Hello my friends! Women and men, boys and girls, athletes and amateurs! This article will be useful for everyone. Regardless of gender, age, occupation and interesting position.
Let's start talking about vitamin and mineral complexes. Otherwise known as multivitamins And multivitamins. About drugs that offer us in one tablet the entire complex of vitamins, minerals, and other important and not so important substances that a person needs.
Let's look at what vitamin production technologies have been invented today, why they are better or worse. Let's see how to choose inexpensive and effective vitamins and vitamin complexes, which vitamins to buy and how they differ, besides price. Let's try to find the best vitamins today.
And in order not to be completely confused and to know why I am confused by the issue of vitamins and minerals, why this is important, I suggest reading the articles about and.
And in this article we will already choose the best complex vitamins for ourselves and our loved ones.
As usual, I will show examples of vitamins from the online organic natural nutrition store IHerb . Unfortunately, our pharmacies didn’t even have anything like this lying around. Or rather, there is something, but the price.......
But first, before making a choice in favor of this or that product, it would be nice to learn to navigate the designations given on the back of the jar and other important issues related to the consumption and selection of the highest quality vitamins that are suitable for each of us.
I believe that the manufacturer should always and everywhere indicate all possible information for the buyer on their products. Moreover, if this product is something that we will consume internally: moreover, constantly and/or for a long time. First of all, this applies to vitamin-mineral complexes.
If the manufacturer is silent about the composition, or even worse, does not indicate all the components at all and thereby misleads consumers, then he has something to hide. I don’t know how this is regulated in Russia, but I am sure that rules regarding this should be established at the legislative level. We must know what we eat and what we pay for and have objective information to choose according to our needs and capabilities.
Look at the designations on the vitamin jars, which are very well known among us and sold in our pharmacies. Moreover, this is one of the most expensive complex drugs.
And the information given on his official website. Well, is that possible? I think it's impossible.
Moreover, it must be admitted that almost all canned vitamins in the world are synthesized vitamins. This is understandable. There are not so many vegetables and fruits on earth that would also be enough to produce vitamins from them. Can you imagine how many products need to be processed to get a jar of natural vitamins and how much it will cost then?
I don’t want to unfoundedly state that all vitamins sold in our pharmacies are bad, but there are principles and rules that the manufacturer must follow and be responsible for their products to customers. So for now, facts remain facts, and I choose vitamins based on different principles.
Let's start analyzing the designations on the labels of vitamin preparations and vitamin-mineral complexes:
1. Next to the name of the vitamin, mineral or other ingredient included in the complex, the sources of its production and form must be indicated. If you are interested in a specific vitamin, then there is an opportunity to go deeper and study in more detail the form of the substance, the source of production and determine how suitable this vitamin or mineral is for you.
2. This serving size (Serving Size) – how many capsules or tablets are included in one serving. It is assumed that the specified serving contains the following amounts of substances.
3. Amount Per Serving. This amount of substances per serving. Indicated in international units, milliliters, milligrams, micrograms.
4. % Daily Value. (%DV). And this is the second most important point after the form of the substance. This is the rate of consumption of a specific substance per day. The percentage of the consumption norm is indicated: determined or not determined for a person. We will go into more detail here below.
5. †Daily Value not established. Such a cross means that the daily norm for this substance has not been determined or established. By whom? Probably, scientists, experiments, research and official medical organizations, both at the international level and for each country individually. This is often indicated for vitamin-like substances, extracts and extracts.
6. AAC**= Amino Acid Chelate. This designation (indication) chelated mineral. That is, a mineral combined with an amino acid for better absorption by the body. Read about chelated forms of minerals.
7. It will not be superfluous to pay attention to the various quality marks indicated by the manufacturer on their products. I analyzed these designations in detail.
It is also important that the manufacturer provides a description of the product, recommendations for use and consumption, warnings, information about the presence of other ingredients, so that people suffering from allergies and other intolerances know and are confident in what they are putting in their mouths.
As an example - vitamins from. Quite budget-friendly in price, but a high-quality and balanced complex. Both chelate forms and synthetic ingredients are present here. All substances are present in small quantities (normal or below). A supporting and nutritional supplement complex, not intended to compensate for serious vitamin deficiencies or treatment. But this does not relieve the manufacturer of the responsibility and obligation to indicate everything and anything on the packaging. I know exactly what I get for my money.
Now Foods, Daily Vits 250 Tablets
Standards for vitamins and minerals
There are several nuances with the norms for the consumption of vitamins and minerals and you need to know them when choosing your medications.
First of all, you need to know that the consumption rate, determined both in our country and in the USA or by European medical organizations, is not as such a norm and a “consumption standard” that determines a person’s need for the daily amount of a substance.
Consumption rate- This minimum intake level for a practically healthy adult, so to speak, “statistically average”. That is, the norm indicated as 100% on jars and boxes assumes a minimum level of the substance and then, provided that everything is completely absorbed by organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. And this is almost impossible even for healthy people due to the artificiality of vitamins and minerals, living conditions, mental and physical activity, the presence of diseases and other characteristics of the body. And now most of us, if not all, are sick, have problems with digestion and metabolism. Remember the popular wisdom: “There are no healthy people, there are underexamined ones.”
So it turns out that when you see a 5-6 times increase in the composition of a product on the label (i.e. 500-600% of the substance), then do not be afraid that this is an excess of vitamin and it will come out of your ears. God grant that half of this is digested. And such an increase, both for ordinary complexes and taking into account the purpose of vitamins (sports, for pregnant women, for the elderly, etc.) is completely justified.
And the recommended standards are simply given for the average person and, as is believed, sufficient to maintain health so that “he doesn’t throw away his skates.” It’s simple, it’s easier to start from some officially established norm to calculate more accurate doses in specific cases or groups of people. For this reason, concepts such as “physiological need” appeared for a more accurate calculation taking into account a larger number of factors or “therapeutic norms” applied temporarily for specific diseases.
But, in fairness, it must be said that maximum norms of vitamins and minerals. Not for everyone, but for most. Therefore, if you have any deviations, diseases or problems, it is better to know such things and consult a specialist.
But let's look at such questions soberly. Usually the upper norms for consumption of such substances are so high (I already talked about this in articles about) that there is no need to be afraid. We simply don’t have enough money to eat vitamins alone or drink a pack of chondroprotectors a day. But you can think of anything, so I don’t recommend eating ascorbic acid in packs like candy. All this is fraught. You can eat a box of lemons if you can.
Each country has its own standards for substance consumption. They are determined by the main medical authority, so to speak. If we take the recommendations of our Ministry of Health, or US or EU organizations, then some substances have a slight difference, some are quite large, but I don’t think that very close attention should be paid to this. All these differences are issues of misunderstandings, disunity and opinions between scientists and researchers. There, in this pharmaceutical business, there is still a kitchen. I prefer not to think about it.
Which vitamins are better: ours or foreign ones?
Another question that often arises is somewhat patriotic in nature. Patriotism is, of course, good, but I don’t think it’s appropriate in these cases.
The point is that vitamins, as well as fruits and vegetables, should be consumed exactly in the area where you live. They say that American vitamins are not suitable for Russian people. Probably, supporters of this theory have their own arguments. I won’t argue, I’ll just give my opinion.
Firstly, as I already wrote, I believe that the 8 billion people inhabiting our planet are the same and are structured the same, especially inside. The average citizen in Russia is exactly the same as in Africa, America, and China. There are no differences.
Secondly, vitamins and minerals must be supplied to us every day, and when you go on vacation or to another place of residence (for example, to Thailand), you naturally eat the gifts of another country and everything is fine, and for some it even benefits . Therefore, I don’t think that vitamin C from an apple is much better for us than from kiwi.
The next argument is related to agriculture. After all, a huge number of agricultural crops were once imported from other countries very far from us and they can also be considered not ours, even taking into account repeated selection. For example, the same potatoes.
But I support issues of seasonality in nutrition, and this is because eating watermelons, strawberries or grapes in winter is simply dangerous to health due to the risk of poisoning with all sorts of nitrates, pesticides and other substances used in these cases for cultivation and transportation over vast distances. Not to mention that, grown in such ways, fruits and vegetables are far from their “wild” counterparts in terms of nutritional value.
Vitamin-like substances
As already mentioned, scientists have discovered and systematized 13 vitamins. But gradually science advanced and other vitamin-like substances were discovered, which are close in their action to vitamins, represent a variety of complex chemical compounds and are important for humans.
Our body produces some of them on its own, and some must also be received from the outside. The structure of some vitamin-like substances is quite complex and can only be obtained from natural sources, which is only a plus for us, to be honest.
Currently, these substances include about 10 compounds. Most Popular:
- this is well known to athletes L-Carnitine(Vitamin B is very important for our muscle tissue and its development).
Doctor's Best, L-carnitine fumarate
- and also known to heart patients Coenzyme Ubiquinone Coenzyme Q10(a very well-known and useful substance for our body and specifically for the cardiovascular system, and the name is worth it, just an aristocratic name (I wrote it in full on purpose).
Doctor's Best, CoQ10, with BioPerine, 100 mg
- the remaining substances are: Inosine (Vitamin B8), Choline (Vitamin B4), Orotic acid (Vitamin B13), Methylmethionine sulfonium (Vitamin U), Para-aminobenzoic acid (Vitamin H1), Bioflavonoids (Vitamin P), Lipoic acid (Vitamin N), Pangamic acid (Vitamin B15).
All these substances are no less important and indispensable for the body than vitamins and take part in many metabolic processes. Their deficiency leads to various deviations and disorders, poor health and other troubles.
Most often, these substances are taken separately as supplements, but they can also be included in vitamin complexes.
Questions of compatibility and incompatibility of vitamins
Also a very vague concept. And what is the basis of the principle of some manufacturers who separate vitamins and offer to drink first a red pill a day, and then a blue one, I have no idea. This is probably inspired by the cinematic masterpiece “The Matrix” and all these are marketing ways to attract attention and increase sales.
Nature has a completely different mechanism, when a huge variety of vitamins are supplied with food (ideally). They all mix with each other and with other substances. As my grandmother said: “The belly is not a mirror.” You, strict vinaigrette, don’t think that the beets will somehow interfere with the carrots?
Therefore, there is no question that vitamins and minerals will interfere with each other. A problem may arise when higher therapeutic doses of individual vitamins are used. Then it is possible that positive and negative interactions may appear and influence the assimilation of other elements. As an example, copper in large quantities interferes with and destroys vitamin C. If you increase vitamin C, then there will be an increased need for riboflavin, and if there is little of it, then the content of vitamin C in the body will decrease, etc. That's how things are.
And our task is to choose vitamins and minerals to supplement our diet that will most closely correspond to those obtained from food and will ensure a uniform supply of necessary vitamins and minerals in addition to nutrition in the quantity required in our particular case.
This is what we will finally do.
So, vitamins presented and produced by global manufacturers can be divided into several groups. As is usually done, we will go from the cheapest and least useful to the heights of digestibility, usefulness and quality, so to speak.
Isolated (synthesized and artificial) vitamins
The first group includes the cheapest isolated (artificial, chemical, synthesized) vitamins. These complexes contain bare vitamins and minerals with low bioavailability (oxides, sulfates, etc.), with a minimal percentage of absorption by the human body, as they do not correspond to the natural substances that we absorb from food. These are the vitamins that are presented in our pharmacies at low (by the way, this is another question) prices.
Here you can easily take a jar of our vitamins and take a look. It would be good if at least half of the required and necessary information was provided by the manufacturer.
Vitamins belong to this group on IHerb (as an example of the most popular): Now Foods, Daily Vitamin.
Or fairly cheap budget vitamins. For such a price, such a quantity is simply a gift. And you must realize that such vitamins are not the best thing there is, especially if you have problems with the stomach and gastrointestinal tract.
21st Century, Sentry, Multivitamin & Multimineral Supplement, Adult, 300 Tablets.
But, unlike our vitamins, vitamins in this category may be much healthier and more effective. In addition to the presence of the same chelated forms of minerals and some natural vitamins, they may also contain (which is generally not natural for this group) other plant components and extracts that will help the body absorb the necessary substances. All information is available and presented on the packaging. The main thing is to watch and read carefully.
21st Century, Mega Multi, for Women, Multivitamins and Multiminerals, 90 tabs.
21st Century, Mega Multi, for men, multivitamins and multiminerals, 90 tabs.
Vitamin and mineral complexes with additives
This group includes vitamin-mineral complexes that are more bioavailable and beneficial to the body. They contain the same (mostly) synthesized and isolated vitamins, but various plant extracts, extracts, mushrooms, mixtures of dried vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs have already been added in large quantities. Minerals are also presented in forms that are more suitable for absorption by the body. The body will absorb much more from these complexes.
The price, naturally, is an order of magnitude more expensive than in the previous group. But still, these complexes are available, given that you can choose a complex where you need to take 1 tablet per day for six months.
Typically, the labels of such complexes contain the words “natural”, “whole-food”, “food-based”.
I take my vitamins from this group. I usually take my vitamins Rainbow Light .
And company vitamins Nature's Way, Alive . I take it periodically for myself and my parents.
The composition is simply excellent vitamin and mineral complexes. Look.
This group contains vitamins for pregnant women (prenatal), and for those with increased stress, and for the elderly. There is a division into male and female. In short, you can choose and purchase a good and useful complex very profitably.
Plant Based All Natural (Raw) Vitamins
This group of vitamin complexes already opens up elite vitamins on IHerb. According to the manufacturers, it no longer contains synthetic artificial components. All vitamins and minerals are extracted in a special way and using new technologies from vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs. Technologies for working with baker's yeast have already been applied here. With their help, natural and highly absorbable minerals are obtained by the body.
These complexes have the highest cost. It will be expensive to purchase such complexes. I can’t even imagine their price in our online stores. Naturally, such vitamin and mineral complexes can be consumed even on an empty stomach. After all, this is concentrated food.
Even so, treat them as a dietary supplement. They also do not replace proper and nutritious nutrition.
The most popular herbal vitamins are preparations from the manufacturer MegaFood.
MegaFood, Once-Day Multivitamin, 90 Tablets
The manufacturer indicates all possible information, and next to each vitamin and mineral the plant component that served as the source is indicated.
And another manufacturer of so-called natural living “raw” vitamins - Sunwarrior .
Sunwarrior, Raw Vitamins, His Daily Multivitamin, 90 Vegetarian Capsules.
The manufacturer indicates that the vitamins are made entirely from plant sources.
Basically, that's all.
But man does not stop in his development and in the quest for better, so the following groups of vitamins and minerals are obtained using original and high-tech methods, again using some synthetic analogues and trying to bring the vitamins as close as possible to a whole food natural product.
The vitamins given below cause loud responses and delight from their use and the effects on the body noticed by many.
Fermented Vitamins and Minerals
Some manufacturers have come up with another type of vitamin preparations - fermented vitamins and minerals.
One of the representatives of this direction is the company New Chapter.
And they produce vitamins in the following way. Added to whole foods, that is, unprocessed, unrefined or minimally processed. And this whole mixture independently changes and transforms under the influence of natural factors. Isolated artificial vitamins can also be used here. But all this is mixed with plant concentrates and microorganisms. Microorganisms do their noble work and the process of “probiotic fermentation” occurs.
A class of microorganisms and substances of microbial and other origin used for therapeutic purposes, as well as food products and dietary supplements containing living microcultures.
Probiotic fermentation is the process by which beneficial bacteria and yeast process and transform various components into other, more beneficial ones. It turns out to be “live food” or “live supplements”.
To put it simply, this is a familiar fermentation process to all of us, in which sugar is converted into alcohol, which is how wine is made from grape juice.
According to the manufacturer: “In this way, “dead” vitamins and minerals are converted into “live” ones.
So you can try these vitamins. The main thing is that you know that this exists.
Renatured vitamins and minerals
The last group of vitamin preparations are the so-called renatured vitamins and minerals. This technology for obtaining highly digestible substances has appeared quite recently. The technology has a name: key factor (CODE FACTORS).
The representative of this direction in production is the company Garden of Life .
The idea is based on the fact that even vitamins obtained from natural plant sources are different from those we get from plant foods. In a plant, each vitamin and mineral has a large support group, like me, that helps it be identified and absorbed by the body.
Some of these substances are plant enzymes, flavonoids and phytoestrogens, which conduct and enhance the vitamin. They are unique to each vitamin. They identify the very key factor (CODE FACTORS) in which the synergistic compounds present in natural foods are necessary to deliver nutrients to our body. Only a plant is capable of providing vitamins and minerals with such properties under the influence of light.
The new technology, according to scientists, allows us to restore the natural properties of purified isolated vitamins, making them similar to what we get from food. This recovery process is called renaturation.
The vitamin or mineral is incorporated into a protein or peptide. The resulting substance is introduced into the cells of ordinary baker's yeast. This technology allows the vitamin and mineral to integrate into the yeast cell. The result is yeast that is enriched with vitamins, minerals and those very natural accompanying elements of the support group that are not available when taking isolated artificial vitamins. Thus, vitamins and minerals become much more bioavailable for absorption.
As I wrote at the very beginning, there is nowhere without connections.
The effect of vitamins on the human body
In this paragraph, I would like to talk not about how each vitamin affects us and what it is needed for. Believe me, there is no need to bother yourself with this. I write similar articles for myself too; so that, on occasion, open the article, remember the main nuances when buying and choosing the necessary product and not bother with it anymore.
But what really worries us customers is how we feel when taking all these vitamins and dietary supplements. It is quite logical that having chosen a good, expensive vitamin complex and paid a decent amount for it, we want to at least see the result. What did you pay for, exactly?
This is understandable. Once upon a time, while walking through sports stores and looking at jars of the same vitamins, I asked: “Which ones are better? How can I choose the right ones? The answer to me was vague comments about improved well-being, an additional surge of strength and energy, but I had to choose according to some kind of sensation. In short, nothing. No matter what I drank, I didn’t feel anything. I don’t even feel it now.
Now, when choosing vitamins or supplements for yourself and reading other people’s reviews of these products, I see that it all comes down to the following: hair does not fall out, nails do not peel, the stomach does not swell or swell, etc.
So is it necessary to feel the effect of vitamins and how to feel it?
I do not know! But I think that in a normal, basically healthy person (otherwise you need to see a doctor with your problems), the body should not react with anything unusual, even to the most super expensive and effective vitamins. Why?
But because good vitamins and other supplements, by nature and by purpose, are simply supplements to nutrition. We should not feel euphoria (this is completely in the other direction), some unimaginable increase in strength, insane hair growth, etc. Otherwise, these are no longer natural substances, but something else. Vitamins and minerals, as well as other nutrients, should simply ensure the normal, complete and efficient functioning of both the entire body and its systems.
A slightly different question is when certain circumstances change or force the body to change: increased physical activity, pregnancy, illness, etc. Then our task, better with the involvement of an experienced specialist, is to select the same vitamins to help the body endure such changes in the least painful way and return it to its original state.
Many people, especially young mothers, know that a child during pregnancy requires a lot and takes a lot of calcium from the mother. This is where you definitely need to take vitamins and take care not only of yourself, but also of the other little person.
And the feeling will be the normal state of both: when the new organism is fully growing and developing, and the mother does not experience pain, she has no problems with her appearance and her teeth are not destroyed. The birth of a new person is a miracle, although it is a natural process and should not require sacrifice.
I hope that all of the above will be useful to young mothers who need to take care of themselves and, accordingly, someone else, and good nutrition and the right choice of the same vitamins are the first and most important step in this. I did not specifically touch on this, but you need to choose vitamins (prenatal) intended for pregnancy according to the same principles from the same groups listed above. Here you need to approach with greater responsibility and choose the best, be sure to consult with your doctor. And there are plenty of offers from different manufacturers.
I don’t feel the effects of certain vitamin complexes or sports supplements and thank God. So so far so good. But I hope that at their micro level they nourish my cells, my immunity and allow it to withstand stress and adversity, fight viruses and bacteria. I nourish my body, and it, well-fed and satisfied, does its job and does not bother me. And that suits me quite well. This is fine. It is for this purpose that I take both supplements and other vitamins.
I began to understand and delve into the issues of nutrition, supplements and vitamins and minerals precisely for this reason. So that my body does not bother me and allows me to do my business, hobbies and interests. So that I don’t have to constantly drag him around to our specialists and poison him with chemicals, not knowing what I need from him. Of course, I also had a reason for this and my own impetus - a knee injury, surgery and visiting doctors. I don’t want to experience the oppression of hospital walls and white coats anymore.
And here you will most likely ask: “Well, then how can you understand that the vitamins are suitable for you and are absorbed if there should not be any special sensations?”
“But here, everything is simple.” - I will answer.
It is clear that when using any vitamins or supplements, we should not experience any bad symptoms: bloating, nausea, rumbling, weakness, allergies, etc. It is for this case that I write in articles and try to learn about the various sources and forms of substances. If you need, for example, (prescribed by a doctor), and the first one you come across at the pharmacy causes nausea and indigestion, then it is very advisable to know about its form and choose another, most suitable one. They wrote to me about this and read it in reviews.
Another constant, undeniable for any person, is the excretion of about 1.5 liters of urine per day. The body must do this and remove harmful production waste, no matter what. And if there is not enough water in the body, then the urine will just burn through the toilet and “hit you in the head,” in popular parlance. This fact must be taken into account. If you drink enough water and take vitamins, but it still burns, it means the vitamins are not absorbed. Choose others.
Everything is simple, but we are not talking about therapeutic doses of individual vitamins, diseases and other factors. I think this is clear. Under normal conditions, urine should be almost transparent, faintly straw-colored, and without any strong odors.
I try to drink more water, take vitamin complexes (I’ve already written which ones) and other supplements: I don’t notice any changes in physiology, I have enough strength and energy for training. This means the absorption is going well.
I believe that you need to have the knowledge given both in this article and in others in order to understand your body, help it in time if necessary, and lead an active, healthy, fulfilling life.
Conclusion
I think it's time to end here. I wrote it again and wrote it again. I was going to give all the information I could, but I won't. Already a lot.
Now, I hope you will be able to choose the right vitamins that suit you in terms of quality and wallet. Write your opinion. Maybe I forgot what. I'll try to figure it out and add.
Let me remind you that these vitamin-mineral complexes from the presented groups can be viewed on the website of organic natural nutrition and products IHerb . There you can also see descriptions of manufacturers and reviews from people.
Most importantly, take care of yourself and take time to take care of yourself. There are ways, if only you have the desire!
And tablets are tablets, but please do not forget about the simple and so dear carrots, parsley, onions, apples and strawberries. Man has not come up with anything better and more useful than this and will not come up with it any time soon.
And in the following articles we have to talk about the best vitamins, completely created by nature. These are the so-called superfoods(superfood). One of the most useful natural vitamin and mineral complexes is spirulina. A storehouse of almost all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and much more that a person needs. This is just for starters.
And let’s look at sports vitamins, their properties and differences. After all, we are all sporty, active, active people. We need to know this. Is not it?
Therefore, I take my leave. I look forward to seeing you on my blog and always welcome comments and opinions.
All the best. Do not be ill!
