Multivitamins?

[GreenMachineX]

Does anyone take multivitamins? If so, what do you take? I’ve been experimenting with different ones this past year and they’ve really made a difference in how I feel (good and bad), but I still haven’t found the right one. I’ve experimented with ones that used active methylfolate, methylcobalamin, etc and I’m not certain those are best for me. Those provide a substantial amount of energy but also histamine flare ups and insomnia. I’ll update this more later. Just wanted to see if I could get any chatter on this.

 

[Gman86]

Does anyone take multivitamins? If so, what do you take? I’ve been experimenting with different ones this past year and they’ve really made a difference in how I feel (good and bad), but I still haven’t found the right one. I’ve experimented with ones that used active methylfolate, methylcobalamin, etc and I’m not certain those are best for me. Those provide a substantial amount of energy but also histamine flare ups and insomnia. I’ll update this more later. Just wanted to see if I could get any chatter on this.

I’m 31 and have taken multivitamins since I was 14, up until around a year ago. I figured out that it’s always better to get your vitamins and minerals from natural food based sources, and not synthetics. It seems obvious once you figure it out, but took me a long long time to personally see why synthetics are just never the way to go. Nowadays I just eat grass fed beef liver each morning. It’s basically “nature’s multivitamin”. Then I also take magnesium, vitamin D, K2, vitamin C and eat 2-3 Brazil nuts per day for the selenium. Then get the rest of my nutrients through food. Oh, I also eat some nutritional yeast each day which has a bunch of vitamins and minerals, mainly B vitamins. And if that still isn’t enough, you could always add in spirulina or wheatgrass powder, or both. But then you start getting into a cost vs benefit thing. I’d rather keep things simple and as cheap as I can.

But I understand if convenience is a factor for you. It is for most people. But just know that a lot of the time you are doing more harm than good by taking so many isolated synthetic vitamins packed into one pill or capsule. Your body doesn’t know how to process synthetic vitamins, and they can have quite a few negative effects in the body. Also when vitamins don’t have their normal cofactors like they would if you got them from a food, they just don’t work the same. Nature knows best when it comes to nutrition. Like I said, took me years and years to learn this.

 

[Nashtide]

Of course it's better to get nutrients from food! The issue is that many people in western societies can't get all the micronutrients from food alone. Even grass fed isn't what grass fed was 50 years ago. The soil and environment lack the nutrients so the grass lacks the nutrients and so on. If one could get all the necessary nutrients from food you wouldn't need to take all the supplements you listed. Taking a high quality multi vitamin/mineral may not be the perfect answer, but I also don't think it's unsafe for most folks.

 

[JPB]

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers. I am in the process of switching. My old multi was in the form of a tablet. I'm switching to something that is a capsule so its easier on the stomach.

 

[GreenMachineX]

I'm currently testing Now Foods Adam capsules: today is Day 1. We'll see how it goes.

I agree that nutrition is number 1, but I also agree that today's modern food in Western society is garbage and we're not getting what we used to.

 

[Gman86]

Of course it's better to get nutrients from food! The issue is that many people in western societies can't get all the micronutrients from food alone. Even grass fed isn't what grass fed was 50 years ago. The soil and environment lack the nutrients so the grass lacks the nutrients and so on. If one could get all the necessary nutrients from food you wouldn't need to take all the supplements you listed. Taking a high quality multi vitamin/mineral may not be the perfect answer, but I also don't think it's unsafe for most folks.

Ya very good points. The soil is definitely not what it used to be. But for most people just eating grass fed liver daily or a few times per week, taking a magnesium supplement, taking a low dose of vitamin D and eating a balance diet should give you all the vitamins and minerals you need. Even after factoring in soil depletion. I only do the Brazil nuts, vitamin k2, vitamin C and nutritional yeast to cover my bases even more, but they are not necessary.

And taking synthetic vitamins is definitely not as safe as you think. Taking any synthetic form of anything isn’t good and will always have unintended side effects. Trust me, if you would of told me years ago that just because a vitamin is synthetic that it can cause disregulation in the body, I would of thought you were a quack and were over exaggerating. So I don’t expect anyone to understand or believe it. We all are at different stages in our health journey. I’m not even saying to believe me. My goal is to just put the information out there for everyone, and then hopefully they will do the research for themselves.

 

[Gman86]

Also, how do you guys know you're not getting enough nutrition? My insurance covers my labs 100%, so I test for certain vitamins and minerals. And not just serum tests, which are useless. I test the amounts in my RBC's, which is more accurate. I also test for b12 and ferritin. And so far between what I'm doing and diet, everything comes back good, some even on the higher end like zinc, copper and b12.

Im just saying be careful. Between synthetic vitamins causing disregulation in the body, and some of the doses of vitamin and minerals in a multivitamin either being too high or too low and not being able to control each nutrient individually, it's just not a good solution if improving your health is your goal. But again, I've been a health freak since I was 14, and just realized all this recently. So I don't expect anyone to be at the same stage of their health journey as me and understand/ accept any of this.

I know everyone is going to just do what they want and disregard the info above lol, so my second best advice would be to not skimp when it comes to a multivitamin. If you're going to get one, get a very high quality one, even if the price is a little up there. Also consider using a high quality Whole Foods greens supplement instead a multivitamin. A good example of one is green detox by thomas delauer. It's a bit pricey imo, but that dude knows his stuff, and the product is top quality.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

I have been taking (mostly) naturally derived and food based multis for years. The thing I find most maddening is how many extra ingredients plus inactive fillers, flow agents etc are added to multis. The big challenge to me when sourcing supplements is filtering out the stuff i don't want. My most recent discovery is the issue of folic acid, and methylation. While I have no idea if I have MTHFR issues, it just seems wise to not take folic acid regardless. So now on a low potency food based multi with methyl folate and methylcobalamin. I'd prefer a higher level of B vitamins, but it seems to have the least junk that I don't want. I received the "future formula coming soon": https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MA5K82Q/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&th=1

And FWIW, these are not the only vitamins I take. Also:
vit C 3000mg
D3 4000iu
K2 MK4 & MK7

Plus a heap of other non vitamin supplements

 

[Nelson Vergel]

If you only could have 5 supplements to take what would they be ?

 

[Gman86]

Here's a couple good videos explaining what I'm talking about with synthetic vitamins having the ability to cause disregulation/ possible harm if consumed for an extended period of time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnvnKnu7YBI (Quick 5 min. video on synthetic Vitamin C)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY1sIcTYN3I (Longer 32 minute video where he goes into more depth)

 

[Gman86]

If you only could have 5 supplements to take what would they be ?

I forgot about that thread. I meant to reply to it but must of forgot. I just went over and replied now. Thanks for the link and unintentional reminder.

 

[Vince]

1 Mineral for Everything: Magnesium

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?2992-1-Mineral-for-Everything-Magnesium

I also believe that real ferment food is very important, because I'm too lazy or don't have enough time to ferment my own food. I supplement with real fermented cod liver oil, it doesn't have any additives.

 

[Gman86]

I have been taking (mostly) naturally derived and food based multis for years. The thing I find most maddening is how many extra ingredients plus inactive fillers, flow agents etc are added to multis. The big challenge to me when sourcing supplements is filtering out the stuff i don't want. My most recent discovery is the issue of folic acid, and methylation. While I have no idea if I have MTHFR issues, it just seems wise to not take folic acid regardless. So now on a low potency food based multi with methyl folate and methylcobalamin. I'd prefer a higher level of B vitamins, but it seems to have the least junk that I don't want. I received the "future formula coming soon": https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MA5K82Q/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&th=1


And FWIW, these are not the only vitamins I take. Also:
vit C 3000mg
D3 4000iu
K2 MK4 & MK7

Plus a heap of other non vitamin supplements

Oh wow! I just checked over that multivitamin and I'm very impressed by their attention to detail in regards to keeping everything as natural and food based as possible. Seems like a quality product.

Ya folic acid is a BIG ONE when it comes to causing issues due to it being synthetic. Mainly because it is recommended to pregnant woman, which is absolutely horrifying. Yes it's not the worst thing in the world, but the fact that what happens during the 9 months of pregnancy can dictate a large portion of that baby's health for the rest of it's life, just makes it one of the more important synthetic vitamins to be aware of and avoid, in my opinion. Here's a quick video about it. But obviously do more research on it if you have time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjt13H6Bkt0

 

[Gman86]

1 Mineral for Everything: Magnesium

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?2992-1-Mineral-for-Everything-Magnesium

I also believe that real ferment food is very important, because I'm too lazy or don't have enough time to ferment my own food. I supplement with real fermented cod liver oil, it doesn't have any additives.

Magnesium is absolutely 1 mineral for everything. I would say 99% of people don't realize how important this one mineral is.

And I completely agree, fermented foods are very important. I forgot to mention I eat a little serving of Sauerkraut, made from red cabbage, everyday.

I take Cod liver oil daily. I'm going to go research the difference between fermented cod liver oil and regular cod liver oil. Might switch to the fermented version like you if that form is superior.

 

[Nashtide]

1 Mineral for Everything: Magnesium

https://www.excelmale.com/forum/showthread.php?2992-1-Mineral-for-Everything-Magnesium

I also believe that real ferment food is very important, because I'm too lazy or don't have enough time to ferment my own food. I supplement with real fermented cod liver oil, it doesn't have any additives.

I've been making my own kefir for 4 years. So simple and so much better than store bought.

 

[Gman86]

I've been making my own kefir for 4 years. So simple and so much better than store bought.

That's awesome! I do like kefir as well. Maybe I'll start mixing it up and doing Kefir as well as sauerkraut for my probiotic sources.

 

[Vince]

That's awesome! I do like kefir as well. Maybe I'll start mixing it up and doing Kefir as well as sauerkraut for my probiotic sources.

When you have the time, how about starting a new thread and posting your recipe.

 

[Nashtide]

When you have the time, how about starting a new thread and posting your recipe.

Kefir doesn't have a recipe. You order kefir grains from a reputable source. Add the grains to organic whole milk and set it out on the counter. In 24 hours you strain the kefir and start again. Couldn't be easier.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

I make organic sauerkraut, fermented veggies and beans. It is ridiculously easy. Also my own organic hard dry apple cider, pure ingredients, organic apple juice, wine yeast and hops or ginger. used to do yogurt but no longer eating dairy except for a tablespoon of goat cheese or feta on salads.

Anyone done water kefir?

Such a tangent, we should do a ferment thread.

 

[Nashtide]

I make organic sauerkraut, fermented veggies and beans. It is ridiculously easy. Also my own organic hard dry apple cider, pure ingredients, organic apple juice, wine yeast and hops or ginger. used to do yogurt but no longer eating dairy except for a tablespoon of goat cheese or feta on salads.

Anyone done water kefir?

Such a tangent, we should do a ferment thread.

I've only done milk kefir. I know folks use nut milks and water, but I enjoy dairy. Don't forget, kefir is essentially lactose free as the microorganisms eat all the sugars in the milk. I make a breakfast smoothie everyday with the kefir so I get my fermented food daily. I know this is anecdotal, but I used to suffer from severe nasal allergies and used a nasal spray every day for years. Since starting the kefir I'm allergy free and also have has a cold in years.