The Best Vitamin: Does it Exist?

What is the best vitamin?

Why does choosing a vitamin supplement have to be so hard?  There are wholesale vitamins, health food vitamins, herbal vitamins…everything claiming to be the best multivitamin and “all-in-one”.

I imagine a bottle with inferior ingredients and ground up rocks thrown in, to be marketed as the “All in One with All You Need”.  Since there are thousands of multivitamin supplements claiming to be the best vitamin, how on earth are we supposed to know if we are doing our body a favor?  Dietary supplements are not regulated.  Know what you’re getting.

Are You Taking a Natural or Synthetic Vitamin?

If it comes from Wal-mart, the grocery, or drug store, chances are you have a synthetic product.  You really do get what you pay for, and it’s usually not very healthy. Think “smart nutrition“. Most of the synthetic ingredients come from overseas.  There’s no quality assurance there.  Need I say more?

Despite what some will tell you, synthetic nutrients created in a lab cannot measure up to the thousands of organic compounds found in our food that have nutritional significance. Our body does actually know the difference.

But if you want to know the difference:  for example, natural vitamin D is cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), where as synthetic ergocalciferol (vitamin D2). For vitamin E, natural is d-alpha tocopherol, and synthetic is dl-alpha tocopherol.

Comparing Ingredients in Vitamin Supplements

Be aware that the way the potency of supplements may be represented can be very misleading.  There’s a list for amount of ingredients, and then there’s a list for amount of active ingredients. The synergy of the ingredients and how well they work together is something that is addressed by the manufacturer and passed on to you.  Research the company who manufacturers your vitamin products so you have trust in what they pass along to you.

Then you need to be concerned about the potency of the supplements.  Have they been tested to contain the amount and potency that is listed?  The best vitamin for you will be glad to brag about testing, manufacturing methods, and integrity.  Lack of synthetic ingredients, fillers, and binders, will be listed on the product. You will want to avoid preservatives, starches, and sugars; to name a few.

You will run across vitamin products containing antioxidants, and phytonutrients.  They will be listed on the label.  You may benefit from proprietary blends of herbal vitamins that include digestive enzymes, herbs, and whole food blends of vitamins, that are specifically blended for male or female at certain life stages.

Proper Absorption in the Best Multivitamin

Some vitamin supplements have ingredients that are absorbed best when taken with food, and some are destroyed by stomach acids.  Most vitamin supplements that are not whole food supplements are isolated vitamins and should be taken with food in order to absorb the nutrients properly.

A type of capsule that dissolves completely is the preferred vegetable capsule, or gelatin capsule.  This way, you can be sure to avoid the type of supplement known as the “bed pan bullet” that all hospital personnel speak of.    Note:  Avoid hard-packed vitamins.

Some supplements may have a coating, called an enteric coating, which allows the supplement to make it through the stomach intact and be absorbed in the small intestine, where proper absorption of nutrients occurs.  Most of them that I have run across are simply sprayed on chemicals or plastics…so beware.

Minerals, Amino acids, should be chelated, which means they are attached to a protein and enhances their bioavailability by as much as 400%.   Minerals, which may be just ground up rocks, are difficult for your body to absorb.  How absorbable, or bioavailable the nutrients are, is an important consideration.  Do some quick research on which natural vitamin sources are best.

What Should the Best Vitamin Contain?

One thing to note is that one pill cannot contain it all.  Calcium is a very important nutrient and you will have to take a calcium supplement on its own because of its size. The same goes for Omega 2 fatty acids.  You will need to take certain supplements on the side if you expect them to be effective.

For fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, E and K, you should avoid taking over 100% of the RDA in most cases, because of the possibility that these vitamins can be stored in the body more easily than water soluble vitamins.

How many capsules of the “best vitamin” are you taking?  It would be hard to put everything your body needs daily into one capsule.  The number of capsules needed daily for a single dose is a good indication of quality of nutrients.  One capsule cannot contain all a “best multivitamin” should contain.

Why Should You Even Look for the Best Multivitamin?

I run across those that say, “I get all my vitamins from food”. This could be true in another country, perhaps.  But in the US, because of our poor soils, foods don’t have the vitamins and minerals that they had 40 or 50 years ago.

In U. S. Department of Agriculture studies of 50,000 people in the 1980′s, not one person was getting the RDA of the 10 essential vitamins, with the RDA being a minimum requirement.

Time to Find the Best Vitamin

When it comes time to find a better vitamin, look into companies you trust for quality of manufacturing, reputation, and a fair price for what you get.  Call and ask questions and read labels.  Check to make sure you are not doubling up on supplements by taking extra.  And, do your best to eat whole foods that contain thousands of phytonutrients that companies cannot bottle, instead of using supplements like a bandaid.

The best vitamin for you will fill holes in your diet and ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs.