Vitamins?

[RWillieK]

Hello all - quick question about vitamins.....anyone take them?

I have been a long time vegeterian, and have had a tough time finding a multi vitamin without Gelatin....today I bought some from GNC, Mega Men....anyone used them?

Robbie

 

[ric_stern/RST]

Hello all - quick question about vitamins.....anyone take them?

I have been a long time vegeterian, and have had a tough time finding a multi vitamin without Gelatin....today I bought some from GNC, Mega Men....anyone used them?

Robbie

for most people i wouldn't bother, as it's unlikely you'd be deficient (unless e.g., you had, had blood tests confirming this).

ric, veggie for 15 years.

p.s. most health food shops in the UK sell non-gelatine vitamins, not sure about other places...

 

[JoBomojo]

The Mega Men is a very good multi, but the Vitamin D is from fish sources. Try the Ultra Mega It is 100% vegan.If you don't mind the fish source continue to take the MM because it has EVERYTHING you need plus plus more. I've taken it for years.

 

[Orange Fish]

Hello all - quick question about vitamins.....anyone take them?

I have been a long time vegeterian, and have had a tough time finding a multi vitamin without Gelatin....today I bought some from GNC, Mega Men....anyone used them?

Robbie

Go with the cheapest one. Unless you have a horrible diet, you're probably getting the required amounts of vitamins and minerals. So taking a multi can't hurt, but can sort of fill in the blanks in the micronutrient department.
Not sure the shops in the UK will be much help though...looks like you're from KY

 

[ric_stern/RST]

Go with the cheapest one. Unless you have a horrible diet, you're probably getting the required amounts of vitamins and minerals. So taking a multi can't hurt, but can sort of fill in the blanks in the micronutrient department.

how does that make any sense? That you are likely getting enough vitamins, but taking a multi can't hurt? If you're an athlete you're already likely to be eating more food and thus micro nutrients than the general population and will likely be consuming the correct or more amounts. ACSM advice is to not take any, unless deficient or a special population (e.g., you are trying to become pregnant and should take a folic acid supplement).

The first step would be to have a dietary analysis completed, to ascertain any shortcomings (if any) in your macro and micro nutrient intake. Then to address those shortcomings with changes in diet and then if necessary to take a supplement

Not sure the shops in the UK will be much help though...looks like you're from KY

and that's why i wrote "not sure about other places"

ric

 

[Orange Fish]

how does that make any sense? That you are likely getting enough vitamins, but taking a multi can't hurt? If you're an athlete you're already likely to be eating more food and thus micro nutrients than the general population and will likely be consuming the correct or more amounts. ACSM advice is to not take any, unless deficient or a special population (e.g., you are trying to become pregnant and should take a folic acid supplement).

The first step would be to have a dietary analysis completed, to ascertain any shortcomings (if any) in your macro and micro nutrient intake. Then to address those shortcomings with changes in diet and then if necessary to take a supplement

Hey may not be getting all the micronutrients required - we have no clue what his diet is like, hence the multivitamin. It is VERY highly unlikely that he is going to reach toxic levels of any vitamins/minerals by taking 1 multivitamin every 1-2 days. That's why it's called a "supplement." And because we aren't going to do a complete dietary analysis on him, and I'm guessing he probably won't have a complete analysis done anytime soon, the best thing for him to do is to take a basic multivitamin...no lone vitamin/mineral supplements...nothing like that. Just a simple run-of-the-mill multivitamin. Therefore, it can't hurt him. Anything that he doesn't use he will excrete, so it's not a big deal. Anything that his body may need, he will use it.

And as for the ACSM recommendation,
#1 it's only a recommendation. ACSM is not the last word in sports nutrition.
#2 vegetarians could be considered special populations, especially when we talk about vegetarian athletes. I know that vegetarian athletes can get the recommended doses of macro and micronutrients in their diet, but we're not all as perfect as some vegetarians, so supplementing our diet with a simple multivitamin is not a bad idea.

There's no need to debate this. You have your opinion based on your experience and academic background, and I'm entitled to have mine based on the same things. It's up to RWillieK to take this information and use it in whatever way he wants. Let's stop trying to convince each other that our answers are the correct ones when in reality there is no clear answer to this question right now. There are too many unknowns about his diet and lifestyle and we're trying to convince him of something based on a question via the internet. Not gonna happen.

 

[ric_stern/RST]

in part i agree with you, however, if he was deficient he would show a deficiency such as e.g., scurvy with vitamin C.

As regards "anything he doesn't use he will excrete" this is untrue. what about fat soluble vitamins?

ric

Hey may not be getting all the micronutrients required - we have no clue what his diet is like, hence the multivitamin. It is VERY highly unlikely that he is going to reach toxic levels of any vitamins/minerals by taking 1 multivitamin every 1-2 days. That's why it's called a "supplement." And because we aren't going to do a complete dietary analysis on him, and I'm guessing he probably won't have a complete analysis done anytime soon, the best thing for him to do is to take a basic multivitamin...no lone vitamin/mineral supplements...nothing like that. Just a simple run-of-the-mill multivitamin. Therefore, it can't hurt him. Anything that he doesn't use he will excrete, so it's not a big deal. Anything that his body may need, he will use it.

And as for the ACSM recommendation,
#1 it's only a recommendation. ACSM is not the last word in sports nutrition.
#2 vegetarians could be considered special populations, especially when we talk about vegetarian athletes. I know that vegetarian athletes can get the recommended doses of macro and micronutrients in their diet, but we're not all as perfect as some vegetarians, so supplementing our diet with a simple multivitamin is not a bad idea.

There's no need to debate this. You have your opinion based on your experience and academic background, and I'm entitled to have mine based on the same things. It's up to RWillieK to take this information and use it in whatever way he wants. Let's stop trying to convince each other that our answers are the correct ones when in reality there is no clear answer to this question right now. There are too many unknowns about his diet and lifestyle and we're trying to convince him of something based on a question via the internet. Not gonna happen.

 

[Orange Fish]

in part i agree with you, however, if he was deficient he would show a deficiency such as e.g., scurvy with vitamin C.

As regards "anything he doesn't use he will excrete" this is untrue. what about fat soluble vitamins?

ric

He doesn't need to show the classic deficiency symptoms to be deficient in a vitamin, and a vitamin C deficiency is highly unlikely. And it's not a deficiency we're talking about here. We're talking about taking a multivitamin. All I'm saying is that it won't hurt if he takes one. Simple as that.

Right, the water soluble vitamins will get excreted in the urine, but the fat soluble vitamins will not. I should have been more specific. Unless taken in extraordinarily high amounts, toxicity from the A, D, E, and K is highly unlikely if he's taking a simple multivitamin (minus gelatin).