Vitamins?

[sitiomania]

So I've been doing workouts every other day, and sticking to them faithfully, eating more carbs and drinking more water in order to build up muscle. I've read that multivitamins and antioxidants can also help, but I've never held much stock in them. I've always thought all those extra vitamins were full of crap....but would they really help? I've

Comments

[xxweaponx]

It's better to eat a really healthy, balanced diet with as much organic produce, and if you are a meat eater, pasture fed meat. Supplements, like a morning smoothie with Greek yogurt (super high in protein) hemp meal, and spirulina would be better over all than bothering with a daily multivitamin.

If you're healthy, active, and eating well, you really don't need to worry about a multivitamin.

[xftranny]

totally agree. Especially as someone who makes a greek yogurt fruit smoothie every day.

Frozen fruit in the winter works just fine. Plenty of antioxidants in blueberries ... all berries are really good. Plenty of vit c ... and other vitamins, on top of it, you get all that good fiber, too, the vit d from the yogurt etc ... I use vanilla soy milk and vanilla yogurt to flavor mine. Put some OJ in to cut it so it won't solidify.

Most vitamins don't even fully dissolve in your system so you never reap the full benefit anyway.

Moreover, if you can get it from a natural source, you're better off than taking something 100% processed.

[heartttcore]

This. Taking vitamins really isn't even close to being as good for you as getting your vitamins from food. Just make sure you're eating well and you'll be fine.

[die_monster]

What others have said. Many vitamins and minerals can't really be taken in in that format; they require other components that would come from a balanced diet and often would be found in the same food as the original vitamin. You'll end up with very vitamin rich pee, but not necessarily any health benefits :) Nutrition is weird and complex, and the average vitamin/supplement producer doesn't take that into account--while the pill probably does have the amount of whatever that it claims to contain, nothing says it's in a form your body can use. Focus on making your diet as unprocessed and varied as possible, lots of lean meats and other protein sources, fruits and vegetables in raw form if you can, whole grains for your starches, etc. If there's a specific deficiency you're worried about, a high-quality supplement in that area would probably be money better spent than a multivitamin.

Sorry for the ramble, I just love reading about nutrition and how to exercise efficiently.

[bly_me]

try a whole food vitamin like catalyn by standard process. heavy weight training or exercising every other day does require more nutrients than you might be able to consume with just a balanced diet. good luck

[stig_monkey]

Unless you are deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral then it's just a waste of money and potentially harmful. The latest studies have observed a small increase in all cause mortality in healthy subjects taking vitamin supplements.

[xxweaponx]

I think it's b/c he was asking whether it is appropriate to take the vitamin formulations for males or females, so that is how it applies to the topic of the forum.

Luckily he found out he should take neither.

[sitiomania]

Well it was about the vitamin formulation, but also because I was specifically looking for vitamins that would help with muscle growth, which I am trying to attain in order to pass better. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear. Thanks for your feedback though!