If you’re like some of our patients at CNMA, you’ve stood countless times in front of the vitamin section at a natural food store and stared aimlessly at the plethora of options to pick from – varying widely in price, but all claiming to provide the utmost benefits.
And if you’re like some of our patients, you may have wondered…is a multivitamin even worth it?
At CNMA, we understand the world of vitamins and supplements and the impact they can have on both our health…and our pocketbook.
We are regularly asked, “Do I really need a multivitamin?”
This is a great question!
Multivitamins are an excellent way to cover our bases. They certainly do not substitute for the lack of real, whole foods, but it can give us a foundation that is necessary.
Multivitamins are beneficial for two big reasons:
1. Our food sources lack what we need. In this day and age, our farming techniques have changed drastically from years ago. Even though sustainable farming is starting to make its way into our culture, most of our current farming is done with soil that has been depleted from vital minerals. Multivitamins can help restore some of those minerals in our systems.
2. Most of us lack 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. It’s hard to eat right all of the time! Especially when we are as busy as we are and the easy options are everywhere. To cover our bases, a multivitamin can step in when we aren’t so…perfect.
But, which ones to purchase?
There are so many to pick from, where do you start?!
Keep in mind that selecting a multivitamin can be an investment in your health. Higher dosages that are more pure and easily digested may be more of an investment than others.
We recommend Douglas Laboratories Ultra Preventive X dietary supplement.
This multivitamin boasts a well-versed combination of trace minerals in an easy to digest form. We also like the anti-oxidants it includes and green food blend.
All 8 capsules can be taken throughout the day, but we typically recommend 2 capsules in the morning followed by 2 capsules at noon.
These are very good water soluble vitamins which means that they enter the bloodstream for a few hours and then are excreted. Taking half a dose in the morning and half at noon provides the vitamins and minerals opportunity to digest throughout the day.
And remember when we mentioned multivitamins as being an investment? This link is an eye-opener to compare common store brand multivitamins with the Ultra Preventive X [https://www.douglaslabs.com/media/DL_UPSuite_Brochure.pdf]. The differences are quite apparent!
But what about those specialty multivitamins, made for just men or just women?
These are primarily based on extra supplements each gender typically needs.
Women are known to need more calcium and magnesium as they age. Because the molecules in these minerals are so large, we recommend women take these supplements in a separate vitamin. Most multivitamins are not large enough to accommodate the extra amount of calcium and magnesium many women need.
Men, on the other hand, benefit from just extra magnesium. Because of larger muscle mass, we encourage men to take magnesium supplements before bed in a separate dosage than just that of a multivitamin.
But how can I support healthy vitamin and minerals outside of a multivitamin?
The key to good long term health is simply:
– Fresh whole vegetables and fruits
– grass-fed, sustainable, organic meats
– healthy fats
all in variety!
We especially love to eat seasonally, being mindful of nature’s produce throughout different times of the year. This allows us to change our diets periodically, giving our bodies well-rounded sources of vitamins and minerals.
But we know that keeping with a healthy and appropriate diet is not easy. If you live in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Parker, Centennial, Lone Tree, Monument, Larkspur, Colorado Springs, or the greater Denver-metro area and are looking for guidance on the best diet for you and your family, please contact us for a free 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Graves to discuss your questions more in-depth.
Dr. Graves and the team at CNMA are well-versed in a variety of diets including hormone-based, weight-based, and allergy based to name a few. Having assistance in getting on the right track diet wise can make all the difference in achieving your ultimate health goals.
Contact us now to customize your own proper diet and vitamin program.
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