Multivitamins – Are you getting all the vitamins and minerals you need from one supplement daily? Even if your diet is rich in healthy and nutritious foods it is doubtful that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need by supplementing it with just one tablet. The reason is that it is just not possible to pack enough of the essential nutrients for daily health into such a small parcel. The manufacturers of these multivitamins have found ways in which they can compress the necessary nutrients so that they can pack more in. One result is that some manufacturers may be using cheaper synthetic vitamin isolates instead of whole foods. These synthetic vitamins are partial vitamins combined with other chemicals. They do not have the same beneficial effect in your body and they may produce harmful side effects. The problems with synthetic vitamins are:

• They are not well absorbed or utilized by your body, which was designed to eat and digest whole foods. Each nutrient in a whole food comes packaged with other nutrients in a natural form, from which your system can extract the most nutrition.
• Your body will only to able to absorb some of the synthetic isolate form of those vitamins. They do not have the same bioavailability as those in whole foods.
• Synthetic vitamins sometimes give you an unbalanced quantity of nutrients, again not the same balanced form as found in nature.
• The unnatural state of these vitamins, their synthetic isolates and additives may result in unwanted side effects and toxicities.

Getting all your nutritional needs met from the food you eat is obviously ideal but not always practical in our modern world. Eating organic foods is preferable but, in addition, how long fresh food is stored for and the way you prepare or cook it can lead to as much as 50% of it’s nutrient value being lost. Many people therefore choose to take a multivitamin to make sure that they are covering this gap. This is one of the best things you can do for yourself, providing that it is indeed a high quality multivitamin and contains some essential minerals as well (namely Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium). Getting the right proportion of each vitamin and mineral is important too. It is worthwhile asking a naturopath who understands different multivitamin formulas. This can be a great help to minimize confusion and get the best results. When is the best time to take my Multivitamin? First thing in the morning is the best time, so you can get the benefits throughout your day. Additionally, before lunch or early dinner if you are taking vitamins and mineral supplements more than once in the day. That way you’ll get the best absorption. Which Multivitamin should I take?  Getting the right advice on the best supplements for your health should be your top priority. Your individual needs and circumstances are unique. The team of fully qualified Naturopaths at Mr Vitamins’ store will be happy to answer your questions. They can help you make the right choices for your health.