Multi-Vitamins v Healthy Eats

original image here

I haven’t always given multi vitamins the thumbs up. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve been 100% converted either. It’s not that I don’t like them, but I’ve always been of the opinion that our diet must remain the primary source of nutrients. Excellent in theory. Unfortunately we have done crazy things to our soils that mean food doesn’t have the same nutrient quality as it did in previous years. So now, our bodies are lacking. Seriously lacking.

All patients in my clinic are encouraged to eat for their fertility as well as take a multi-vitamin. Adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals are essential for healthy reproductive function. So what we aren’t getting in our foods, we are lucky enough to be able to ‘top up’ our bodies to make sure we have everything we need. Long term use of contraceptions, prescription medications, stress and poor lifestyle has lead us to a point where our bodies are extremely depleted. Our health really suffers as a result.

But not just any old multi will do. You get what you pay for. Be careful when choosing your supplements. Some over the counter products have the same nutritional value as cardboard. You can’t go past practitioner grade products when it comes to quality and ingredients. This I can’t stress enough. Lesser quality products may be doing more harm than good.

If your stuck, just ask me and I can point you in the right direction.

Of course, multi vitamins aren’t just good for those trying to make little people. Studies also show that adequate nutrients lead to healthier, leaner bodies. Bodies that have adequate stores of vitamins and minerals are believed to be up to 25% less likely to be overweight in comparison.

It’s not a matter of what is ‘ideal’ anymore. The question is are you getting enough? Eating healthy is an absolute must and should continue to be your top priority. Supplementing with a multi vitamin is a bonus.

10 Comments

  • October 26, 2010 By Vicki 8:52 am

    Thank you so much for this valuable source of information. I must start taking my vitamins regularly. x

  • October 26, 2010 By Jodes 9:43 am

    Very interesting read Nat

    What multi's would you recommend for pregnancy?

    and also, do you have any recommendations for what ones are good for a child?

  • October 26, 2010 By Nat Kringoudis Melbourne 12:33 pm

    Practitioner quality products are available from health clinics and some health food shops. I used Panaxea which is one of the highest quality products on the market. In comparison with leading brands it comes out on top by a large margin. I have it in the clinic so if you can't find something your satisfied with, let me know.
    For kids I use the Bloom's range mostly because they are good quality and easy for them to take.

  • June 22, 2011 By Jo in Melbourne 7:32 pm

    Hi Nat,

    I’ve just gone off the pill for a 6 month rest before hubby and I want to try to start a family. I’ve started taking conceive-well Gold – a Blackmores product. I’m thinking now that I’ve read your posts on the Pill and on Multi-vitamins that I could do more – but my budget is kind of limited as we’ve got a mortgage. I’m worried if I go and see a Chinese Medicine practitioner and get told to take a bunch of things it could rack up to hundreds of dollars and I feel pretty healthy. How do you know if you need to see a practitioner, and what practitioners are not just trying to sell you stuff?

    Thanks for your blog – great inspiration and info 🙂

    Jo

    • June 24, 2011 By NatKringoudis 11:15 am

      Thanks for your reply Jo. As a Dr of Chinese Medicine I can truthfully say I would never prescribe a huge host of products if somebody didn’t need it. The only reason they might be prescribed medicines is if they require them to make the necessary changes. One of the main ways you might know requires treatment is if you lack a regular period, or have a very painful period. These are two indicating factors of fertility imbalances that definitely need treating especially post pill use. If you feel healthy – you are the best judge of that. I would suggest to any patient coming off the pill to be taking a quality practitioner grade multivitamin for their therapeutic affects as outline in the post.
      If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to email me.
      Nat x

  • November 29, 2011 By Kristin 1:54 pm

    Hi, I just found your website through pintrest (of all places) and have learned so much. I do have a question, I stopped taking the pill 11 months ago and we are trying to conceive. What multi vitamin would you recommend that I can get in the states? I was on the pill for close to 10 years, or more, and I am concerned my body has had lots of damage from taking it that long. Do you have suggestions?

    Thanks,

    K

  • May 23, 2013 By Krystle pick 9:04 pm

    Hi Nat , I’m a 28 year old female who has currently been on the pill for about 13 years now I’ve recently decided to come off it . I was wondering what you would recommend to take for someone like me in order to regain balance and support in the hormones as my body goes through this shift and change .so if you had any advice on what kinds of vitamins and minerals I could take that would be great thanks alot Nat from krystle melbourne x

    • May 23, 2013 By mnfadmin 10:05 pm

      Krystle do a search in the sidebar of the site. Search ‘the pill.’ There is one particular post you might like called “how to stop taking the pill and not go crazy or get acne” x

  • March 15, 2014 By Jaimi Mitchell 5:27 pm

    Hi Nat,

    I was just wondering what brand/type of multi-vitamin do you recommend?

    Thanks,

    Jaimi

    • March 15, 2014 By mnfadmin 7:59 pm

      I like metagenics although it is practitioner prescribed. I suggest you go to your health food shop and ask for the best they have. I hope that helps.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *