It goes without saying that the nutrients we need should, first and foremost, come from the food we eat. However, people often want to know what more they can do to make sure they are getting enough of each vitamin and mineral in case their diet is lacking, or their food status isn’t sufficient. Mutivitamins tend not only to include the spectrum of vitamins and minerals, but supporting botanicals too. This varies by brand that you buy.

10 Reasons you should be taking a Multivitamin

A healthy variety in your diet is important for maintaining a good support for your body and mind. Different food groups contain different nutrients which are all necessary for your health. The same applies when supplementing. Often people will buy supplements to achieve a specific result; zinc to support skin, vitamin B6 to balance hormones or vitamin C to support the immune system, but multis provide a good-all round support for daily health and prevention.

1. Healthy Ageing

As we get older, our metabolic processes slow down and natural production of nutrients decrease but our demand for these nutrients stay the same; it even increases in some cases. Keeping your body supplied with daily support helps you age well.

2. Replaces What We Lose

Water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C and the range of Bs are not stored in the body, unlike fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. This means it’s necessary to get these vitamins topped up on a daily basis.

3. Feel Energised

The range of B vitamins are involved in the production of energy in the body. Therefore one of the key ways of feeling revived and energised every day is to keep up with your B vitamins.

4. Look and Feel Healthy

Vitamin A, C, E, B3, zinc and selenium all support the maintenance of hair, skin and nails. So, if you’re noticing your nails becoming brittle, your hair dull and skin sluggish, you could be missing out on the nutrients they need to be at their best.

5. Healthy Eyes

We value our eyesight above most things, but they are susceptible to decline, from a high sugar diet and oxidative stress as well as genetics. Vitamin A, B3, selenium and zinc can be found in multivitamins and support eye function and protect them from harmful rays.

6. Antioxidant Support

We’ve all heard of antioxidants and the free radical damage they protect us from. Oxidative stress and inflammation are the main causes for decline and disease in the body. If you want to take actions to protect the body and prevent illness where you can, having a daily influx of antioxidants is nature’s way of keeping us healthy. Multivitamins are teaming with antioxidants, such as vitamin C, E, B2, copper, manganese, selenium and zinc all have approved health claims supporting their antioxidant capacity.

7. Keeping your Heart Healthy

Heart disease is a leading cause of death, especially in Western society. Taking a high-quality multivitamin may support the body against such disease, as much of what can be found in a multivitamin supports the cardiovascular system. Specifically, B vitamins and magnesium are known to aid cardiovascular health.

8. Keeping the Immune System Strong

The immune system helps your body fight illnesses, and a strong immune system requires certain tools to do its job. Keeping the body free from inflammation helps the immune system, so as mentioned above, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories such as those in multivitamins can most certainly help. Vitamin C and D are regulators of the immune system and its metabolic processes. 80% of immunity is found in the gut, and the gut requires nutrients for cell division to keep its tissue strong and free from permeability.

9.A Good Place to Start

Often when people have spent a lifetime with poor lifestyle and nutritional choices, their body can be left depleted and in need of nutrients across the board. Most disease starts in the gut, and a poor gut can mean poor absorption of nutrients. Taking a daily multivitamin is often a useful tool to begin the road to recovery when getting as many nutrients as possible into the body is the main priority.

10. Pregnancy

Bringing a new life into the world takes its toll on the body, and your body needs more nutrients than before for a whole new being, and a growing one at that! Taking a specifically designed pre-natal vitamin can help to bridge the nutritional gap. Nutrients such as Folic acid and DHA, for example, are required to support development of the brain and prevent neural tube defects. If you are pregnant or trying to conceive it’s important to avoid multivitamins containing vitamin A if the dose exceeds 800mcg, as this may interfere with your foetal development.

What to look for when choosing a multivitamin:

Levels

Quite often, you may look at a multivitamin and see that it has everything inside, but if you take a closer look, the levels are too low. Of course, it’s important to bear in mind that vitamins and minerals are not all equal in weight or the amount required by the body. Magnesium is a classic example of an ingredient that takes up a lot of space for a small amount. So, if you’re keen on getting a higher intake of magnesium, and can’t find a multivitamin with a content higher than 100mg, it’s probably best to supplement that separately. Equally, if you find a multivitamin with a high amount of magnesium, don’t be surprised if the rest of the ingredients seem low.

Capsules or tablets

G&G vitamins only provide products in capsule or powder form because we don’t want to make products which require heating processes, extra binders and excipients to work. Tablets do however tend to pack higher levels of vitamins and minerals inside. This is a judgement call on the individual. Ultimately it comes down to which you priorities: slightly higher levels, or a more natural and cleaner product?

Of course, multivitamins can come in more forms than just capsules and tablets. You can also try liquids or chewables too. Liquids are highly absorbable but there are always sweeteners and other preservatives to consider.

Your own diet

Not all multis are made equal! If you are vegan or vegetarian, you will have different requirements. Vegans tend to have lower levels of nutrients such as B12, iron and vitamin K2 and are arguably a key demographic that requires a multivitamin. Look for a multivitamin that is specifically tailored to your needs that might include higher levels of vitamins you might be missing out on.

Avoid synthetic Folic acid

Either go for folate or folic acid’s converted form (5-MTHF). Many people have genetic predispositions that struggle with folic acid, but in general, this form not only doesn’t do its job, but will block folate from working all together.

Beware of fillers

Often, manufactures will use fillers and other excipients to extend shelf-life, make it taste better, make it cheaper or to make the manufacturing process easier. Choose a brand that doesn’t take these shortcuts.