Multivitamins: Necessary or Redundant?
Taking a multivitamin each day is normal. We're told we don't get enough vitamins and minerals so instead of looking for a natural fix we turn to supplements. I used to fall for this as well until I realized I was wasting money on glorified gummy candy even though I eat a well balanced diet and get my vitamins naturally. Let's face it, they taste good because they're made of sugar.
Below is a list of vitamins and minerals, the benefits they provide and the natural food sources they derive from.
Vitamin A: Promotes healthy vision, skin and bones and fights cell damage. Carrots, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, broccoli, eggs
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Helps make energy from carbs and protein. Potatoes, edamame, peas, pasta, oats, meat, fish, lentils, beans, eggs, nuts
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Helps turn fat, protein and carbs into energy. Mushrooms, spinach, milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, fish, eggs, almonds
Vitamin B3 (Niacin): Turns food into energy. Oats, pasta, bread, mushrooms, potatoes, tofu, tempeh, milk, cheese, various meats, fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts, seeds
Vitamin B6: Stores energy in your muscles and carries oxygen through blood. Potatoes, avocado, bananas, oats, meat, fish, soy, beans, peas, lentils, seeds, eggs
Vitamin B12: Forms DNA, promotes nerve function, generates healthy blood cells. Milk, soy, yogurt, eggs, cheese, meat, fish, chocolate, nutritional yeast
Vitamin C: Promotes tissue growth and repair (bones, skin, teeth), and protects against infections. Avocado, strawberries, oranges, pineapple, broccoli, asparagus, peppers
Vitamin D: Helps with calcium absorption and protects against infections and osteoporosis. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, meat, fatty fish
Vitamin E: Disease prevention and improves immune function. Spinach, avocado, peppers, eggs, fish, nuts, vegetable oil
Vitamin K: Regulates blood clotting during injuries and decreases risk of bone fractures. Leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cucumber, meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, prunes
Biotin: Promotes hair, skin and nail growth. Nuts, cheese, eggs, avocado, salmon, bananas
Calcium: Builds strong bones and teeth. Milk, yogurt, cheese, leafy greens, broccoli, almonds, seeds, beans, lentils
Folate: Helps create red blood cells in order to prevent anemia which can cause you to feel tired and weak. Leafy greens, potatoes, edamame, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, artichoke, avocado, pasta, bread, beans, peas, lentil, seeds
Iodine: Regulates your body's temperature, metabolism and heart heart. Rice, pasta, oats, corn, peas, beans, milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, fish, eggs
Iron: Carries oxygen to your blood. Leafy greens, potatoes, asparagus, apricots, beets, oats, pasta, yogurt, tofu, meat, fish, lentils, beans, seeds, nuts, eggs
Magnesium: Promotes healthy muscles and nerves. Fish, potatoes, spinach, edamame, quinoa, yogurt, cheese, beans, lentils, soy, nuts, seeds
Zinc: Strengthens the immune system and heals wounds. Yogurt, cheese, rice, meat, fish, soy, nuts, lentils, peas, eggs
This may seem like an information overload but the moral of the story is to EAT WHOLE FOODS. I'm sure you noticed a ton of repeated items and chances are, you eat at least a few of them regularly. As long as you eat a well-balanced diet, you shouldn't need to take multivitamins. If anything, you might be low in one or two of the above and your doctor might advise taking a specific vitamin to supplement. Even then, feel free to ask for alternative solutions.
Just like every industry, vitamins are made to make money. Do your research and decide whether or not vitamins are something you need to be spending money on. The key is properly fueling your body by eating more of the foods listed above and less (ideally no) processed food. A bag of potato chips doesn't have the same nutritional content as a potato so you can't count on that as a source of vitamins.
If you read the vitamin labels, you will see that most of your daily value of each item is covered by over 100% or even thousands! Essentially, unless you don't eat any whole foods, you should be getting an adequate amount of vitamins already. When you consume too many vitamins your body discards the abundance through urine which in turn is wasting your money.
How will you get your vitamins from now on?
-Mallory
