4 Reasons to Supplement with a Multivitamin

For the final installment of the Smart Supplementation Series, I am going to share with you the bulletproof vest of nutritional supplements: a multivitamin.

A multivitamin can prove to be extremely beneficial by filling the holes in your dietary nutrition. Check out the 4 reasons why YOU could benefit from a multivitamin:

1. If your intake is below maintenance needs. For those of us who have a fat loss goal in mind, it is often necessary to consume less than what your body was previously used to in food volume. This can lead to lost vitamins or minerals with simply not enough food to fulfill the Recommended Dietary Allowance of certain nutrients.
2. If you are suffering from allergies or intolerances. Inability to eat certain foods due to allergies and/or intolerances is the unfortunate reality of many individuals. In order to make up for lost nutrients, a multivitamin can provide what you may be missing.
3. If you limit food choices. I 100% respect vegetarians and vegans. Research supports plant-based diets to promote long term health, free of chronic disease. However, when entire food groups are cut out, a multitude of required nutrients go along with them.
4. If you are a picky eater. While I promote choosing nutritious foods a majority of the time, food is meant to be enjoyed, not despised. For individuals who have tried to incorporate fruits and vegetables with limited success, a multivitamin is your safety net to fill in the holes.
   

As a dietitian, I will ALWAYS promote a food first approach. An eating plan consisting of balance and a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean protein sources, and healthy fats will provide the most important nutrients you need. However, there are certain instances where food alone is simply not enough.

A fantastic way to determine if you are deficient in certain nutrients is to track your intake for a couple of days. Using a calorie counter (like MyFitnessPal) that breaks down each day into macro and micronutrients can show what nutrients you are getting enough of and where you could use extra support. Think of tracking your intake as a short experiment. You won’t need to track calories forever. But tracking can be an extremely useful tool in this case.

Make an appointment with your physician to have blood work done and see if deficiencies are present. From there you can determine the multivitamin most appropriate for you. An example of a good whole vitamin we typically recommend at Get Fit NH is Beverly International’s Fit Tabs. For now, keep eating a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and healthy fats to secure your bulletproof vest!

Eating for Health Every Day,
Coach Kristen