C packets you mix into water.  Most are vegan except the Joint Health (with glucosamine and chondroitin) and the Pink Lemonade which was for breast cancer awareness (honey).  They have several flavors, so find the one you like best and have a glass a few times a week.

Answer 10

I take a multivitamin daily.  As much as I try to be healthy I have learned that my diet is not necessarily complete.  I track my diet online for calories, fat, nutrients, etc.  When I take a multivitamin I am hitting all of my RDAs.  When I don't take a multivitamin I usually end up deficient in something.

I've had pernicious anemia before (B12 deficiency) and I have difficulty processing B12.  For me, taking a supplement means that I am getting well above the RDA and am thus likely fulfilling my needs.

I've found a couple of brands (and am not home at the moment to check mine) that were acceptable to me.  I know the one I have actually says on it that it does not contain gelatin or animal byproducts, instead it has TVP

Answer 11

One thing that I've learned is that many of those vitamins aren't in a form that can be absorbed by the body the way food is. So sometimes really its just going through your body and being eliminated rather than helping you. I KNOW that you can get ALL your vitamins from food. Make sure you have LOTS of green in your diet: collard greens, kale, burdock....all that. When you make that a priority you won't need the vitamins( that may not be working anyway). Hope it  works out!