Multivitamins - yay or nay?

[greenrunner]

I find it hard to be diligent about taking my multivitamin each day (mainly because it's large and green and icky and I hate pills in general!). Also, I don't feel any different when I take them, or when I stop taking them for months at a time (I know that's not a good indication of anything!). Is there any benefit in taking them, aside from the "just in case" mindset, or are they a waste of time and money? There's so much conflicting info out there!
Do most vegans take multivitamins daily? The ones I know do, so I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I don't...

[seajo73]

Check out garynull.com (Gary Null is a vegan nutritionist and talk show host) and lef.org (Life Extension Foundation). They are both big supporters of taking vitamins and other supplements for optimal health and they have lots of information an health related subjects.

[wheesaidshe]

I put my vitamins by my toaster so that every morning when I'm popping my bagel in, I pop a multi-vitamin in my mouth. I'm vegan and I decided to take them after I had a check up with the Doctor. I asked him what he thought about veganism and health and he stated what I had read on the internet, that B-12 is needed, but your body stores it for about 5 years, so I was fine as of now.
He suggested that I take a multi-vitamin, not because I'm vegan, though. He said he believes everyone should take one. I asked him about which ones to buy? Are some better than others? I've heard that some vitamins canceled each other out when taken together and was that true?
He said no and it didn't matter which brand, any multi-vitamin would do.
I went and bought some chewables which aren't so bad tasting. I can't say I've noticed any difference, but I figured, "What the hey." BTW, He told me my blood pressure was low, and I had a blood test that day and he called me with the results and said my cholesterol was great. Hooray for veggies!

[SonicEarth]

I put my vitamins by my toaster so that every morning when I'm popping my bagel in, I pop a multi-vitamin in my mouth. I'm vegan and I decided to take them after I had a check up with the Doctor. I asked him what he thought about veganism and health and he stated what I had read on the internet, that B-12 is needed, but your body stores it for about 5 years, so I was fine as of now.
He suggested that I take a multi-vitamin, not because I'm vegan, though. He said he believes everyone should take one. I asked him about which ones to buy? Are some better than others? I've heard that some vitamins canceled each other out when taken together and was that true?
He said no and it didn't matter which brand, any multi-vitamin would do.
I went and bought some chewables which aren't so bad tasting. I can't say I've noticed any difference, but I figured, "What the hey." BTW, He told me my blood pressure was low, and I had a blood test that day and he called me with the results and said my cholesterol was great. Hooray for veggies!
Vitamin B12 is water soluble, so I don't think your body will store it.

[Percy]

I do not think you need multivitamins..
.
Greens have all the vitamins you need (including B12)
Veggies have also almost all the vitamins (excluding Bs and some others)
Goji Berries have all the 11 essential amino-acids.
Avocados and nuts will bring you the Fats
And a lot of water.

[Bells]

Vitamin B12 is water soluble, so I don't think your body will store it.

Yes (http://www.dietitian.com/vitaminb12.html), it will.


Actually it can take quite long, up to 5 years, to develop a vitamin B 12 deficiency depending on a person's body stores. The amount of vitamin B 12 your body stores is dependent on the amount of vitamin B 12 rich foods you eat.

[Mojo]

Everyone needs vitamins, but the issue is whether you can effectively get them in the form of supplements. Personally, I'm very doubtful, for the reason you mentioned... there is so much mixed scientific research. And on top of that are my own experiences which cause me to doubt their effectiveness.

I take a supplement every day "just in case", but I don't put a lot of faith in it doing anything. My health has improved considerably since I started making a focused attempt to get vitamins primarily from food, rather than pills. Every day I eat an orange, carrots, apple, banana and almonds. I think that's a pretty good starting point for A, C, E and potassium.

[starling]

I take a multivitamin. If you having trouble remembering to take it, try one of those pill cases with the days of the week on it. I put mine by my computer, where I spend a lot of time, so I don't forget.

[SonicEarth]

Yes (http://www.dietitian.com/vitaminb12.html), it will.
I stand corrected.

[Jon_Veggie]

Vitamin pills/supplements are not needed if you have a varied, balanced diet. The supplement *industry* wants you to spend lots of money on their products.

It probably is wise to use products fortified with B12, such as soy milk though, something I consume pretty much daily.

Vegan raw foodist Charlie Abel, a bodybuilder, states:

'I don't take any supplements, including B-12. Vitamin pills are highly processed foods, and isolated nutrients. I avoid processed foods. Vitamins never come isolated in nature, they come in the proper ratios of vitamins and minerals'. To take foods and highly process them into isolated vitamins and minerals and then ingest them is really a radical approach and no other animal in nature does this.

[lobsteriffic]

I am taking a multivitamin by Freeda. I keep it on top of the fridge so I remember to take it every morning. I went years and years without taking one, but I recently had some blood work done and I had low levels of a few things. Plus my doctor is obsessed with women of childbearing age taking folic acid...

[Wednesday_12]

I do not take a multivitamin, I beleive that you can get all the nutrients you need from the natural products that you eat. I have had my blood tests done recently and I am still healthy on all accounts :sunny:

[Scorpius]

The whole multivitamin thing kinda pisses me off ((pardon my French)).

When I was a teenager, predating my veg*n years, I was told by my PCP to take vitamins. So I was on a Centrum and calcium chew regimen for a while.

HOWEVER... you hear all these conflicting reports:: ....are you really absorbing these nutrients, are they being excreted and therefore a huge waste of time and money, is superloading ((ingesting way more than the RDI of a particular vitamin/mineral..which many supplements lead you to do)) on these nutrients bad..is it good..does it cause cancer...etc, etc.

Needless to say, I no longer take a multivitamin supplement.

My doctor and dietitian and every friggin' clinician I have ever seen has told me I should take a multi, but its too annoying and expensive and time consuming to find one that's complete, not superloading me, is made by a eco/animal-friendly company v. some Evil Multinational, is in my price range.... :dizzy: gaaah, it makes me nuts!

So, as of now, I'm anti-Multis.

I have been taking a [vegan] probiotic supplement faithfully for the past few months.
..Commensal microbes ftw!!

[Animosity]

I do not think you need multivitamins..
.
Greens have all the vitamins you need (including B12)
Veggies have also almost all the vitamins (excluding Bs and some others)
Goji Berries have all the 11 essential amino-acids.
Avocados and nuts will bring you the Fats
And a lot of water.


Vitamin pills/supplements are not needed if you have a varied, balanced diet. The supplement *industry* wants you to spend lots of money on their products.

It probably is wise to use products fortified with B12, such as soy milk though, something I consume pretty much daily.

Vegan raw foodist Charlie Abel, a bodybuilder, states:

'I don't take any supplements, including B-12. Vitamin pills are highly processed foods, and isolated nutrients. I avoid processed foods. Vitamins never come isolated in nature, they come in the proper ratios of vitamins and minerals'. To take foods and highly process them into isolated vitamins and minerals and then ingest them is really a radical approach and no other animal in nature does this.


Agreed. I don't take vitamins. Quite frankly, I get p*ssed off at how many people tell me "i'm going to die" if I don't. You'd think doctors and health food store owners would know something about nutrition... But apprently not. The only vitamins I get are the ones in fortified foods like soy milk. I wish we weren't such a *drug* addicted country that we could stop puting *drugs* in everything... It's really unnatrual to be taking vitamins, We could get all of the vitamins and minerals needed from natrue, Why we choose to take more than we need i'll never know.

[megbot]

I kind of think vitamins are just another marketing gimmick, and the FDA doesn't have a clue what's going on anyway, so who knows what the knock off nutrition is doing to us anyway. Kind of like an excuse to be able to pump us full of corn syrup and meat, but hey, the multivitamin will take care of the rest. I also think that our body has a way of telling us what it needs if we listen, like headaches if we're thirsty, or cravings for broccoli if we need vitamin C or potassium, and that a multivitamin will confuse our body and weaken those signals. That's my opinion though, totally unbacked by fact. It works for me though :)

I can see taking a multivitamin if you have a diagnosed deficiency, and can't eat the vitamin easily due to allergies or something. Medical necessity is medical necessity.

My multivitamin is usually in my dinner in the form of dark leafy greens and bright colored veggies. That, and the only multivitamin that I've taken that didn't make me vomit uncontrollably 30 minutes after taking it (seriously) was the Flintstones Chewables. I stopped taking those a long time ago and am doing just fine without them :).

[greenrunner]

That, and the only multivitamin that I've taken that didn't make me vomit uncontrollably 30 minutes after taking it (seriously) was the Flintstones Chewables. I stopped taking those a long time ago and am doing just fine without them :).

Mmm, I loved the taste of those!

[Doktormartini]

I take Alive (http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=4119&at=0) by Nature's Way. Does anyone know if they are vegan?

The link goes to the ingredients.
Sorry to burst your bubble but it has Retinol Palmitate and according to wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinol
"Retinol (Afaxin), the animal form of vitamin A, is a fat-soluble vitamin important in vision and bone growth."
Unless it says safe for vegans, then I would not buy it.

Also agreeing with what others said, I don't take vitamins. I do, however, take natural supplements, like Spirulina, Maca powder...etc.
Pills with a bunch of vitamins from various sources stuck inside them are not found in nature.

[Fromper]

Check out garynull.com (Gary Null is a vegan nutritionist and talk show host) and lef.org (Life Extension Foundation). They are both big supporters of taking vitamins and other supplements for optimal health and they have lots of information an health related subjects.

Why is Life Extension so popular lately??? Everyone talks about them like they're a charity with your best interest in mind. I'd just like to point out that they're a for-profit company that makes most of their money selling vitamin supplements. Taking their advice on whether or not multivitamins are necessary is like asking the beef industry if eating beef is healthy.


I take a multivitamin. If you having trouble remembering to take it, try one of those pill cases with the days of the week on it. I put mine by my computer, where I spend a lot of time, so I don't forget.

I have one of those pill cases with the days of the week, and I keep it next to my fridge. I still forget to take them half the time, but I doubt if I really need them that badly, anyway, so taking them 2-4 days per week is probably plenty. I just take them as a safety net, "just in case".

--Fromper
:juggle:

[IamJen]

Vitamin pills/supplements are not needed if you have a varied, balanced diet. The supplement *industry* wants you to spend lots of money on their products.
While I think this is generally true, there are many exceptions. Without supplements (including fortified foods), it's unlikely that my other half, who spends most of his day indoors in less than sunny England, would get sufficient Vitamin D.

For myself, I've been struggling with iron deficiency for some years. I have virtually no physical symptoms (over tiredness, etc.), but without supplements, my iron levels fall. 10 years this has gone on now, with no medical explanation. Aside from drinking caffeine sometimes, my diet is iron/blood friendly. I've done scads of research on how to improve my absorption, but it just doesn't happen. So, I take an iron supplement.

Additionally, I think a lot of people have some minor medical issues that are aided by supplements. I'm taking one to help with some girly issues, for instance.

I don't mean to pick at your post in particular, I just think that many times it's not so simple.

Also, wrt Gary Null, he's not a source I'd necessarily consider credible. One view:
http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/null.html

[cowgirrlup]

I just started taking a multi-vitamin supplement a few weeks ago. Its a liquid formula and its organic and vegan.

I think I was already getting enough nutrients, but I don't really know.

I figure this will help, just in case! :sunny:

[Teresa]

I actually stopped taking a multi vitamin. I do believe though in vitamin C and I recently started taking B-complex. It seems to be helping to calm my nerves. I also take calcium. I usually take vitamins in chewable form. I guess it's an individual choice.

[Bells]

I actually stopped taking a multi vitamin. I do believe though in vitamin C and I recently started taking B-complex. It seems to be helping to calm my nerves. I also take calcium. I usually take vitamins in chewable form. I guess it's an individual choice.

Why take vitamin c in a pill form? I mean, it is not exactly a terribly hard vitamin to get... One cup of orange juice has 130% of your daily value, and broccoli has even more than that. :)

All I usually take is a vitamin B complex, or at least I try to remember... I have Fromper's problem. I keep my SMTWTFS pill box in front of my face, but I still only end up taking it 2-4 days a week.

[cowgirrlup]

All I usually take is a vitamin B complex, or at least I try to remember... I have Fromper's problem. I keep my SMTWTFS pill box in front of my face, but I still only end up taking it 2-4 days a week.

I had to laugh, I do the same thing! I have my calcium in one of those same days of the week pill boxes,,,,and every day I see it, I mean I must see it, its right there ... but I really don't see it...I guess I am so used to it being there, its now become invisible....

[Bells]

Maybe I should make a sign with a big arrow that says something like "Take Your Pills, Now!"... I would still probably forget.

[cowgirrlup]

Maybe I should make a sign with a big arrow that says something like "Take Your Pills, Now!"... I would still probably forget.

LOL...OK, I'd still forget! I need a pill box that makes an annoying sound until I open it and take my pill..like the terrible beeping my phone does when there is a message on it!

Ok, I am discussing the stupid pill box and I still haven't picked it up and taken my calcium pill!:wall: