If you’re like most people, you probably take or have taken multivitamins. When choosing what vitamins you wanted to take, you probably discovered there were so many different options, all choosing to be the best ingredients that your body would easily absorb. So what are the differences between all of them? Are certain vitamins actually better than others?
Why should you take multivitamins?
Nutrition is very important for everyone. Getting a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients is essential to feeling great and preventing lifestyle diseases. Sometimes you might have a hard time covering all areas of nutrition in your diet. Because of this, you might turn to vitamins or supplements to get higher servings of nutrients.
When taking a multivitamin or supplement you probably have a goal or need that you are hoping to meet. Some common reasons you might take them include:
- Maintain or improve overall health
- Boost energy
- Lose weight
- Prevent illness
- Fill nutritional gaps
- Age gracefully
- Have better hair, skin, and nails
While not everyone is going to experience all of these benefits, some people might notice certain results if they are deficient in that vitamin.
What is the difference between natural and synthetic vitamins?
What you might’ve noticed when searching for the best vitamin is that there are both natural and synthetic vitamins. What exactly does this mean though? Healthline distinguishes:
- Natural nutrients: These are obtained from whole food sources in the diet
- Synthetic nutrients: Also referred to as isolated nutrients, these are usually made artificially, in an industrial process.
The most common type of vitamins you will find at the store are synthetic. This is because they are easier and more inexpensive to create.
Supplements that consist of whole food are often more expensive because of the natural, high-quality ingredients that are in them.
So what kind of vitamins should you be taking?
Natural is the way to go! Now don’t worry, we won’t just expect you to trust us, we will explain why.
Since most vitamins and supplements are synthetics you probably have some questions. Why are natural supplements good for you? Do natural supplements make a difference? Can natural supplements be harmful?
Natural supplements are good for you for many reasons. The biggest reason “is because when you eat real food, you’re not consuming single nutrients, but rather a whole range of vitamins, minerals, co-factors and enzymes that allow for optimal use by the body.” Because whole food supplements are natural, your body naturally knows what to do with the nutrients it extracts.
Getting your nutrients from whole food is the best way to do it. If you are trying to eat a balanced diet but still feel like you are lacking, turning to a whole food, natural supplement is much better for you than synthetic vitamins. Part of the reason for this is because you can overdose on synthetic vitamins, but not on whole foods. Getting more nutrients from whole food reduces your risk of death and lifestyle diseases while getting excessive amounts of nutrients from supplements can actually put you at a higher risk of disease.
The chemicals and additives in synthetic vitamins do not give your body the nutrients it knows how to absorb. Synthetic vitamins aren’t as good as natural supplements and can build up in your body, don’t contain trace minerals that are obtained from whole foods, and can even become toxic.
What are the best natural supplements?
We have reviewed many supplements that are natural or claim to be natural. Here are our recommendations and reasonings.
- Balance of Nature
- Balance of Nature was the highest quality product we reviewed. They don’t use additives of any kind and you can truly taste and smell the whole fruits and vegetables in their capsules.
- Whole Earth and Sea
- While these tablets don’t have the best taste or smell, the ingredients are quality.
- Live Wise Naturals
- This is a natural supplement in oil form. While oils aren’t the purest form of whole food you could consume, the product is still decent quality and is easy to take.
- Ora Organic
- If you are looking for a powder or turmeric option this one was great. It had fairly high-quality ingredients and we really liked our experience with them.
Supplements can be a tricky thing to figure out. Don’t settle for cheap, synthetic vitamins that could potentially do more harm than good. Whole food supplements are much better for you and your body will love the extra whole food nutrients you are giving it!
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