Lately I’ve been wondering if I should start taking some different vitamins or health supplements. I have a current vitamin routine as scheduled below but there are so many different vitamins and supplements out there!
My Current Vitamin Regimen
Right now I don’t take anything ridiculously special but I do try to take a few things regularly. I’ve found that they help me feel better and live a better lifestyle.
Here’s the vitamins and supplements I currently take:
I buy all my vitamins through Amazon, Kroger, or Kirkland, which is why I have those certain brands. I’m not a brand snob for vitamins though and seem to think they all work equally as well when I use them.
I did notice a remarkable increase in energy when I was suffering from low energy when I started taking both Vitamin D and Vitamin B12. It’s a combination that did amazing things for me and gave me the energy I was needing.
Trying New Vitamins & Supplements
The problem with trying new vitamins and supplements is that I don’t quite know what I should or want to be taking.
I have a new friend who works for a local company that makes dietary supplements that contain fruit and vegetable juice extracts fortified with added vitamins and nutrients. They are supposed to help you get the nutrients you need and might not be getting from your normal diet. It seems like a good idea to take some of these and I know other friends who really enjoy it as part of their lifestyle. One jokes that it’s the only fruits and vegetables he gets (admittedly not a great plan, haha).
Fruits & veggies > supplements.
Supplements > crappy diet.
These types of vitamins and supplements are especially good for people that eat a little too much processed food and not enough fresh produce, something I’ve been guilty of at times. I try to get as many fruits and veggies as possible but I could always get more. Perhaps a supplement is something I should consider since I know my diet isn’t 100% on the fruit and veggie front?
I know there are a ton of ways to get vitamins and dietary supplements – you can buy them at the grocery store, buy them from a mlm provider like AdvoCare, buy them in bulk on Amazon, etc.
I guess my main problems are deciding which direction to go and which vitamins and supplements to buy for myself. I suppose I should go visit the doctor and see what deficiencies I may have and go from there. I’d like to tailor my vitamin and supplement intake to support my body and what it actually need.
Since I’m playing around with my vitamins and supplements, I’m also wondering what everyone else takes. Are there things you take and recommend? Anything you think I’m missing from my list of vitamins?
What about you? Do you take general vitamins? Special dietary supplements? A more in depth specialized program?
Rose T says
Hi Mary!
I take a daily vitamin D tablet, (because I work a lot of night shifts) and an omega 3,6&8 fish oil capsule, apparently good for joints, heart and skin? I take an iron tablet every second day, because when I took it every single day I was constipated :(
Lovely to read your blogposts and can’t wait to read about the recent 5k woo!
Love from Dublin, Ireland!
Mary says
Thanks Rose! I didn’t think about vitamin D but that might be good during the winter. I pretty much get zero sun this time of year!
Jewlz says
I take a regular multi, Calcium plus D, B-complex, and other randomly if certain symptoms come up. But that’s about it. I take the Calcium plus D because I’m lactose intolerant and don’t get very much calcium these days. I take the B because I just seem to have more energy once I’ve taken it for several days in a row. The others are like CoQ10 and sometimes iron. Oh, and acidophilus. I probably should take potassium since I seem to always be VERY low in that. :(
Mary says
Which B-complex do you take? That’s cool that it really makes you feel like you have more energy! I might look into that one.
Alicia D says
I take a Flaxseed oil pill and Fish oil Pill along with my daily multivitamin.
“Flaxseed and flaxseed oil contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a precursor to the essential omega-3 fatty acid that partly and inefficiently converts into DHA and EPA — more active omega-3s — in the body. While flaxseed hasn’t yet been shown to improve heart disease risk, there’s good evidence that flaxseed and flaxseed oil may lower cholesterol levels.
Mary says
Thanks for that info!
Stephanie says
Hi Mary- Love the blog, by the way:) I just found it but I’m going to jump right in with a comment, if that’s okay. I take a daily women’s multi with Iron, B12, Calcium and all the others- I’m pescatarian, so I need to make sure I’m getting enough Iron and B12 especially. I also take Fish Oil because even though I do eat fish on occasion, I don’t eat it often enough to get a balanced intake of omega 3 to omega 6 in all likelihood. I also take an extra Vitamin C supp during the winter to try and avoid getting sick…whether it works or not I don’t know, but maybe the placebo is worth something, and Vitamin C isn’t toxic in large doses and it’s cheap, so it can’t hurt, I figure!
Barbara says
I don’t take supplements daily but normally about 3x per week. I take 500 mg magnesium citrate at night (helps sleep). I also like whole food vitamins instead of synthetic. I can normally find good deals on Rainbow Light brand here and there. I like them because they have added probiotics and I’ve noticed I can take them on an empty stomach without ill effects.
MIz says
none.
plain ole multi and DONE.
Truc says
I’ve read a ton of stuff along these lines – http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/nutrition/Pounding-Pills-Truth-About-Multivitamins.html – that make me very skeptical of supplements that are taken for the sort of “well, surely this is better than nothing?” reasoning (which I totally used to think too). But I do think that if someone has a specific need for a specific vitamin or whatever, it makes sense – so I take B12 because I’m vegan, and also take an omega-3 supplement because a doctor suggested it (but I’m also stepping up my walnut consumption too….mmm walnuts).
Emily says
I take some, mostly to help with my chronic vitamin D deficiency, and to supplement what I’m missing from being a vegetarian (b12). Advocare Spark helps with those two things, I take a high-quality mutli vitamin from New Chapter, and then a fiber supp.
Consulting with a holictic/integrative doctor might do you a lot of good! They can give you solid recommendations and run tests to see if there’s anything you specifically need.
I definitely believe getting vitamins from foods is the best option, but I’ve read (and heard from my doctors) that even if you ate 100% organic, and in your perfect dietary proportions, you still wouldn’t get everything you need. So my view is organic when I can + suppliments = happy emily! :)
Courtney @ Journey of a Dreamer says
My nutrition coach suggested some that I take. Vitamin D, especially during winter in the Midwest! Vitamin B complex. I also take a calcium supplement, I don’t do a lot of dairy so that helps. I also do a probiotic, fiber, and greens supplement. It really helps with my energy levels and keeps me regular!
Elana says
Hey Mary!
I work as a health coach and one daily multi should be just fine. If you talk with most RDs (and I’m not one – my background is in public health but I work with many of ’em!), they will say that you can get all of your nutrients/vitamins from food. I totally get your point about not getting enough nutrients on some days, but the multi should really take care of that (and then it provides a great opportunity to see where you can tweak your daily intake to get more nutrients in!). I always tell the people I work with – you don’t really want to get to a point where you become a “life-long consumer” of a supplement. If there are some concerns about not getting enough of a specific vitamin or nutrient, I would definitely advise talking with your doctor. He/she may be able to lead you to one that’s right and most appropriate for you. Good luck! :)
Meghan says
I’m somewhere in the middle on the vitamin/supplement train of thought–I don’t take a multivitamin because everything I’ve read (not that I’m an expert) says that it’s better to just eat a varied/healthy diet, but I do take a few supplements for specific things. I’m vegan, so I have chewable B12 tablets, and I take vitamin D every once in while because I live in England so I never see the sun, preciousssss. I’ve also started taking probiotic capsules, and it might be the placebo effect but I *think* they are helping with some IBS issues I have.
Erin Brown says
I have found that taking a women’s multivitamin, glucosamine and garlic tablets works for me. The garlic pills have helped build my immune system tremendously so I don’t get sick near as often as I used to.
Sam Terry says
I hear that taking a good multi -vitamin is as good as taking a bunch of different individual ones, I could be wrong so I take no chances. Hahaha I take a multi and s few extra individual one just to be sure ;)