WHAT ARE THE BEST VITAMINS
There are many multivitamins, and of course, vitamins and minerals haven't changed since they were discovered in 1940. By this I mean that brands haven't invented any new vitamins, but rather different mixtures of them along with other products, usually natural.
There are many reasons to take vitamins, from lack of energy, lack of appetite, poor diet, weight loss diets, as supplements, and to boost your immune system.
Depending on what we are looking for, we must resort to one or the other:
In order to avoid this post being endless, I'm going to focus on some brands that I consider effective, safe, and with an acceptable price-performance ratio:
Vitamins designed to boost defenses:
For a multivitamin to be considered as being able to boost defenses, it must contain some of these vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin C: Immune system cells use this vitamin to carry out their antimicrobial functions.
Zinc: In our body it plays an important role in the regulation and activation of the immune system.
Selenium: Contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system and to the protection of cells from oxidative damage.
Vitamin B2 or riboflavin: This vitamin helps protect cells from oxidative damage. Our choice:
Vitamins to supplement a deficient diet:
I always remember my mother telling me I had to eat everything to grow big and strong. I'm sure many of you have felt the same way.
As it turns out, I wasn't wrong at all. A varied diet ensures a continuous supply of the different vitamins we need to maintain our bodies properly.
When we have a poor diet, we stop getting the necessary vitamins and minerals, and their lack can cause health problems.
Multivitamins that supplement a deficient diet are very complete; they should contain all 13 vitamins and many of the essential minerals.
Since our body is unable to produce them , we must obtain them from the outside, either through a good diet or vitamin supplements.
As I mentioned before, there's no need to resort to the most expensive multivitamins on the market because nothing new has been discovered since 1948. That's the way it is. Nor should we resort to those that haven't passed health inspections.
Our choice:
Do vitamins make you fat?
No, no, no, and no. Vitamins are calorie-free, so they don't provide energy. It's practically impossible for them to cause weight gain.
What are vitamins for? What is their function?
There are 13 vitamins, and each one has a function in the body. This field is too broad to explain in this post, but I'll give you a few hints.
Vitamins are divided into two groups
1.- Fat-soluble : which are 4: A, B, E and K. They are stored in fat.
2.- Water-soluble : These are the remaining 9 and are not stored, so they must be obtained through diet or supplements.
The functions of vitamins are very varied and range from the formation of bones and teeth, to their involvement in food metabolism, the formation of immune systems, the formation of red blood cells, growth, and so on. In short, they are involved in almost all of our body's important functions.
Vitamins that give Energy:
Well, as we've seen before, vitamins don't provide calories, so they're unlikely to give us energy. So what's going on? Are they deceiving us?
No, they're not fooling us. They just add stimulants, whether in the form of taurine, ginseng, caffeine, etc.
If we have a vitamin deficiency that causes fatigue, restoring normal levels will make us feel better and have more energy. It makes sense, right?
If we add a stimulant to this, the result is clear: we will find ourselves with more vitality.
Our choice:
Vitamins for motivation: Be yourself again!
The same thing happens here as in the previous case: no vitamin affects mood. The trick here is the addition of tryptophan.
Tryptophan is converted into serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter of happiness . If you read correctly, the amount of serotonin in our brain determines our happiness or mood. If we have more serotonin, we are happier, and if we have low levels, we feel more depressed. It's that simple.
Our choice:
We must not fall into hypersupplementation!!!
When we consume too many water-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, B, E, and K), they are stored in fat and can cause hypervitaminosis. This can lead to health problems. For this to happen, we must have far exceeded their recommended intake .
This isn't easy to happen, but if we take different types of supplements that already contain the recommended daily amount, it's easy to exceed a person's tolerance threshold.
Let's see with some examples what happens if we take too many vitamins:
Hypervitaminosis of:
Iron = gastrointestinal discomfort in extreme cases, multiple organ failure, coma and death
Folic acid = can mask Vitamin B12 deficiency and may increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
Vit D = toxicity confusion heart rhythm problems.
Calcium = constipation, interferes with the absorption of iron and zinc.
Vitamin A = decreased appetite, blurred vision, dizziness, headache, hair loss
How much vitamins should you take?
We are all different, and each person's needs will vary. Nowadays, it's easy to know how much of each vitamin we should take since most laboratories include the Reference Intake (RI), which is the recommended daily amount for that vitamin. My recommendation is to only take one type of multivitamin at a time and take breaks from time to time. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you take any supplements; your doctor may have prescribed vitamin D or calcium for your bones; vitamin B12, iron, or folic acid for anemia; magnesium for cramps, etc.
You now have enough information to choose the vitamins that best suit your needs! 😜 Now you have no excuse to stay fully charged all day!
Greetings from your 2.0 apothecary