Nutrition

Breaking Down the Benefits of a Multivitamin

Walk into your nearest supermarket and you’ll likely find whole aisles of nutritional supplements. There’s a dizzying number of vitamins, minerals, fish oils, and more to dig through. Where do you begin?

The long answer is to talk with your trusted health-care provider, who can make personalised recommendations based on your unique body, activity level, and eating habits. The short answer is found in a simple, all-in-one tablet: a multivitamin. Here are multivitamin benefits to consider the next time you’re stuck staring at a wall stocked with nutritionals.

Top Multivitamin Benefits

The Math Made Simple

High-quality daily vitamins targeted to your gender and age group remove the guessing game of which important nutrients to add to your routine. Every ratio has been carefully thought out for maximum benefit. Just make sure you’re buying a multivitamin from a reputable, science-backed source.

Less Pills to Pack

Taking one or two tablets is certainly easier than downing five, six, or more—another multivitamin benefit. Especially given that many people find swallowing pills difficult or uncomfortable. And less tablets take up less space when you’re on the go, too. You can discreetly carry your multivitamin in a small plastic container, and some protein shaker bottles even include a small additional compartment for supplements. Storing and consuming is a breeze when it comes to multivitamins.

Your Body Will Thank You

The reason to take a supplement in the first place is to give your body the essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients it needs to function at its best. Contrary to the name, multivitamins contain a blend of beneficial, bioavailable nutrients. Bioavailability is the per cent of a given nutrient that is absorbed into your body. A well-made supplement will guarantee proper bioavailability of each nutrient it contains, unlocking the most benefits.

Radiate from the Inside Out

Each nutrient in a nutritional adds its own line items to the long list of whole-body multivitamin benefits. And there are a lot of them, affecting cardiovascular, bone, joint, vision, and other areas of health. Even skin health is shaped by many common multivitamin nutrients. By eating right, exercising, and taking proper supplements to shore up gaps, your exterior will be positively glowing—and you’ll feel great, too. When you feel good, you look good—a snowball effect of awesomeness for your whole body.

Fit for Every Eater

Ideally, everyone should eat a balanced ratio of macro and micronutrients each day. But reality never seems to match up. Busy schedules, cravings, availability, and finances all play a role in what’s on the menu. Plus, some eaters are pickier than others. Even food scientists and dieticians will occasionally admit poor eating choices, and no one knows the effects of a good diet better than these experts.

Another multivitamin benefit is how they fill nutritional gaps, regardless of any (completely justified) reasons for a less-than-perfect diet.

Practical Portions

To reach the daily national recommended amount of vitamin A for adults, you’d need to eat over five servings of yoghurt, 10 servings of spinach, or three servings of bone-in sardines—and these are all foods rich in vitamin A! Now imagine doing the math to ensure your body is receiving enough vitamin C, potassium, zinc, copper, etc. from food sources alone. Even professional dieticians would be overwhelmed crafting that meal plan.

The supplement facts printed on the side of nutritional bottles make deciding what to eat easier. They measure out each ingredient in metric volume and include the percentage compared to the recommended daily total. So, if a multivitamin includes 80 per cent of your vitamin C for the day, you know you’re only a couple orange slices away from reaching your goal. If, for example, it contains 100 per cent of your vitamin A—congratulations! That’s one less worry for today.

Simplifying the Search

Some nutrients, such as vitamin D and zinc, have a relatively short list of natural sources—and the list only gets smaller for those with dietary restrictions. Vegetarians know the struggle of trying to get enough vitamin K and K2. Rather than piling on the natto, you can take a multivitamin with vitamin K instead. (Not that there’s anything wrong with natto, but the thought of eating fermented beans every day hurts the tastebuds.)

Grab Your Bottle and Go

When you stack them up, there’s a whole host of multivitamin benefits to be found. And now you’re armed with everything you need to confidently stride down the nutritional aisle. All that’s left is to find a favourite, quality brand and you’re good to go.

References

https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/clinical-pharmacology/pharmacokinetics/drug-bioavailability

https://askthescientists.com/qa/health-benefits-nutritional-supplements

https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients

https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/10-calcium-rich-foods

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