Dirty Thirty #19: Multi-Vitamin Supplements

Yes, I know I didn't post yesterday. Sometimes, you find yourself needing a really good night's sleep, and I am now well-rested and ready to take on the rest of the month's Dirty Thirty posts. I will double up one day this weekend, and we will be all caught up by Sunday. So, no worries.

So, onto multi-vitamin supplements. You take these every morning just as you are sure to drink your coffee. But, what are they really doing for you?

You may be surprised to know that the answer is pretty much nothing. Your body absorbs almost none of these nutrients in supplement form, and it is always best to get your necessary nutrients from food sources. You don't have to sit around counting how much vitamin C you get each day, either. Just eat a wide variety of foods, especially dark leafy greens, and eat locally and seasonally. There's really not much more to it.

That being said, however, there are a couple of supplements that you can (and one everyone should) take to live your optimal healthy life:

• Ubiquinol (aka coenzyme Q₁₀) (120 mg per day)--Every cell in your body uses ubiquinol in its normal function, and it is actually nearly impossible to get the recommended dose from food sources. This supplement is one of the few that is absorbable and beneficial to your body. Ubiquinol also helps in the production of collagen, which keeps you looking and feeling young! As ubiquinol is fat-soluble, be sure to take it with a meal that contains fat in order to get its benefits.
• B-complex, especially B₁₂ (at least 1000 mcg of B₁₂ per day)--B vitamins are actually not absorbed through the intestines like many nutrients. The best way to get your dose is an injection. You can also buy sublingual lozenges (which dissolve under the tongue) and take that daily. Experiment with the dose that makes you feel energized, alert and at your best.

So, save yourself time and money on those multi-vitamin supplements and do what is actually beneficial for your well-being!

You may notice that calcium and vitamin D did not make this list. I wrote a post about vitamin D here, and calcium will be in an upcoming post.