Did you know that nearly half of adults in the U.S. take a multivitamin?
Multivitamins are one of the most beneficial vitamins you can take to support many different functions of the body; however, are they truly a necessity? Although many vitamins and minerals can be consumed from a nutritious diet, many individuals benefit from the extra nutrients a multivitamin can provide.
Are all multivitamins created equal? How do you know if you are choosing the right multivitamin? This article will go over everything you need to know about multivitamins, what makes up a quality multivitamin, and how to choose the right one for you! Keep scrolling to learn more!
What Are Multivitamins?
A multivitamin is a dietary supplement made of essential vitamins and minerals packed into a capsule.
Multivitamins typically come in pill, gummy, and tablet form. They provide many nutrients that are essential for the overall health of our bodies.
There are many different types of multivitamins — you might even get overwhelmed from the numerous amount to choose down the vitamin aisle.
Common types of multivitamins include:
Women's multivitamin
Men's multivitamin
Multivitamins for children
Prenatal multivitamin
Adult multivitamin
Additionally, multivitamins can help fill nutritional gaps, support general health, and improve performance and recovery.
What Makes Up a High-Quality Multivitamin?
Like any other supplement, you get what you pay for. The higher-end multivitamins will be a bit more pricey, but definitely worth it. Low-quality multivitamins risk the chances of not breaking down properly and not passing through your body without the nutrients being absorbed. This is why having a high-quality multivitamin is important!
Below is a few ways that makes up a quality multivitamin!
1. Contains folate or folic acid
Having a multivitamin containing folate or folic acid is extremely important when choosing a quality vitamin. Folate, otherwise known as vitamin B9 is well known for its ability to improve red blood cell formation and healthy cell growth.
Deficient folate levels can cause depression, fatigue, headaches, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and many other issues. Although folic acid is quite high in an average person's intake, many people cannot convert it to folate, which is important for energy levels and mental function.
2. Contains a vast B-vitamin profile
Similar to barley grass, wheatgrass has many components shown to improve weight loss, decrease inflammation, lower cholesterol, and stabilize blood sugar. It is considered a superfood that is packed with antioxidants to support immune function, aid in digestion, and decrease bloat.
Many greens supplements have either wheatgrass or barley grass because of their comparable health benefits, but a high-quality green superfood supplement will typically have both!
3. Contains vitamins A-K
Vitamins A-K include vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. All are made to serve their own purpose to specific bodily functions. These vitamins help fight infection, wound healing, bone formation, and regulating hormones.
Among these, vitamin K is extremely important for making various proteins that are needed for blood clotting and building bones. Vitamin K also helps prevent osteoporosis, regulates blood sugar, and helps protect the immune system. Definitely one you want to make sure is included in your multivitamin!
4. Contains minerals such as magnesium, zinc, & selenium
Just as having a wide variety of vitamins in a multivitamin is important, so is having one with many minerals. Minerals such as magnesium, zinc, and selenium are all key ingredients to your multivitamin.
Magnesium is a key factor in promoting healthy blood sugar, reducing stress, maintaining healthy bones, and improving sleep. Zinc is also important as it helps your immune system and metabolic function. Foods such as chicken, red meal, and healthy whole grains can contain an adequate amount of zinc, but some may need additional supplementation.
5. Contains additional unique health-promoting ingredients
You know it's a high-quality multivitamin when it contains unique ingredients that contribute additional health benefits. For example, AstroFlav's Multivitamin includes Primavie® Shilajit and Coenzyme Q10. Both of these natural ingredients provide benefits to athletic performance and endurance.
When searching for a quality multivitamin, it is important to make sure there are not unnecessary added ingredients. Only essential and health-promoting ingredients here!
Primavie® Shilajit
Primavie® Shilajit is a purified and standardized form of Shilajit, which is composed of fulvic acid and 10% of free DBP and DBP conjugated with chromoproteins. It is a tar-like substance and it's color varies from white to yellow to brown to black. It's potencies also varies on the darker color of this substance.
Shilajit is typically found in the Himalaya and Tibet Mountains and is usually collected during the summer months. It is sometimes described as "rock sweat" because the heat of the sun causes it to leak from cracks or crevices in the mountains.
The word Shilajit, pronounced shil-ah-jeet, is derived from the Sanskrit word shilajatu which translates to "conqueror of mountains and destroyer of weakness."
Benefits of Primavie® Shilajit:
Supports healthy mitochondrial function
Promotes endurance during physical exercise
Used as a natural energy booster
Potentially increase muscle mass and strength
Helps support overall fitness level (hence it being referred to as the "destroyer of weakness")
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is a ubiquitous compound found in pretty much every organism. In other words, it is an antioxidant that the body naturally produces. Your cells use CoQ10 for growth and maintenance.
Like Primavie Shilajit, both compounds are a vitamin-like nutrient that plays a critical role in making the most basic form of energy in the body (ATP) from the foods you eat.
The main function of CoQ10 is to make ATP (energy), for the rapid rate of conversion of oxygen to water in the mitochondria. When the conversion of sugars and fats occur, free electrons are produced s and are used as oxygen molecules. CoQ10 levels are highest in organs that produce high rates of metabolism such as the heart, kidney, and liver, where CoQ10 functions as energy transfer molecule (Saini, 2011).
The production of ATP could not be done without CoQ10. Additionally, this compound also plays an important role in just about every human tissue and organ function —thanks to CoQ10, the body is able to effectively break down carbohydrates and fats for energy.
Benefits of Coenzyme Q10:
Reduces free radical damage
Restores cellular exhaustion
Improves heart health
Enhances athletic performance
Improves energy
Choosing The Right Multivitamin:
When choosing a multivitamin, it may be overwhelming. When walking down the vitamin aisle, or navigating the best multivitamin online, you may notice there are a ton to choose from.
Multivitamins can help fill any nutritional gaps that you may not be consuming from your diet alone. A high-quality multivitamin will provide a vast majority of vitamins and minerals essential to a healthy wellbeing. However, it is important to keep in mind that multivitamins are meant to supplement your diet, not replace a healthy diet.
Looking for a high-quality multivitamin that provides essential vitamins for optimal performance? Good news! AstroFlav's Multivitamin not only contains powerful ingredients like Primavie Shilajit, Coenzyme 10, and B-Vitamins, but also provides over 57 active ingredients to help you reach your highest potential! Keep scrolling to try yours today!
The Bottom Line:
Multivitamins are dietary supplements made of essential vitamins and minerals packed into a capsule. Capsules, gummies, and tablets are all common forms that multivitamins come in. Choosingthe right multivitamin can be hard. Between the hundreds on the shelf and the millions online to choose from, we understand this may be overwhelming.
Since there are many types and brands of multivitamins, it is important to make sure you are taking a high-quality one. This will also ensure you are getting the most bang for your buck. Look for key ingredients like B-vitamins, folate/folic acid, and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Additionally, some great multivitamins will contain unique health-promoting ingredients like Primavie® Shilajit and Coenzyme Q10 — both of which promote enhanced athletic performance and wellbeing.
RESOURCES
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/digestive-enzymes-and-digestive-enzyme-supplements#:~:text=What%20are%20digestive%20enzymes%2C%20and,grow%20and%20perform%20vital%20functions. (n.d.).
