Vitamins!
I was thinking about vitamins today, for some reason (I know, what a gripping life I lead). I have taken a multi-vitamin every day (mostly) since I was a kid. I loved those Flintstones, and seriously wish that I could find an adult equivalent.
However, I really try to look at the nutrition profile of a vitamin before I throw money at it. Not all vitamins are made equal! For the longest time, I liked the One-a-Day brand – for most of my adult life, in fact. A couple of years ago, my husband convinced me to switch to the Centrum –duplicate by Kirkland Signature multi-vitamin, mainly because it was sold at CostCo (convenient!), had a better nutrition profile, and was cheaper! Win, win, win!
However, after a nasty reaction to these vits (terribly upset stomach), I’ve been taking the Nature’s Way Alive pills, and Wow! These vits are amazing. They aren’t cheap, but I can definitely feel the difference. I’ve so much more energy, and my mood is better. They have tons of vitamins made from real foods, and the difference is just astounding. I also take fish oil supplements and calcium to make sure that I’m getting what I need. The fish oil seems to help tremendously with mood as well.
I’ve stopped taking vitamins for periods of time – mainly to experiment with how much they “really” affect me. Like in college, I was really remiss with my nutrition in general (weren’t we all?), and I had very little energy and was pretty stressed or depressed quite a bit. I know that a lot of that was probably related to the stress in my life at the time (paying bills, school, full-time class and job, college life drama), but as I think back, I really think that better diet and a little more exercise would have helped me manage my stress much more effectively. Ah well.
I know that many people are against the idea of vitamins, and in theory, I agree. We _should_ be getting our necessary nutrients from our foods, but let’s be realistic: does anyone really eat the perfect diet every day? Nope. So it’s nice to know that even if I wasn’t able to get in my recommended amount of vegetables/protein/whatever, the vitamin ensures that I get it. Not that this is an excuse to eat unhealthy – I still eat a lot of vegetables and try to eat only whole grains and such. However, it’s like having an insurance policy – I’m not going to wreck my car every time I drive it (although I am a terrible driver! Watch out!), the insurance is there if I do?
What about you? Do you do vitamins? What kinds do you take?
I was thinking about vitamins today, for some reason (I know, what a gripping life I lead). I have taken a multi-vitamin every day (mostly) since I was a kid. I loved those Flintstones, and seriously wish that I could find an adult equivalent.
However, I really try to look at the nutrition profile of a vitamin before I throw money at it. Not all vitamins are made equal! For the longest time, I liked the One-a-Day brand – for most of my adult life, in fact. A couple of years ago, my husband convinced me to switch to the Centrum –duplicate by Kirkland Signature multi-vitamin, mainly because it was sold at CostCo (convenient!), had a better nutrition profile, and was cheaper! Win, win, win!
I’ve stopped taking vitamins for periods of time – mainly to experiment with how much they “really” affect me. Like in college, I was really remiss with my nutrition in general (weren’t we all?), and I had very little energy and was pretty stressed or depressed quite a bit. I know that a lot of that was probably related to the stress in my life at the time (paying bills, school, full-time class and job, college life drama), but as I think back, I really think that better diet and a little more exercise would have helped me manage my stress much more effectively. Ah well.
I know that many people are against the idea of vitamins, and in theory, I agree. We _should_ be getting our necessary nutrients from our foods, but let’s be realistic: does anyone really eat the perfect diet every day? Nope. So it’s nice to know that even if I wasn’t able to get in my recommended amount of vegetables/protein/whatever, the vitamin ensures that I get it. Not that this is an excuse to eat unhealthy – I still eat a lot of vegetables and try to eat only whole grains and such. However, it’s like having an insurance policy – I’m not going to wreck my car every time I drive it (although I am a terrible driver! Watch out!), the insurance is there if I do?
What about you? Do you do vitamins? What kinds do you take?
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