Any Vitamin supplement recommendations?

Ok so I'm on calorie counting diet and I am getting more aware of what foods are healthy and so on.   I'm exercising regularly.   But I don't know if I'm getting enough vitamins a day.

Does anyone recommend anything?   Or should i even be concerned much about that as i've added more veggies and fruits to my daily diet?

a one a day multi is always good, expecially on low calorie diets, its nearly impossible to get everything you need.  I had a one a day from wal mart for women but looking at my kids chewables, theirs surpasses it.  So read the labels :)  

I take a chewable multivitamin, 1000 mg vitamin C, 1000 mg Omega 3 Fish Oil, 2 Fiber Care chews and 2 Viactiv Calcium chews..

I've been wondering if I should add a B6 or B12....

I think I'll hit walmart on my lunch break and start reading the labels.   At one time I was taking a 1 a day for Active people... but I never made it a regular habbit.

Any more advice is appreciated.

For a good multi-vitamin I suggest avoiding things like the one a day and centrums and going to a nutrition center for a good "whole foods vitamin" The reason being as that they tend to come from more natural sources and also are made to be better absorbed by the body.  They do cost a little more but are much more potent and effective than regular vitamins and are a good investment.  Of course a one a day or centrum etc are better than no vitamin at all

Omega 3's in the form of fish oil supplements or flax supplements are also highly recommended.  These are the "heart healthy" fats and their have been some studies that suggest that they also help the body release the stores of the bad fats around the heart. 

There are others as well depending on your body type and any other issues you may have.  I take a b complex to help regulate my metabolism and help me deal with the ups/downs of hypoglycemia and it seems to work well for me.  It also gives you more sustained energy over time - not like a caffeine jolt

Um, if you have heart disease history in your family or just want to lower cholesterol things like that you can do garlic, vitamin e, co-q10, apple cider vinegar (which also helps with digestive issues like heartburn and reflux and stuff to)

There are lots of things really.  I recommend a book called the prescription for natural healing - it is a huge reference book that lists all sorts of conditions and the best vitamins/supplements to take for those conditions ranked by importance :)

I take a simple Centrum vitamin (either swallow or chewable, depending on my mood).  They are generally less expensive than the one-a-day variety.  My husband can only take the swallow kind because the chewable gives him metallic-like burps (i.e. he burps and it tastes like he's swallowed a bunch of pocket-change - ew).  But, he doesn't seem to have that problem with the swallow ones.

If I feel like I need some added fiber, I'll take a Fiber Choice fruit chewable with Calcium.  They taste like sweet-tarts. :)

Why not break down a day's menu and see if you're missing anything?  Nutritiondata.com will give you the vitamin and mineral content of pretty much everything.  There are some things, like calcium and iron, that you may not want to supplement unless you're really coming up short because too much can cause other problems.  I did this because my husband wanted me to take calcium supplements and I figured out that I actually get plenty of calcium through my diet ... average about 1400g a day.  So it's worth looking into because you might find supplementing is unnecessary, or that you only need to supplement with specific nutrients.

Hmm... I was hoping to keep this simple.   I just want (I think) some kind of  multi-vitamin that'll fill in the gaps  in my diet.  I'm pretty sure I don' t get  enough C or Iron... so whatever I get  will probably have  them in good amounts.    Maybe that's  what I'll look for in a multi-vitamin ... more C, Iron and fish oil and go  from there.

I still have a little time before I can head out for my lunchbreak.  Whatever I get I'll use for the month and then maybe look into more specific ones later as my diet changes and I'm getting my vitamins and learning better what's missing.

If you want a good, natural source and very complete vitamin, Natural Factors can't be beat. You can pick their multi-vitamins up at most health food stores. I take their high potency multi, and I find that it has a fantastic quality and quantity of the vitamins you really need. It also has a great amount of the B's, which help with mood and stress that can come from dieting. And they're relatively inexpensive, compared to some of the other brands out there.

Regardless of whether you're on a calorie restricted diet or not, everyone should take a good quality multi and omega-3 everyday! Omega's will also help with mood and stress. Consider it your insurance policy for good health. Multi's are meant to "fill in the nutritional gaps" in our diet, ensuring a happy, healthy lifestyle!

i was taking a "one a day" multi vitamin until i compared it to walgreens store brand multi vitamin. both vitamins contain the exact amounts and you spend less. i also take fish oil, flaxseed oil and evening primose oil. these omegas in combination is really good for you.

NightC... Men don't need Iron... STAY AWAY FROM IT... Women only need Iron because they have periods and they flush out a lot of the Iron in their blood...

I agree with Christins73... You should try and find a multi at a Health Food store... Don't go for the Centrums/One-a-Days... Big Companies like Centrum/One-A-Day spend more money on advertising than they do on researching and developing ways to make their vitamins more digestible... Most of the nutrients in the big name Multis are difficult for your body to break down and end up getting dumped as waste...

i did not know that about one a days. any recommendations on brand? i have two kids under two and have no time to travel to a health food store. instead i will be buying online.

Here's a good article about multivitamins.


[edit: corrected link]

hybrids05, I read that C and Iron go hand in hand? Is this really not true for men? If so then I may just buy something else without the iron then. I hit walmart and bought a bottle of omega 3 Fish Oil (1000mg) and the Equate Complete Multivitimin (which is comparable to Centrum with Lycopene).
Atleast I got the fish oil right.
I've still got way too much to learn.

sarahchaarli, thanks for the article link. More info is definitely helpful.

Just watched a report on CNN Pipeline..Dr Gupta's research indicates there is no recommendation for any supplement.....but, I would think that a Centrum everyday is reasonable. I would also note that omega 3 is a viable supplement as well. 

Try going to a health food store... Or if you're like me and don't live anywhere near any health food stores, you could buy them online...

Read this article.
And this one....

Wow thanks everyone, this has been awesome. I've always wondered about what kind of multivitamin I should take--I've been taking a one-a-day for women. I also wanted to know if I should take like a fishoil capsule--i'm afraid to add more fats into my diet (I'm doing ok with fats already according to cc). OR flaxseed.

So this whole foods vitamin--any brands or names I should be aware of? Thanks

I personally use a brand called "Nature's Plus" I have also taken Kal brand it was a whole foods energy blend multi-vitamin.  

You should be careful of buy cheap brand omega-3 products, pretty much all of them have high levels of mercury, PCBs and other contaminants as our oceans just aren't very clean any more. You can find a big list of oils that have been tests and approved by the International Fish Oil Standards program here: http://www.metabolismadvice.com/omega_3_fish_ oil/

Can I just bring up one point...be careful when adding too much calcium and/or iron to your diet...depending on what you're getting from food and what your levels are, it could make you CONSTIPATED like what happens to me - I can't take any vitamins with calcium and iron, cause thats what I get.

Is it necessary?