Ask a Dietitian

As seen on BCTV August 22/00

You can’t expect a multivitamin to make up for a poor diet. You still need to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables, beans, whole grains and low fat dairy, poultry and fish. You should also limit fatty meats and dairy, pastries, sweets and fried foods. However, some people simply don’t eat enough food to meet their minimum nutrient requirements. This is particularly true for women who on average, eat less than men. Moreover, certain nutrients are difficult to get enough of through diet alone.

When choosing your multivitamin you should look for one that supplies all the vitamins (A, B’s, C, D, E, folic acid) and minerals, not just one or two. For example, you often find multivitamins plus iron. Why would someone want a full range of vitamins and only one mineral? There is no reason why you would be more likely to run short of vitamins and not minerals. This is what separates the best multi from the so-so ones. Look for chromium, copper, zinc, magnesium and (for pre-menopausal women and children) iron.

Many people run short on certain nutrients, some of which are harder to get through diet alone. To reduce the risk of heart disease and neural tube defects, look for a supplement that contains 0.4 mg folic acid. If you don’t eat dairy products, which are fortified with vitamin D, you should find a supplement that contains 100-400 IU of vitamin D to prevent weakening of your bones. A deficiency of B12, most common in vegetarians and the elderly, can lead to irreversible nerve damage. Look for at least 2mcg vitamin B12 and people of over 50 should get at least 25mcg B12 in a supplement. Finally, vitamin E (100-400 IU), also difficult to get enough of through diet, is an antioxidant, which may help protect against certain cancers.

Some B-vitamins are often jacked up to a round, but irrelevant, number. There is no reason why you would need even amounts of each B vitamin when their recommended daily intakes are completely different. Often companies do this because it is cheap and relatively safe. Bottom Line: A cleaver marketing tool.

When should you take your supplements? The best time is to take them with food when your digestive tract is primed and able to dissolve the supplement. Calcium binds to iron and can interfere in its absorption, so if you are taking a calcium supplement and a multivitamin containing iron, they should be taken at separate meals.

There are a couple key things to look for on your supplement. 1. A Drug Identification Number (DIN), which indicates that at some point this product was tested to see if it contains what it says it does. 2. The expiry date. This should be at least 3 months away.

Cost can be anywhere from $2-$9 per month. The best bargains are usually the store brands. When you buy them from large companies such as Zellers, Wallmart or Save-On-Foods you know they are big enough to demand top quality from their suppliers.

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment every Tuesday on BCTV’s Noon News Hour!