While it’s important to get as many nutrients as possible into your daily diet, we’re all bound to encounter gaps and deficiencies at times. That’s where supplements come in. Supplements are a fantastic way to make sure your body is getting everything it needs to function properly and stay as healthy as possible. However, it is important to note that not all supplements are created equal. In fact, there’s one type of vitamin that experts say you should avoid altogether. Believe it or not, it’s a multivitamins, especially the gummy type.
To get to the bottom of this and find out exactly why you might consider leaving those One-A-Days on the shelf the next time you’re at the pharmacy, we spoke to a holistic doctor. Sony Sherpa, MD. She told us that multivitamins usually don’t provide enough nutrients make a difference, and gummy varieties are difficult for your body to absorb properly. Learn more below!
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Gummy Multivitamins
For those of us who are always looking for shortcuts, gummy vitamins seem like the perfect solution to supplements. They’re supposed to give us all the vitamins and minerals we need, and they taste so good we’d eat them like candy if we could. However, dear reader, we are sad to tell you that many health experts agree on one thing about these delicious supplements: they are practically useless in terms of health benefits. It’s true: neither multivitamins nor gummies are the most efficient way to get your nutrients. When combined, they’re pretty much a waste of money for several reasons. We’ll dive into exactly why below.
Disadvantages of Multivitamins
While a multivitamin might seem like a great way to hit your daily quota of all the important vitamins and nutrients your body needs to thrive, Dr. Sherpa warns that’s not necessarily the case. If you think it sounds too good to be true, you’re probably right. Indeed, this variety of supplements offers a small portion of the vitamins you need.
“Essentially, the vitamin content of multivitamin tablets is significantly reduced because these supplements are made in very large quantities,” says Dr. Sherpa. “This allows for the inclusion of a small amount of each vitamin, rather than producing tablets with greater concentrations of just one or two vitamins. As a result, multivitamins often do not contain enough of a given vitamin to have a noticeable effect on our health.” So while you may feel like you’re giving your body enough fuel, you may be giving it next to nothing of use.
Disadvantages of gummy vitamins
While multivitamins are somewhat useless on their own, they’re even less worth your money when they come in gummy form. As fun (and tasty) as gummy vitamins can be, Dr. Sherpa says they probably won’t do much good for your health due to the fact that they offer low amounts of the vitamins you need.
“One of the main factors is that these types of vitamins generally contain lower amounts of vitamins and minerals because they are designed for children or young adults who generally need lower doses of these nutrients,” explains she.
But it’s not just the low vitamin content of these supplements that makes them a poor choice. Dr. Sherpa says they’re also hard for your body to absorb, thanks to all that sugar that makes them so good: “Vitamin gummies often have low absorption rates due to their high sugar content, which can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb and use these nutrients. Therefore, gummies may not be as effective at meeting our vitamin and mineral needs as other supplements,” she tells us. Say it’s not! Guess it’s time to invest in some big girl supplements and say goodbye to our candy flavored fantasies.
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What’s the best way to get vitamins?
So if multivitamins and gummies aren’t all they’re made out to be, how should you get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals? Unfortunately, there is no easy shortcut. Dr. Sherpa says the most efficient way to get nutrients is still directly from the foods you eat. “The best way to ensure we’re getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals is to focus on a healthy, well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains,” notes- she.
However, that doesn’t mean that all supplements are a waste of money. If you find that you are lacking certain vitamins and minerals in your diet, the right one can really come in handy, but don’t rely on them for everything. “Supplements are there to fill in the gaps in our diet and help us stay healthy, but they don’t have to be the only source of these nutrients,” says Dr. Sherpa.
As for the best way to ensure your body absorbs all the beneficial nutrients you provide it with, she offers some advice: “In addition to a healthy diet, it’s also important to exercise regularly and avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, as these behaviors can interfere with our ability to absorb and utilize vitamins and minerals. Taking care of your body is a lifelong endeavor, and making good nutrition choices is a crucial part of that process,” she concludes. Noted!
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