Vitamins: How Much Daily?

Diet and Nutrition
1

Been training almost a year now. I workout Mon,Wed,Fri doing a FB routine. Starting another bulk for the winter. My concern is if I’m taking enough vitamins. At 6’ and 191 lbs, when and how much should I be taking? I currently take a multi in the morning with breakfast and some whey and fish oil. I take fish oil with all my “solid meals” throughout the day, and then with the some casein 1/2 hour before bed.

I take A,B,C,D,E and calcium with my dinner (which would be post WO on those days). Was wondering if this was enough? Also could anyone recommend a good multi vitamin that’s not too expensive? Also is there any vitamins or minerals I hsould be taking as well?

2

There should be no need to take a vitamin supplement unless you have some sort of condition that leads to nutrient malabsorption, or some other issue with your body such as impaired gut microflora which could lead to being deficient in B12 for example.

BUT… You certainly can take a multi as an “insurance policy.” A good one is Life Extension Two a day. Along with that, I like to also take Life Extension Super booster (because it has gamma form of vit e, and some othe stuff like Vit K2 which you would never find in most multis).

Eating a complete healthy diet with lots of veggies etc is obviously another option. Personally I don’t really see a need to take most of the things contained in the multi, like Vitamin A, because of the veggies, sweet potatoes, and canned pumpkin I eat.

3

I just thought that working out balls to the wall zaps your body? I eat pretty damn close to clean. No junkfood or sugary crap. I was under the imppression that the RDA’s for vitamins are way off compared to what athletes or weightlifters may require? I guess I’m looking for some numbers on “how much” of what I should aim for daily…?

4

[quote]Bmad wrote:
I just thought that working out balls to the wall zaps your body? I eat pretty damn close to clean. No junkfood or sugary crap. I was under the imppression that the RDA’s for vitamins are way off compared to what athletes or weightlifters may require? I guess I’m looking for some numbers on “how much” of what I should aim for daily…? [/quote]

When you lift more, you eat more, right? So as long as you continue to eat healthy, then you should have the increased (vitamin and mineral, aka “micro”) nutrient demands covered.

5

Can’t argue with that…makes sense! Guess I was just concerned with immune system being worn down and if a lack of a “perfect” diet could hinder performance/gains. Always worring about what I might be missing…thanks Bullet!

6

No problem. You mention immune function. Do you often find that your immune system is worn down? Do you get sick a lot when you start to work out, get food poisoning a lot, skin infections, chronic fatigue, or anything like that? If not then you’re probably fine.

7

I happen to be allergic to all the fruits and vegetables worth eating, so I take Pur Encapsulations.

I would prefer to eat foods.

8

BPT… I remember you mentioning the neutriceutical sciences brand once for a multi, any reason you switched to LEF?

And the sickness thing was def me last year… are you gonna tell me to stop eating grains? :frowning: haha

9

[quote]Mouldsie wrote:
BPT… I remember you mentioning the neutriceutical sciences brand once for a multi, any reason you switched to LEF?

And the sickness thing was def me last year… are you gonna tell me to stop eating grains? :frowning: haha[/quote]

NSI makes so many different forumulas. Many of them are good. I still use some of their other products, but I’ve given LEF multi a go for a while. One reason is that something in my supplement regimen was giving me a stomach ache, so I switched out almost everything and now it’s better. I’m not saying it was the NSI multi though :slight_smile:

10

[quote]BulletproofTiger wrote:
There should be no need to take a vitamin supplement unless you have some sort of condition that leads to nutrient malabsorption, or some other issue with your body such as impaired gut microflora which could lead to being deficient in B12 for example.

BUT… You certainly can take a multi as an “insurance policy.” A good one is Life Extension Two a day. Along with that, I like to also take Life Extension Super booster (because it has gamma form of vit e, and some othe stuff like Vit K2 which you would never find in most multis).

Eating a complete healthy diet with lots of veggies etc is obviously another option. Personally I don’t really see a need to take most of the things contained in the multi, like Vitamin A, because of the veggies, sweet potatoes, and canned pumpkin I eat.[/quote]

I agree for the most part, but I do think that vitamin D and magnesium are worth taking. Zinc seems to be another popular mineral to take, but if you’re eating your red meat then you should be fine in that area.

11

[quote]TwinIron wrote:

[quote]BulletproofTiger wrote:
There should be no need to take a vitamin supplement unless you have some sort of condition that leads to nutrient malabsorption, or some other issue with your body such as impaired gut microflora which could lead to being deficient in B12 for example.

BUT… You certainly can take a multi as an “insurance policy.” A good one is Life Extension Two a day. Along with that, I like to also take Life Extension Super booster (because it has gamma form of vit e, and some othe stuff like Vit K2 which you would never find in most multis).

Eating a complete healthy diet with lots of veggies etc is obviously another option. Personally I don’t really see a need to take most of the things contained in the multi, like Vitamin A, because of the veggies, sweet potatoes, and canned pumpkin I eat.[/quote]

I agree for the most part, but I do think that vitamin D and magnesium are worth taking. Zinc seems to be another popular mineral to take, but if you’re eating your red meat then you should be fine in that area.[/quote]

Maybe I didn’t explain myself very well. I didn’t say he didn’t need to take any supplements. Vit D and magnesium may be worth taking indeed, but not for 100% of people. If it’s summer time and he’s fair skinned, then he would not need Vit D if he gets just 10 minutes or so a day of sunlight. Winter may be another story depending on how far he lives from the equator, but then again he may eat a diet rish in organ meats (though not likely) which are rich in fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K. Magnesium is low in most people’s diets, and working out may exacerbate the problem, but that doesn’t mean the OP is deficient in magnesium. However, there is no need to take extra supplements just because he’s working out especially if his “baseline” diet is healthy (meaning that it is rich in vitamin and mieral rich foods) and he has no absorption issues. Now if he has a deficiency in something, then working out can exacerbate it (especially minerals due to profuse sweating), but that’s if he has an issue; though many studies show that the gernal population and those who work out are deficient in magnesium.

If the OP takes a multi and eats healthy then there is not necessarily a need to take extra A,B,C,D,E and or calcium unless there is some health concern or digestion issue (also multi’s usually are very low in calcium, so if the rest of the diet is lacking, which would be rare for someone who eats dairy frequently like whey protein, then maybe supplemental calcium would be warranted).

My stance is that the supplement program a person is on should fit their needs. There are a lot of “worthwhile” supplements that can boost health or performance, but they do not affect every person the same way. A good multi (preferably at least a two a day version in 2 or more pills) is a good start. The minerals in ElitePro are also a good addition as magnesium and zinc are not often at optimal levels in those who exercise intensively.

IMO, a good indicator of whether a person is deficient in something is whether working out hard for two weeks or so (there are of course many other ways to determine deficiencies or immune dysfunction). If a person gets sick, then they could be deficient in zinc (and or selenium), and it could be due to heavy metal build up (because heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, cadmium, lead, etc) displace zinc and or selenium in enzymes that are supposed to detoxify the body. So if there is a build up of heavy metals, a person could recurrently have issues with getting sick, or having fatigue, etc. But then that is particular to an individual. All people have a certain build up of these heavy metals, but the level may not be severe enough to cause a weakened immune system.

My answer to the OP’s question is simple and to the point because the question was not specific as to indicate any issues like the one I just mentioned, and even if he did give specifics, I would be guessing as to which vitamin/mineral could benefit him. A person’s journey to health is very individualized.

There are dozens of other supplements I could recommend but what would be the point? I don’t want to scare anyone into thinking they need this or that when they vary well may not. Magnesium can’t really hurt and will likely help, but there are no guarantees. Vit D for certain people in certain situations might be a good idea too, but testing of blood levels of 25OHD would be advised if a person chooses to do that.

12

[quote]BulletproofTiger wrote:

[quote]TwinIron wrote:

[quote]BulletproofTiger wrote:
There should be no need to take a vitamin supplement unless you have some sort of condition that leads to nutrient malabsorption, or some other issue with your body such as impaired gut microflora which could lead to being deficient in B12 for example.

BUT… You certainly can take a multi as an “insurance policy.” A good one is Life Extension Two a day. Along with that, I like to also take Life Extension Super booster (because it has gamma form of vit e, and some othe stuff like Vit K2 which you would never find in most multis).

Eating a complete healthy diet with lots of veggies etc is obviously another option. Personally I don’t really see a need to take most of the things contained in the multi, like Vitamin A, because of the veggies, sweet potatoes, and canned pumpkin I eat.[/quote]

I agree for the most part, but I do think that vitamin D and magnesium are worth taking. Zinc seems to be another popular mineral to take, but if you’re eating your red meat then you should be fine in that area.[/quote]

Maybe I didn’t explain myself very well. I didn’t say he didn’t need to take any supplements. Vit D and magnesium may be worth taking indeed, but not for 100% of people. If it’s summer time and he’s fair skinned, then he would not need Vit D if he gets just 10 minutes or so a day of sunlight. Winter may be another story depending on how far he lives from the equator, but then again he may eat a diet rish in organ meats (though not likely) which are rich in fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K. Magnesium is low in most people’s diets, and working out may exacerbate the problem, but that doesn’t mean the OP is deficient in magnesium. However, there is no need to take extra supplements just because he’s working out especially if his “baseline” diet is healthy (meaning that it is rich in vitamin and mieral rich foods) and he has no absorption issues. Now if he has a deficiency in something, then working out can exacerbate it (especially minerals due to profuse sweating), but that’s if he has an issue; though many studies show that the gernal population and those who work out are deficient in magnesium.

If the OP takes a multi and eats healthy then there is not necessarily a need to take extra A,B,C,D,E and or calcium unless there is some health concern or digestion issue (also multi’s usually are very low in calcium, so if the rest of the diet is lacking, which would be rare for someone who eats dairy frequently like whey protein, then maybe supplemental calcium would be warranted).

My stance is that the supplement program a person is on should fit their needs. There are a lot of “worthwhile” supplements that can boost health or performance, but they do not affect every person the same way. A good multi (preferably at least a two a day version in 2 or more pills) is a good start. The minerals in ElitePro are also a good addition as magnesium and zinc are not often at optimal levels in those who exercise intensively.

IMO, a good indicator of whether a person is deficient in something is whether working out hard for two weeks or so (there are of course many other ways to determine deficiencies or immune dysfunction). If a person gets sick, then they could be deficient in zinc (and or selenium), and it could be due to heavy metal build up (because heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, cadmium, lead, etc) displace zinc and or selenium in enzymes that are supposed to detoxify the body. So if there is a build up of heavy metals, a person could recurrently have issues with getting sick, or having fatigue, etc. But then that is particular to an individual. All people have a certain build up of these heavy metals, but the level may not be severe enough to cause a weakened immune system.

My answer to the OP’s question is simple and to the point because the question was not specific as to indicate any issues like the one I just mentioned, and even if he did give specifics, I would be guessing as to which vitamin/mineral could benefit him. A person’s journey to health is very individualized.

There are dozens of other supplements I could recommend but what would be the point? I don’t want to scare anyone into thinking they need this or that when they vary well may not. Magnesium can’t really hurt and will likely help, but there are no guarantees. Vit D for certain people in certain situations might be a good idea too, but testing of blood levels of 25OHD would be advised if a person chooses to do that.[/quote]

That is an extremely mature stance regarding vitamin/mineral supplementation. I suppose I agree with the testing, even though I myself am guilty of supplementing with vitamins/minerals as a preventative measure. To be completely honest, I was merely regurgitating those suggestions on the basis of the abundance of success stories of people who’ve supplemented with vitamin d & mag (merely anecdotal evidence…). You’re right in that what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone.