Nutrition/vitamin experts- Can taking a multivitamin eliminate the need to eat foods with vitamins/minerals?
If your health depends on the food you eat, and the healthiness of food depends on the nutrients it gives you, can taking a multivitamin with the same nutrients eliminate the need to eat some nutrient-rich food (or are these in fact the same nutrients? .."nutrients" because I don’t know what else to call them)? If so, why doesn’t everyone take a multivitamin?
I always hear how something is so healthy because it’s full of protein or full of beta-carotene or full of whatever.. but I can find these things on the label of a multivitamin or at least as a supplement.
What are the benefits of actually eating the nutrient-rich food rather than taking a vitamin? If you do eat the food, should you still take a multivitamin? What kind of people should take multivitamins?
If you answer all these questions, I will love you forever.
No, and the absorption of the vitamins and minerals from foods is very different to that of supplements. You may take 100% of ____ for a day in pill form, but your body might only use 5% of it because it’s excreted too quickly or it can’t be absorbed. The nutrients in food form are better absorbed and used by the body.
A multivitamin is not necessary, it’s basically like an insurance policy in the event that you ‘forget’ to eat enough potassium rich foods one day. It is NOT a replacement for a well rounded meal. So long as you are eating properly you should get everything you need from your foods. However, there are some things that are harder to get from foods, like folic acid and vitamin D, so those supplements are good to take as needed.
They’re most valuable for people with dietary imbalances. Women, for example, are prone to anemia. Therefor, a multivitamin that contains iron will be beneficial; however, iron may also cause constipation. Elderly and pregnant women also benefit from a multivitamin.
In short, they’re not a miracle drug and they’re not a safety net to justify eating crap foods.
They don’t fight aging, make you live longer, or stop cancers. They’re not that amazing.
If you eat properly there is absolutely no reason to take them, which is why (to answer your question) not everybody takes a multivitamin.
Also, beta-Carotene is a PIGMENT found in fruits and plants, it’s not going to be listed in an ingredient list. It’s what makes carrots orange, for example. It’s a source of vitamin A, which will be listed. (Well, there’s a lot more to it than that, but you probably don’t care about the biological aspect). Basically what the point of all that is that you’re supposed to eat colorful foods because they have more nutrients. Oranges, reds, greens, yellows, blues and purples should all be present in your meals.
Sorry, dear, don’t need a nutritionist to tell you that most of the pills aren’t fully digested very well and then you have to whole thing of vitamins aren’t FDA certified, so there’s no guarantee what’s in the pills.
you still need to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals for your body to function properly.
References :
No, and the absorption of the vitamins and minerals from foods is very different to that of supplements. You may take 100% of ____ for a day in pill form, but your body might only use 5% of it because it’s excreted too quickly or it can’t be absorbed. The nutrients in food form are better absorbed and used by the body.
A multivitamin is not necessary, it’s basically like an insurance policy in the event that you ‘forget’ to eat enough potassium rich foods one day. It is NOT a replacement for a well rounded meal. So long as you are eating properly you should get everything you need from your foods. However, there are some things that are harder to get from foods, like folic acid and vitamin D, so those supplements are good to take as needed.
They’re most valuable for people with dietary imbalances. Women, for example, are prone to anemia. Therefor, a multivitamin that contains iron will be beneficial; however, iron may also cause constipation. Elderly and pregnant women also benefit from a multivitamin.
In short, they’re not a miracle drug and they’re not a safety net to justify eating crap foods.
They don’t fight aging, make you live longer, or stop cancers. They’re not that amazing.
If you eat properly there is absolutely no reason to take them, which is why (to answer your question) not everybody takes a multivitamin.
Also, beta-Carotene is a PIGMENT found in fruits and plants, it’s not going to be listed in an ingredient list. It’s what makes carrots orange, for example. It’s a source of vitamin A, which will be listed. (Well, there’s a lot more to it than that, but you probably don’t care about the biological aspect). Basically what the point of all that is that you’re supposed to eat colorful foods because they have more nutrients. Oranges, reds, greens, yellows, blues and purples should all be present in your meals.
References :
Biology nerd.
Now, love me forever.
Those are all great questions, and I really commend
you on searching for a little truth to make your life
healthier.
This is what I recommend:
answering in order,
1) The benefit to eating food is specifically for the
nutrients the food could possibly provide depending
on what you are eating. It is the best way for your body
to absorb vitamins/minerals in any way.
2) In answer to your second question, I would say it
really depends on your diet. If you eat slot of fruits and
veggies, along with lean meats, you could definitely
consider not taking a multi-vitamin. It really depends on
your diet.
Also consider the fact that if you are taking a multivitamin
and eating poorly, it will not help at all because you will
not absorb the nutrients from the vitamin. The reason that
you will not absorb the vitamin is because your colon will
be backed. Not trying to gross you out, just trying to help
you realize the importance of eating well. That is where your
nutrients should come from first.
Also something to look at is the fact that absorb most of your
nutrients through your colon from your digested food.
And take into account that some vitamins are genetically engineers
meaning that they are processed, and their nutrients come from
fake sources that can actually harm your body, so you need to
do your homework before choosing one.
3) I would say that 95 percent of people in the united states
especially could use a multivitamin or supplement of some sort.
It really is up to the individual. I believe it is for anyone that cares
about their health mainly.
Well I hoped this helped, andgood luck with your search!
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