Multivitamins: Just expensive pee?

Ahh, the multivitamin, or for some "health insurance." This topic revs me up! Supplements have become this ridiculous crutch for the health obsessed. I see it all the time - Average Joe walks into a GNC and walks out $250 dollars poorer with a false sense of health.

GNC, or as I call it, Got No Conscious can see a sucker coming from a mile away! Everyone wants the quick fix these days, and isn't taking a multivitamin easier than eating healthy? Yes, but are they equivalent? NO!


While there are benefits for some people taking vitamin/mineral supplements, a healthy diet that includes the essential vitamins and other nutrients is the best way to give your body what it needs. You can't fit a healthy diet into a pill - its impossible.

Why do I call it expensive pee? Have you ever noticed how yellow your urine gets when you take a multivitamin? Well, that's you peeing out your expensive health plan. Water soluble vitamins can only be absorbed in the body to a certain point, after that, they are released in the urine. Fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are continuously absorbed. That is why these have an upper limit that you should not exceed on a daily basis - beyond that point, your body can have serious toxicity issues. So, be careful with these and don't exceed the upper limit with your supplements. Here are the recommended daily amounts for men and women, where to find them in your diet, and their functions!


National Academy of Sciences

If your lifestyle keeps you from getting the recommended Daily Value of vitamins and nutrients, a dietary supplement may be right for you.

Consider a multivitamin if.....
•You are eating less than 1,600 calories per day or you are on a low-calorie weight-loss diet
•You are elderly and not eating as much as you should
•You are a strict vegetarian or vegan
•You are pregnant or a woman of child-bearing age (yes, if you are trying - start taking a Prenatal vitamin, asap!)
•You have a medical condition that limits your food choices. (anything that would disrupt intake, absorption, or conversion of any nutrient)

I also would consider a few specific supplements if you fall into either of the following categories.

1. You do not eat fish of any kind (I would consider taking a fish oil supplement)
2. If you have limited exposure to the sun or suffer from seasonal depression (I would consider taking a vitamin D supplement)

Follow the links to learn more about these 2 supplements! 

Source: American Dietetic Association, eatright.org

And thanks, AMY, for your topic suggestion!!