Multivitamins: Do you really need one?

People who oppose supplementation argue that you can get all you need by eating real food. I eat a lot of real food but I also take supplements. I look at my multivitamin as a sort of insurance to make sure I am not missing any micronutrients. 

An apple a day (the saying from when I was a kid) is more like 4.3 apples per day today to get the same nutrients.

There is no arguing that our food supply has changed. The overuse of chemicals in agriculture binds/chelates minerals and make them not usable to the plant or to us. But I digress...

A multivitamin helps you get nutrients you may not be getting enough of from your diet. This brings me to the RDI (recommended dietary intake) or ODI (optimal dietary intake); these values are based on the amount needed to prevent disease. This is not the amount you need to maintain optimal health; I will say it again - it is the amount to prevent disease! For example, enough Vitamin C to prevent scurvy or enough iron to prevent anemia.

The other issue I hear brought up frequently is getting too much of vitamins/minerals. Most vitamins are water soluble so your body will get rid of or has the ability to get rid of what it does not need (as a side the fat soluble vitamins are D, E, K, A).

My favorite multivitamins are:

1. Custom Essentials by Bioceutica (after PrivaTest that tests for urinary sulfate, urinary ADMA, and urinary deoxyguanosine) and while pricey it is what I take.  
2. Prime Essentials by Bioceutica
   
3. Garden of Life, MyKind Organics (Prenatal, Men's, Women's - not the one days but the multiple per day versions)
   
4. New Chapter
   
5. Mega Foods
6. Rainbow Light (most affordable food based I know of)
   

Multivitamins I would avoid:

• Centrum 
• Kirkland (Costco)
  
• Any with artificial colors or flavors.
  

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