Training & Nutrition - vitamins

I'm 23 (male) and been a vegetarian for a few years now. Would like to start taking a multivitamin. Any suggestions of brand/etc? Does anyone have experience with vitacost?

One of the questions I've had is many multivitamins say take 2 tablets. When I read the bottles however, these two tablets for a lot of the vitamins exceed 200% of your DV. Why take two? Quality multivitamins seem to be expensive...and 60 tablets per recommendation would only last me a month vs two. And at $14 that adds up. Would I be okay with just one, especially considering 75% of my diet is fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds?

One of the questions I've had is many multivitamins say take 2 tablets. When I read the bottles however, these two tablets for a lot of the vitamins exceed 200% of your DV. Why take two?

%DV is calculated on an average person. Depending on your needs you may need above or below that amount. But other than that taking too much will give you a nice and shiny urine with little benefits.

They are also typically based on a 2000 calorie diet so depending on your diet adjust accordingly.

VitaCost doesn't always have a great selection, but they have good stuff at great prices. I order from VitaminShoppe more often but I like both stores.

keep an eye on GNC as well. While they are not the cheapest they do have some decent sales. I just got some muscle milk (12 17oz bottles) for $26.

there's also a place on the internet called http://www.supplementwarehouse.com I think.... that has good prices. I have to look at the link on my computer at home.

Order all my and wife's supplements from Vitacost. While they occasionally are out of stock on items, I have had generally positive experiences with them.

I've been a vegetarian for a year and a half now and thought I should be taking vitamins. Well I am in my second semester of Anatomy and Physiology and realized that there is only one vitamin supplement to be taking. Any one who choses a vegetarian lifestyle should be taking vitamin B12 it can only come from meat. Also I have learned that if you are eating a well balanced diet (veggies that are made up of different colors of the rainbow) than you do not need to take any vitamins, except B12. Your pee is bright yellow because you are taking to many vitamins and your body cannot absorb them and they are sent to waste.

They tell you to take two so you go through the bottle faster, than you have to buy more. That's my two cents.

Also vitamin A,D,E,K are fat solluable and can only be digested if you have fat in your diet immediately following uptake of the vitamin.

i get all of my vitamins and supplements from Sam's Club. Much better prices than anywhere i've seen and they have a adequate selection. i take two of their multi vitamins a day. if you are an active person i think getting more than 100% a day of some vitamins is a good thing. even with taking two a day, a bottle lasts me about six months and the bottle is about $15. Pretty cheap. i also get my fish oil and saw palmetto from them.

One of the questions I've had is many multivitamins say take 2 tablets. When I read the bottles however, these two tablets for a lot of the vitamins exceed 200% of your DV. Why take two?

well, really, what the hell is the rda, dri or whatever they're calling it these days and how do people come up with these magic numbers anyway? there are so many factors affecting consumption and absorption of a given nutrient -- your current health, quality of the nutrient, what it's consumed with, how it is spaced out over the day, hydration, the list goes on and on and on -- that coming up with a flat number, 60 mg of vitamin c for instance, is an exercise in guesswork and assumption-making combined with a little bit of biology.

additionally, the rda/dri numbers reflect the assumed purpose of a given nutrient. again, witness vitamin c. the whole 60mg number was contrived by determining the amount necessary to prevent scurvy and adding a nice padding. this says that the nutritionists who came up with the rda viewed the purpose of consuming vitamin c to be avoiding having a lack of vitamin c, ie that ascorbic acid has no meaningful biological function aside from being non-absent.

well, really, what the hell is the rda, dri or whatever they're calling it these days and how do people come up with these magic numbers anyway?

IIRC the RDI's are the newer system, based on the older RDA's. RDA's were assigned (by the FDA and Injstitute of Medicine, I think) the values they were because those were the amounts that kept the majority (98%) of people from experiencing symptoms of deficiency. They're not just arbitrary numbers. Are they they amounts that support optimum health? Possibly not. They are simply the minima one should consume on a daily basis.

On the other hand, they've been doing studies on vitamin supplementation for quite a while now. First it was C, then A and E (a trial in smokers actually had to be halted because the ones receiving megadoses got more lung cancer). Now it's Vitamin D that's got everyone's attention. The craze over it will also likely pass, though at the moment it does appear to have more going for it than the others.

When choosing any supplement here's something everyone should at least consider. Please, at least watch the final 60 seconds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVAgM4K7SW4)

...those were the amounts that kept the majority (98%) of people from experiencing symptoms of deficiency. They're not just arbitrary numbers.

First it was C, then A and E (a trial in smokers actually had to be halted because the ones receiving megadoses got more lung cancer).

1. the vitamin that caused cancer in smokers was pre-a or beta-carotene i believe. i can summon a source for it if need be.

2. i think we're actually agreeing here. the notion that r|d|a|i is based on what is the amount sufficient to avoid insufficiency is a) not an assumption that people understand when looking at that number, ie the op's 'why take two' statment and b) kind of arbitrary in the first place. 60 mg of vitamin c to avoid scurvy for who? under what conditions? vitamin c in what format, consumed in conjunction with what?

all i'm urging here is a healthy dose of skepticism here about these numbers.

Hammer Premium Insurance Caps are my supplement of choice. Have worked very well for me over the course of the last year.

just take a flintstones every day.

srsly,

and a b100 complex on top of that. srsly

and perhaps a calcium 500 or more on top of that. srsly

anything else is overkill/too much thinking. I ride a lot and
nothing else does jack s**t (except food)

This sub-forum in particular remains the silliest of the group.......

I've been a vegetarian for a year and a half now and thought I should be taking vitamins. Well I am in my second semester of Anatomy and Physiology and realized that there is only one vitamin supplement to be taking. Any one who choses a vegetarian lifestyle should be taking vitamin B12 it can only come from meat. Also I have learned that if you are eating a well balanced diet (veggies that are made up of different colors of the rainbow) than you do not need to take any vitamins, except B12. Your pee is bright yellow because you are taking to many vitamins and your body cannot absorb them and they are sent to waste.

They tell you to take two so you go through the bottle faster, than you have to buy more. That's my two cents.

Also vitamin A,D,E,K are fat solluable and can only be digested if you have fat in your diet immediately following uptake of the vitamin.

That covers the vitamins but what about minerals?

You may wish to take a look at a vitamin made by Nature's Way, it is called "Alive!". (http://www.vitacost.com/NaturesWay?csrc=YSSP-nature-s_way)The dosage is 3 tablets in the morning; it provides a good sampling of just about every mineral and vitamin known to science. At the health food store where I shop, they are the absolute best seller. On the web, their rating is also rather high...

I you are on a correct diet, they you do not need to take vitamins, period. With the exception of B12 as someone said.

You can get b12 from nutritional yeast, which is probably the same source b12 pills are from. It's tastier than the pills too. I'd be more inclined to buy more vegetables than vitamins too. I'm also a vegetarian and I don't seem to have any problems with b12 or iron deficiencies. I work in construction and cycle as a hobby... unless your doctor says you've got a deficiency I wouldn't worry too much about supplementation unless you have money to pour down the toilet.... vitamins tend to make expensive pee. A well rounded diet should provide you with everything you need. Also, IANAD.

I have used the Country Life Max Vitamins which are Vegetarian and also look for GMP label (Good Manufacturing Practices)..

More info here: http://www.country-life.com/moreinfo.cfm?Category=6&Product_ID=82

I use allstarhealth for my online purchases, they carry many of the cycling related supplements I like, prices are very similar to Vitacost and flat rate shipping is great..

http://www.allstarhealth.com/f/country_life-max_for_men-maxi-sorb.htm

That covers the vitamins but what about minerals?

A well rounded diet. Lots of different kinds of vegetables and fruits and no processed foods. I get calcium and potassium from a smoothie I make every morning(bannana and almond milk plus other fruits) the rest trace minerals come from my diet. Plus not eating processed foods=more mineral uptake.

GNC "Gold" or Vitamin World "Ultimate Man" (lame names) are good vitamins.
The eye doctor we had did lots of research on vitamins and told us many brands are garbage but these are much better. There was one other mail order version he recommended.

After taking these consistently for a year my wife's eyes improved for the first time in her life and had to get a lesser prescription. We both got sick less.

YMMV