Daily Multivitamins
Help For Your Everyday Adventures
With everything you juggle in a normal day, it can be hard to get the vitamins and minerals you need-especially if you can't always prepare your own meals and stick to a regular schedule. A daily multivitamin is loaded with valuable nutrients that can help you stay healthy and feel stronger and happier.
Why a Daily Multivitamin?
A healthy balance of vitamins and minerals allows bodies to perform at their best. Your body can't make most vitamins, so you must get them from the food you eat or from a vitamin supplement. A daily multivitamin can help fill in the gaps of your regular diet and make it easier to perform at your best.
But remember - eating well is still important. Vitamins can't make up for too much junk food.
A Healthy Routine
A daily multivitamin is just one of many good habits that can help you stay energized throughout the day. Regular exercise, a balanced diet and adequate sleep will do wonders for your happiness and long-term wellbeing.
"B" Your Best with Folic Acid
Folic acid is an important B vitamin that is involved in the growth and repair of every cell in your body. Every day, your body is constantly working to replace lost cells, and a multivitamin can give you the folic fuel you need. Folic acid can also help prevent very serious birth defects in babies, so start taking folic acid and "B" your best now and for years to come.
Choosing a Multivitamin
OK, so you're at the store looking through the vitamin section. It seems like there are hundreds of multivitamins to choose from. How do you pick one that is right for you? Here are some tips:
- Compare nutrition labels rather than brand names. Generics and store brands can work just as well as the name brands.
- Look for products with no more than 100% Daily Value (DV) for the nutrients list - but don't expect it to have a lot of calcium. If it did, that would make the pill too big to swallow.
- Be sure it has 400 mcg of folic acid.
- Look for "USP" on the label. This means that your pills have the exact amount of nutrients the label says they have.
- Check expiration dates. Food should be fresh, and so should your vitamins.
Money is tight, right? No-frills vitamins are good. Time release, "high potency", herbal fillers and the like will cost you a lot more money without improving your health. Just stick with the standard multivitamins and you'll be doing your body, and your wallet, a big favor.
Be sure to ask your doctor which multivitamin is right for you-- especially if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or taking prescription medicine.
Once you've selected your multivitamin, enter the price and pill count below to see how affordable a multivitamin can be per day.
Vitamin Cost Calculator
Tips on Taking Multivitamins
I have my bottle, but I always forget to take them! Here are some things you can do:
- Take your multivitamin during another everyday activity, such as eating your morning cereal, drinking your coffee or feeding the cat.
- Try chewable multivitamins if you have trouble swallowing regular multivitamins
- If the multivitamin upsets your stomach, try taking it with food or switching to one without iron.
- Store your multivitamins safely in a dry, cool place. Avoid hot, humid locations like the bathroom.
- Always remember to store them out of sight and away from children.
Fortify Your Knowledge about Vitamins
For more information on Vitamins and Minerals, including what they do and important food sources, visit these sites:
- http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/
- http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm182737.htm
Content contribution by The North Carolina Folic Acid Council www.getfolic.com