Do I Really Need a Multivitamin?

According to the University of California, Berkeley, multivitamins are the most widely used dietary supplement in the U.S. This is understandable—many of us were brought up with a morning routine that included peanut butter toast, orange juice, and a “vitamin”... a gritty, cartoon-shaped chewable multivitamin, whose bitter-tart taste might still linger in your mouth.

Despite their unpleasant taste, we assumed that a daily multivitamin was an integral part of a normal, healthy diet. It was believed to be essential. While it's true that multivitamins can effectively compensate for nutritional deficiencies in your regular diet, UC Berkeley states, “many people expect too much from their multivitamins.”

Who Needs a Multivitamin?

In an ideal world, no one would need to take a multivitamin. We would obtain all the essential vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients our bodies require from the food we eat. However, due to numerous factors, achieving this is not always feasible or realistic.

As recently as 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, recommended a daily multivitamin for all adults. Since then, this consensus has changed for various reasons. Today, health professionals still advise a daily multivitamin for certain groups more prone to nutritional deficiencies.

• Pregnant Women: Most doctors recommend a good prenatal vitamin for women who are pregnant or of childbearing age and trying to conceive. Certain nutritional needs, such as vitamin C, iron, folic acid, and other B vitamins, increase during pregnancy to ensure the health of the newborn.
• Vegans & Vegetarians: Vegans and strict vegetarians often struggle to meet certain nutritional requirements, specifically vitamin B-12, calcium, and iron, and should consult their doctors about taking a multivitamin. Vegetarians who consume dairy products and maintain a diet rich in plant-based protein and leafy green vegetables are likely getting the nutrients their bodies need without supplementation.
• If You’re on a Diet: Low-calorie diets can be so restrictive that they not only promote weight loss but also lead to nutritional deficiencies. It's important to consult a doctor or nutritionist to ensure your diet contains optimal levels of essential vitamins and minerals.
• Over 60: As you age, your body, lifestyle, and diet change. For various reasons, older individuals may not consume a balanced diet that provides sufficient nutrition. Common deficiencies include vitamin D, certain B vitamins, and magnesium, which is vital for numerous bodily functions.

How Much Do I Need to Eat?

If you are determined to forego multivitamins and obtain all your nutrients from food—the ideal scenario—you should understand what a healthy, balanced diet entails. Here is a brief overview of certain key vitamins and minerals, the foods that provide them, and the quantities needed daily to meet recommended intakes.

Calcium—Daily Requirement: 1,136 milligrams
	Nonfat or low fat cheese: 2 ounces = 400 milligrams
	Fish and seafood such as sardines, pink salmon, and ocean perch: 3 ounces = 325 milligrams, 181 milligrams, and 116 milligrams, respectively
	Beans such as soybeans and white beans: 1/2 cup = 130 milligrams and 96 milligrams, respectively
	Spinach: 1/2 cup = 146 milligrams
	Oatmeal: 1 packet = 99-110 milligrams

 

Nonfat yogurt or lowfat yogurt: 8 ounces = 579 milligrams and 531 milligrams, respectively

Potassium—Daily Requirement: 1,136 milligrams
	Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes: 1 sweet potato = 694 milligrams and one potato = 610 milligrams
	Beans such as white beans, soy beans, lima beans, and kidney beans: 1/2 cup = 595 milligrams, 485 milligrams, 484 milligrams, and 358 milligrams, respectively
	Fruit such as bananas, peaches, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon: 1 medium banana = 422 milligrams, 1/4 cup of peaches = 393 milligrams, 1/4 medium melon = 368 milligrams, and 1/8 medium melon = 365 milligrams
	Fish such as halibut, yellowfin tuna, rockfish, and cod: 3 ounces = 490 milligrams, 484 milligrams, 442 milligrams, and 439 milligrams, respectively

 

Nuts such as brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, and peanuts: 1 ounce = 107 milligrams, 78 milligrams, 74 milligrams, and 50 milligrams, respectively

Magnesium—Daily Requirement: 380 milligrams
	Vegetables such as pumpkin, spinach, and artichokes: 1 ounce of pumpkin = 151 milligrams, 1/2 cup of spinach = 81 milligrams, and 1/2 cup of artichokes = 50 milligrams
	Beans such as soybeans, white beans, black beans, navy beans, and great northern beans: 1/2 cup = 74 milligrams, 67 milligrams, 60 milligrams, 48 milligrams, and 44 milligrams, respectively
	Brown rice: 1/2 cup = 42 milligrams

 

Cantaloupe: 1/4 medium melon = 233 micrograms

Vitamin A—Daily Requirement: 900 micrograms
	Organ meats such as liver and giblets: 3 ounces = 1,490-9,126 micrograms
	Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, and turnip greens: 1 medium potato = 1,096 micrograms, 1/2 cup of pumpkin = 953 micrograms, 1/2 cup of carrots = 679 micrograms, 1/2 cup of spinach = 574 micrograms, and 1/2 cup of turnip greens = 441 micrograms

 

Vegetables such as raw red sweet pepper, raw green sweet pepper, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower: 1/2 cup = 142 milligrams, 60 milligrams, 48 milligrams, 38 milligrams, 34 milligrams, and 28 milligrams, respectively

Vitamin C—Daily Requirement: 60 milligrams
	Fruits such as guava, oranges, kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple, and mango: 1/2 cup of guava = 188 milligrams, 1 medium orange = 70 milligrams, 1 medium kiwi = 70 milligrams, 1/2 cup of strawberries = 49 milligrams, 1/4 medium melon = 47 milligrams, 1/4 medium papaya = 47 milligrams, 1/2 cup of pineapple = 28 milligrams, and 1/2 cup of mango = 23 milligrams

 

Turnip greens: 1/2 cup = 2.9 milligrams Peanut butter: 2 tablespoons = 2.5 milligrams Spinach and avocado: 1/2 cup of spinach = 1.9 milligrams and 1/2 avocado = 2.1 milligrams Tomato paste, sauce, and puree: 1/4 cup of tomato paste = 2.8 milligrams, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce = 2.5 milligrams, and 1/2 cup of tomato puree = 2.5 milligrams

Vitamin E—Daily Requirement: 15 milligrams
	Nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, and brazil nuts: 1 ounce = 7.4 milligrams, 7.3 milligrams, 4.3 milligrams, 2.6 milligrams, and 1.6 milligrams, respectively

Use Technology to Track Your Food

Tracking everything can be overwhelming at first, but there are several helpful apps that you can download to your phone or computer to simplify the process. Consider these top fitness and diet tracker apps:

• MyFitnessPal: One of the largest food databases available in a diet tracker, MyFitnessPal helps you log and monitor your food intake and comes pre-loaded with many popular restaurant menus.
• FatSecret: A completely free and easy-to-use food journal app. You can add custom foods and recipes, incorporate foods from your favorite chains and restaurants, and set daily calorie and nutrition goals to stay on track.
• LoseIt: A combination of food and activity tracker (like most food journal apps) focused on tracking portion size, daily caloric goals, and overall intake.
• CRON-O-Meter: If simplicity is what you seek, this is it. Like many other diet tracking tools, it breaks down your food into nutritional components, providing a complete profile of your daily consumption.

Whether you prefer taking multivitamins or consuming nutrient-rich foods, ensure you maintain a balanced diet.

 

Sources:

• www.berkeleywellness.com/supplements/vitamins/article/do-you-need-multivitamin
• https://familydoctor.org