Vitamins - Recommendations welcomed!
 

I searched the site and found a couple of old threads on vitamins, but they didn't quite hit on what I was looking for. (One was posted by cashmoney and, yeah, not what I was looking for! LOL)

I wanted to start paying more attention to what kinds of vitamins I'm taking and I am interesting in hearing what others here are taking.

Currently, I'm just taking a Women's One-a-Day tablet and two tablets of TUMS 750mg (as a calcium supplement and because my stomach is excitable).

I'm thinking that I should be taking vitamin E, more vitamin C and flaxseed oil or something...but I'm not sure what would make sense for a 31 year old woman.

What's working for you?

.....Kelly :)

Just one suggestion. At my annual physical, my family physician always goes through a litany of the most current preventive health topics. Your family doc or gyn may be able to suggest the very best vitamins for you because they should be keeping up with all the medical literature and also know your family history. You could call up their office and get recommendations/dosages there, too.

^^^ true that. Also, my docs usually tell me while it's good to take supplements, the absolute best way to get vitamins is through healthy foods.

With that said though, I do take a multi-vitamin (always check for Vitamin D... it's good for you and some studies suggest it helps reduce your risk of certain cancers), and a calcium supplement. Multivitamins usually contain 100% of Vitamin C.

Every once in awhile I will take a B complex at night before bed, and I'll take an antioxident supplement if I feel a cold or something coming on.

Don't OD on the vitmains though. If you do a google search you will find that some vitamins in excess can be counter-productive and others toxic. And BE SURE TO CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE ON THE BOTTLE. It sounds like a no-brainer, but one time I was in a hurry and bought an antioxident supplement that was expired by like 3 months. I took them back obviously, but I was shocked b/c I would have thought that vitamin stores would check for that sort of thing.

I like the Viactiv Power Glide Multi-Vitamins and Calcium supplements. They go down very easily, which is sometimes a problem for me. The calcium tastes like vanilla, and the multi-vitamin like "berry". I take OmegaSmart MD fish oil, which doesn't have the "fishy" taste some do, and kelp. I take kelp because I have hypothyroidism. HTH -

It's best to take only whole-food vitamins as opposed to vitamins that contain non-food elements. You could check out a naturopathic doctor (http://www.naturopathic.org) and have a full health check-up to determine what your body specifically needs.

What I take...

BeneFiber (Calcium Plus) tasteless, grit-free, and dissolves completely in water. I was skeptical at first but it really is tasteless.

Centrum Multivitamin

I take a multivitamin, plus extra vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium (I don't drink milk so I need the extra calcium), and fish oil (recommended by my nutritionist).

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV so this is just my personal experience with vitamins and no one should follow it without consulting their own doctor for their specific needs. :)

I did a LOT of research on vitamins online (National Institute of Health, Dr. Oz's recs on Oprah.com and numerous other health sites) plus talked to my doctor and here's what I am taking.

It took a bit of work to find the right combo of doses and products that met the requirements I needed. Some of these I take twice a day at breakfast and dinner, some just once. It's important to spread your intake of some vitamins, like Vit C, out in several doses over the day.

• Caltrate-D (calcium with extra vit D)
• CoQ10 (I was told that Nature Made brand is the only one that really the Q10 in it. Not sure why)
• B-Complex
• B-12 dots
• Vit E (natural mixed tocopherals)
• Omega-3 Fish oil (you want one that contains EPA and DHA and says no "fish burps")
• Acetyl L-Carnitine with Alpha Lipoic Acid (the bottle says it promotes memory and antioxidant support, but I take it because I am sometimes slightly hyperglycemic and it is supposed to help lower blood sugar)
• Multi-vitamin/mineral/antioxidant supplement called Multi-betic that has all the usual suspects plus it is a diabetic formula to help my blood sugar with ingredients like Chromium and Biotin.
• Then I either chew some Fiber Choice tablets or use BeneFiber powder mixed in drinks or food for extra fiber.
• I tried flaxseed oil for a while, using the oil that you mix in food instead of a pill. But it made things taste bad.

I am 35/F.

Prenatal vitamins are a good source of daily vitamins. But again, check with your doctor.
Im taking Womens One A Day (when I remember too, oops!) and extra vitamin C and a cranberry supplement to fight off a UTI (was that TMI, lol). I'm a 31/F. Vitamin D is important for women to help with absorption of calcium. :) But again, check with your doctor and/or ob-gyn.

I took Flintstone vitamins until maybe 2 yrs ago. They taste so much better than those horsepills you get at the vitamin store for grown ups :p

That's why I like the Viactiv pills - the smooth, flavoured coating makes it much easier to take them!

Take Nutralite Triple X vitamins. They're amazing - take them for a week and you'll feel like a new person.

Amway?!?!?!?!?!? :p

Yep...there's a reason why Nutrilite is the #1 vitamins brand in the entire continent of Asia, you know :D

This is the kind that I take:
http://biomedicine.com/images/products/10770.jpg
http://biomedicine.com/itemDetail.cfml?id=48
They are gel capsules, not hard pills. I went to a "natural" pharmacy and they told me that with the hard pills, you often do not absorb all of the vitamins in them during digestion, that they pass through and are...uh.....eliminated.

I've noticed with these kind, my skin has improved in leaps and bounds.

Since I am an RN, I always suggest getting your yearly done w/ the doc and then discuss your specific needs. Look at you dietery intake, exercise/activity level, family history. I'd have a fasting glucose, lipid panel, thyroid checked if your insurance allows and the doc feels it is needed.

Now from personal experience the Viactive chews are yummy. There is a calcium supplement as well as a multivit. if I remember right. Personally you need to get your fiber from your food- it's just the best way. Look for cereals that have 3g fiber/serving. I personally love the fiber one granola bars- they are so yummy and pack a lot of fiber -9 g I believe. I could go on and on about this topic. If you have any family history of heart disease and no hx of stomach ulcers, an aspirin or baby aspirin a day is a good idea. These are just some ideas. I have more if you're interested! My area of expertise is cardiac nursing as I am a critical care RN in a heart hospital.

i take mines at night the iron makes me nauseous so it absorbs better that way while i am sleeping. i use just a regular prenatal vitamin. not trying to concieve, but it has everything i need.

i took flinstones when i first got pregnant, the morning sickness nausea plus the iron nausea added up to one cranky mama! my doc said those plus a calcium pill and folic acid tablet would do me fine.

Just plain old Centruim!:D

According to the FDA, if they do not approve it it isn't good!:rolleyes:

Screw the FDA! They do not know crap!:mad::rolleyes:

Melaleuca has really good vitamins. They absorb much more with fructose compounding, meaning that it mixes with the sugar in your blood and thus more is absorbed.

I LOVE Fiber One bars -- like I have to be careful not to eat too many of them because I end up getting like 250% of my daily fiber needs when I add them into my diet, ha.

I take glucosamine and chondroitin for my joints, as well as a daily vitamin.

Dude take some geritol and calm down. The FDA doesn't "approve" any dietary supplement. That's not what they're responsible for. When it comes to supplements, the FDA only really takes action if a supplement is proven to be dangerous in some way.

I take:

- One multi-vitamin WITHOUT iron (most women don't need an iron supplement)
- Fish oil (with enteric coating so they're digested in the intestines instead of the stomach...meaning no fish breath/burps)

Fish oil is amazing. My hair is so shiny and my skin never gets really dry anymore. And my cholesterol levels are so good my doctor is jealous.

I'm a 30/F... and when I remember to do so... I take a Daily Multi-Vitamin & Mineral with Digestive Enzymes (softgel) and an Ultra Omega 3-6-9 (wth fish, flax, and borage oils) EFA. I heart working for a vitamin manufacturer and paying below wholesale!

I've tried a bunch of kinds, I'm not really loyal to a brand. But I only take the 1000mg dosage, and you'll want to look for brands that have a logo on the bottle indicating it's been molecularly distilled...that helps remove the mercury.

I take Nature's Bounty Omega-3 Fish Oil 1000 mg 2x a day. The bottle says its odorless, no fish burps, mercury free and has the enteric coating. I've never detected even a hint of fishyness. :) They are kind of big but they are softgels that go down pretty easy.

I love my PrimaCare One - it's a prenatal vitamin, but I am going to try and get another scrip for it so I can stay on it for at least the next year.

I take the generic walmart brand multi-vitamin, an extra b-vitamin supplement, and a calcium with vitamin D.