Wellness Wednesday: Do I need multivitamins?

It’s difficult to get your daily diet as colourful as Canada’s Food Guide, we know. Ain’t nobody got time to plan perfect meals and healthy snacks to feed your body all the nutrients it needs throughout the day. It is possible, but it’s hard. And where you need some extra supplements, multivitamins can step in.

But keep in mind, this doesn't give you the excuse to be lazy. A dietitian we spoke to from Eat Right Ontario stated that it’s always better to get your nutrients from a well-balanced diet, rather than a poor diet supplemented with multivitamins.

People who need multivitamins more than others

Pregnant women need not only eat for two, but need enough nutrition to foster a growing baby. There are many birth defects that can result from lack of folic acid (found in dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains, poultry, pork and beans). It would also help to take a multivitamin to satisfy their iron needs.

People older than 50 are deficient in vitamin D (yes, the one you get from the sun) most of the time. They can get this in fish and milk, but it helps to have supplments as well. Dietitians of Canada also reports that this age group may not be able to absorb vitamin B12 as much in their diet, also requiring need for  daily supplements.

Smokers lose vitamin C from their blood and tissue. The more they smoke, the more cells are damaged. You need vitamin C to absorb iron, so it’s a domino effect (as with most functions in your body), and could link to lack of iron. Smokers need to increase their vitamin C daily intake to 2000 mg, which might not be possible on diet alone.

Vegetarians. Whether you’re a lacto vegetarian (no meat, no eggs, but you’ll have dairy), ovo vegetarian (no meat, no dairy, but you’ll have eggs), ovo-lacto vegetarian (no meat, but you’ll have eggs and dairy), or vegan (no meat, eggs, or dairy), you may need a supplement to make up for the vitamin B12 you don’t get from meat.

People who don’t drink milk miss a key source of vitamin D, which could be supplemented with vitamins.

You can’t get everything from multivitamins

As amazing as it is all of these nutrients can be packed in a pill, it’s not the magic bullet. Supplements can’t provide you with all the nutrients you need. Fibre, carbs, protein, and the essential fats won’t come in the form of a pill, you need to turn to your diet to get this in your body. It comes in the form of vegetables, fruits, dairy products, whole grains, meat, meat alternatives (fish, eggs, beans, tofu), nuts, and seeds.

How to choose which multivitamin is right for you

Every age group in both sexes have different specific needs for minerals and vitamins. For specific quantities dosages of how much you should be getting, Dietitians of Canada has a list of specific multivitamins for specific ages of each sex.

When you’re shopping for a multivitamin, read the labels and check that it contains enough of the daily allowances for your needs. Cass Evans, founder of healthyweightcoach.ca, compiled a list of vitamins and minerals your supplements should provide 100 per cent for in your dietary reference intake (DRI). 

1.      Vitamin A or beta-carotene

2.      Vitamin B1 (or Thiamin)

3.      Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

4.      Vitamin B6

5.      Vitamin B12

6.      Vitamin D

7.      Vitamin E

8.      Folic Acid

9.      Magnesium

10.    Zinc

11.   Chromium

12.   Selenium

13.   Copper

Evans mentioned some nutrients shouldn’t be taken in excess. Stay away from anything with more than 100 per cent of the daily recommended dosage of vitamin A. Vitamin toxicity is just as dangerous as vitamin deficiency, too much vitamin A could risk anything from bone breakdown to nervous system disorders.

Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle, some say to take your multivitamins with food and water, while some like iron, are best absorbed on an empty stomach.  Stick with products that have an Natural Product Number (NPN) or Drug Identification Number (DIN) on the label, those are approved by Health Canada.

We all have multivitamins tailored to our needs, make sure you pick what addresses the gaps in your diet and lifestyle, and if ever in doubt, talk to your doctor or dietitian.