What are the best multivitamins to take?

Do you take a daily vitamin pill?  What are the best vitamins to take and why?  Does your need for vitamins change as you age?  Should you take vitamins in the morning or later in the day?  Are there foods you need to be eating when you take your vitamins?  Can you be taking too much of a vitamin or mineral?  Do men and women need different vitamin/mineral pills?  Should you take a vitamin pill or a vitamin + mineral pill?  If you eat a healthy diet, do you need a multivitamin?

My daughter sent me many articles on supplements and a recent nutrition letter I receive highlighted some good recommendations on vitamins and minerals.

Do you need a multivitamin?

Most nutritionists would agree that you should get your nutrients from food, not pills.  Have you seen the advertisement for pills that replace fruits and vegetables?  Fresh food like fruits and vegetables not only supply vitamins and minerals your body needs but also those hundreds of antioxidants that are so good for your health. (See:  Antioxidants and good health .)  Some multivitamins provide a few antioxidants like lutein, but not can provides the thousands of antioxidants in real food.  I have a very healthy diet and eat many fruits and vegetables a day.  I have a serving of real dairy at every meal.  But I do take a multivitamin pill every day.  If nothing else, to be sure I am getting the vitamins and minerals I need each day.  But I rely on real food, especially those healthy fresh fruit and vegetables to get as many antioxidants as I can.  Multivitamin pills are called “supplements” for a reason.  They should supplement your diet, not replace foods in your diet.

What are the best multivitamins for women?  What do registered dietitians and experts recommend?

Women need to focus on getting enough iron, vitamin D and calcium.  When the students in my nutrition class track their food intake of calcium and vitamin D, most female students have low intakes of calcium and vitamin D in their diets.  Note – you will not get enough calcium from a multivitamin pill.  Many multivitamin pills have either no calcium or 200 mg or less.  Women still need to have real dairy foods at each meal to meet their daily calcium needs. 

Have you been to a drug store and walked down the vitamin and mineral aisle?  WOW!  Literally hundreds of different vitamins and minerals to choose from.  What are some recommended vitamin supplements?

For women 19-50 years old:   

• Centrum Women:  This supplement supplies some vitamins and minerals. (Cost: about 9 cents a tablet.) Provides 100% of daily value for vitamins D, B-6, B-12 and biotin.  Also, 100% of iron needed each day.  This supplement provides a number of minerals including 200 mg of calcium.  But you still need to include real dairy at every meal as women 19-50 need 1000 mg of calcium a day.  

• Kirkland Signature Daily Multi:  This is an affordable supplement providing vitamins and minerals.  (Cost: about 4 cents a tablet).  It provides 100% of daily value for vitamins A, C and biotin.  It provides 50% of the daily value for vitamin D so you want to be sure to have some vitamin D fortified milk in your diet and go outside.  Minerals include iron and 200 mg of calcium.  The supplement provides some lutein and lycopene, two antioxidants.  

For women over 50:

·       NatureMade Women’s Multivitamin 50+.  Provides vitamins A, C, D, E and K and many B vitamins.  Vitamin B12 can be a concern after age 50 and this vitamin supplies plenty of B12.  This supplement does provide some calcium, 200 mg, but women will still need real dairy at meals to meet their daily calcium needs of 1200 mg.  Besides calcium, a number of minerals are included in this supplement.   

What are the best multivitamins for men? 

For men 19-50 years old:

·        Nature Made Multivitamin Multi for Him: Provides 22 nutrients including vitamins A, C, D, E and K and many B vitamins. This supplement provides a number of minerals including 160 mg of calcium.  Men age 19-50 need 1000 mg of calcium per day.  (Cost: about 14 cents per tablet.)

·        One a Day Men :  Provides 100% or more of daily values for vitamins A, C, D, and E.  Good supply of B vitamins including biotin.  Provides a number of minerals including 210 mg of calcium.  No iron as men’s iron needs aren’t as much as women and many men get the iron they need from meat.  Does supply magnesium (29% of daily value), an important mineral that is a nutrient of concern for Americans.  An affordable supplement at about 9 cents a tablet.  

·        Centrum Men :  Provides 24 nutrients including vitamins A, C, D, E and K.  Does provide some iron at 8 mg.  Provides 100 mg of magnesium and 210 mg of calcium.  Forbes notes:  “Centrum Men is one of the most cost-effective multivitamins on our list and one of the most researched.” 

For men over 50:  Over men over 50 and there are some nutrients of concern such as vitamin B12, vitamin D and calcium.  To maintain healthy bones, both men and women over 50 need to focus on calcium and vitamin D.  Getting calcium from foods is the best.  Vitamin D is important as it helps your body absorb calcium.

·      Centrum Silver Men 50+ :  This supplement is formulated for men over 50.  It provides magnesium, 125% of daily value for vitamin D and vitamin B12.  In addition to magnesium, it provides 210 mg of calcium and a number of other minerals.  (Men over 50 need 1000 mg of calcium a day and those over 70 need 1200 mg of calcium a day.) Two antioxidants are provided, lutein and lycopene. 

Should you take vitamins in the morning or later in the day?  Are their foods you need to be eating when you take your vitamins? 

Take them at a time convenient to you.  However, some nutrients need fat to be absorbed.  Four vitamins are called “fat-soluble vitamins” as they need some fat to be absorbed by your body.  These are vitamins A, D, E and K.  Many people take their vitamin pill at breakfast.  Which is fine but you need some fat to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins.  I have started to put some butter on my morning toast.  My husband eats some yogurt with some fat in it or drinks milk that is 1% fat.  If you like peanut butter, include it on some toast or in a smoothy and that would add some fat.  Or, take your supplement at a meal that would have some fat in it.

As noted above, eating a healthy diet every day is the best way to get the nutrients your body needs and many of those healthy antioxidants.  In the nutrition class I teach, students keep a 24-hour recall of everything they eat and drink.  Then they analyze the nutritional quality of their diets.  Most students, men and women, have diets low in vitamin D.   Most women have diets low in calcium.  It is best to get calcium from foods like real cow’s milk, yogurt and cheese.  Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine found:  “Women who get most of their daily calcium form food have healthier bones than women whose calcium comes mainly form supplemental tablets”.  This is because your body only absorbs about 35% of the calcium in a pill but calcium from foods is much better absorbed.  Most Americans have diets low in fiber which is another important dietary component not provided by vitamin and mineral pills. (See: Eat more fiber.)  Some people don’t like the “taste” of a pill form of supplement and many supplements are now available as gummies. 

Sources:  multivitamins for women , experts , Centrum Women , Kirkland Signature Daily Multi , NatureMade Women’s Multivitamin 50+ , multivitamins for men , Nature Made Multivitamin Multi for Him , One a Day Men , Centrum Men , Centrum Silver Men 50+,  Researchers  Image Sources:  Centrum women  , Kirkland Signature Daily Multi , One a Day Men 

Are you getting too much or too little protein?

Do you know how much protein you need each day?  I have heard many people say, “I am watching my carbs.”  Have you ever heard anyone say, “I am watching my protein?” Probably not.  The students in my classes are often confused as to what foods provide high quality protein and how much protein they need each day.  Do you need that protein shake, those protein bars?  Did you know most Americans get much more protein than they need each day?  This is true for those ages 19-59.  You may not know that people over 59 may need to focus on adding more protein to their day.

 How much of your diet should be protein?

The Mayo Clinic notes:  About 10-35% of the calories you eat should come from protein.  If you eat about 2000 calories a day, this equates to 200-700 calories from protein.  Or, if you count grams, this would be 50-175 grams of protein a day.  Most of the young adults in my nutrition class ate over 90 grams of protein a day which was over what they needed each day.  Some like to use the formula of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram body weight.  So, a guy weighing 180 pounds or 81 kg would need about 65 grams of protein a day.

Over 40?  Did you know that between 40-50 your body starts losing muscle?  It is called “sarcopenia”.  You can help prevent this muscle loss by exercising, especially doing some weight lifting, and eating more protein.  They are now saying that older adults need to focus on their protein intake to prevent muscle loss. 

Exercise – no, going to the gym once a week for a 20-minute workout does not increase your protein needs. But athletes do need more protein.  The weight lifters who go to the gym or lift weights at home regularly, they need more protein.  Those in training for cycling, running events need more protein.  They should focus on getting 1-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram body weight.  A 180-pound athlete would need about 80- 98 grams of protein a day. 

 What are some high-quality proteins and what foods provide protein?

As noted in my blog last week, animal foods provide the highest quality protein, with the egg being the gold standard. Dairy made from cow’s milk, like milk, yogurt and cheese provide high quality protein.  Meat, fish, and poultry are next.  NIH has given a protein score to various proteins.  Note a 1.00 is the best score and not surprisingly eggs and cow’s milk rate a 1.00.  Meat, like beef, is highly rated at .92 but cow’s milk and the egg are even higher in protein quality.  Plant proteins are recommended as they not only provide protein but other good nutrients like fiber in beans and peanuts.  But the protein in plants is not as high in quality as the protein in animal foods.  (Except for some plant proteins like soy protein.)  That is one reason to drink real cow’s milk and not alternative milks like almond milk, oat milk.  Previously, I noted some research that showed kids given alternative milks do not grow as tall as kids given cow’s milk.  (See:  Non-Cow’s Milk and Children’s Height .)  Researchers think it is because alternative milks are so low in protein. 

Protein Quality Rankings (adapted from NIH) 

Protein Type	Protein Quality Ranking, 1.0 is the highest and best protein
Egg	1.00
Cow’s milk	1.00
Casein	1.00
Whey protein	1.00
Beef	.92
Soy protein	1.00
Peanuts	.52
Wheat gluten	.25

When should you eat protein foods?

A good goal is to eat some high-quality protein at every meal.  Do not save all your protein for dinner. The Mayo Clinic recommends:  Spread out protein consumption evenly throughout the day. 

Kids given cow’s milk to drink at every meal get a good serving of high-quality protein at every meal. 

• Breakfast – try to include a high-quality protein food in your breakfast meal.  I use a cup of cow’s milk to make up my morning oatmeal.  My husband focuses on having a serving of Greek yogurt with blueberries at breakfast.  A smoothy is a great way to add some protein to your morning.  But you need to make it with real cow’s milk or cow’s milk yogurt to get enough protein and a high-quality protein.  “Some newer studies show moving some protein from supper to breakfast can help with weight management by decreasing hunger and cravings throughout the day.”
• Lunch:  Enjoy a cheese stick, some cow’s milk yogurt, some cheese and crackers, or some hard-boiled eggs.  A peanut butter sandwich is good but enjoy it with a glass of real cow’s milk to add some high-quality protein.  School lunch programs still serve real cow’s milk.  Encourage your kid to drink milk at school to add protein, calcium, and vitamin D to their lunch.
• Dinner:  Great to have protein at dinner as most Americans do.  Easy to get high-quality protein at dinner as that is when most Americans enjoy some chicken, fish, beef, or pork. And enjoy a glass of cow’s milk at dinner. 

Aim for 15-30 grams of protein per meal.

• Breakfast:  “a banana, Greek yogurt and a hard-boiled egg” = 19 grams protein.
• Lunch/Dinner:  “3-ounce chicken breast, half-cup rice, half-cup vegetables” = 25 grams protein

                                “egg and bean burrito with a glass of [cow’s] milk = 28 grams of protein

Post-exercise – looking for a way to refuel after exercise?  Enjoy some chocolate milk (made from real cow’s milk).  Yes, some sugar but good quality protein and the carbs needed for refueling.  (See” What is best post-exercise, white or chocolate milk? )

Just drinking a glass of cow’s milk or eating cow’s milk yogurt at each meal adds 8 grams of high-quality protein to the meal.  Some people think low-fat milk has less protein. Not true.  They take out the fat, but not the protein.  Kids are growing and need protein.  Kids should always have a glass of real cow’s milk with meals.

Are you getting some high-quality protein at every meal?  If you drink cream with your coffee, switch to some real cow’s milk in your coffee for a protein boost.  (Cream is mostly fat and low in protein.)  Pack a cheese stick in your lunch and in your kids’ lunch for a protein boost.  Enjoy some cow’s milk yogurt. My daughter always packs some yogurt in her lunch.  She is a vegetarian so she focuses on yogurt, cheese, and eggs for her protein needs.  She also drinks a glass of chocolate milk every day for extra calcium, vitamin D and protein.  Kids can enjoy a glass of chocolate milk after school (not Yoohoo Chocolate drink which is mostly sugar).  If you are over 59, you want to be sure to preserve that muscle mass and have some high-quality protein foods at every meal.

 

Sources:  notes , blog , Non-Cow’s Milk and Children’s Height , NIH ,  recommends , protein , per meal , What is best post-exercise, white or chocolate milk?   Image sources:  Protein , High quality protein , enough protein

How can you add some high-quality protein foods to your day?

Do you know anyone playing sports this fall or coming winter?  In order to play at one’s best, one has to eat healthy.  As I noted before, many people have a poor understanding of what “eating healthy” means.  This month I will focus on eating well for sports, starting with protein.  Although focused on sports, the information provided is helpful to anyone interested in nutrition and eating healthier.  Ask some friends or family members, “Which food provides the highest quality protein?”  You will be surprised that few people know the correct answer.

Many young people playing sports want to boost their muscle mass but often have little understanding about protein.  What foods are the best sources of high-quality proteins?  What does “high quality” protein actually mean? 

How do you know what protein foods are high quality?

A nutritionist in the United Kingdom and host of Movement and Nutrition on Facebook, wrote an interesting post on good sources of protein.  With his permission, I will share some of the easy-to-understand information he posted (adapted).

What makes a food a good source of protein?

There are two benchmarks - biological value and protein quality.

 

Biological value is an assessment of how easily your body can absorb and use a nutrient from a food. So, if a protein source has a high biological value, it’s easy for your body to metabolize and use the protein for its own needs.

 

Protein quality is an evaluation of both the protein source’s digestibility and its amino acids profile. High-quality proteins sources are easily digested. And they contain all the essential amino acids in proportions matching your body’s requirements. Low-quality protein sources, in contrast, are missing one or more essential amino acids.

 

What are Amino Acids?

 

Amino acids are the building blocks used to make proteins. Some your body can make others it can’t. The ones it can’t make have to come from your diet. They are “essential amino acids”.

In summary, as Movement and Nutritionist notes, high-quality proteins have all the essential amino acid your body needs to make protein and are high in biological value, meaning your body can easily absorb and digest this protein. 

Protein from animals including poultry, meat, fish, eggs and dairy foods all provide high-quality protein because all animal foods provide all of the nine essential amino acids.  “Plant protein sources such as beans, nuts, vegetables, and grains can also help meet nutritional needs.  However, these often do not provide the amounts of essential amino acids the body needs”. 

Can you guess what one food is the highest in biological value?  

The egg, is considered the gold standard for protein quality.   “Eggs are a great example of a high-quality protein as all nine of these essential amino acids are found in eggs in a pattern that closely matches the body’s needs.”

Bodybuilding dietitians note: “Did you know that the protein in eggs have a biological value of 100?  This makes them one of the BEST sources of protein on earth!  A biological value of 100 means that 100% of the protein in eggs can be used for protein synthesis, compared to a biological value of ~70 for plant proteins.” 

Each egg provides about 6 grams of high-quality protein per egg.  Half of the protein is in the egg white and half is in the yolk.   I had a student that took out the yolk when feeding her child eggs as she thought this was healthy.  Not so, as the yolk provides many nutrients including vitamin D, calcium, iron, folate, and vitamin B12.  I also had a student ask me if egg whites were a good source of protein.  And they are.  But eat the whole egg and get the benefit of all the nutrients eggs provide. 

 In addition to eggs, what other food is high in biological value and protein quality? 

Cow’s milk is considered a high-quality protein source as cow’s milk provides two high-quality protein sources, casein and whey.  Many body builders buy protein powders that contain casein and/or whey as they are of high biological value and provide all nine essential amino acids.  To provide high-quality protein, it has to be cow’s milk and not the artificial milks like oat milk or almond milk which do not contain any whey or casein. 

What does WebMD say about whey and casein?   “To best promote muscle growth, you should feed your muscles more protein than they need.  Between whey and casein, whey is the “faster” protein supplement because its amino acids are absorbed quickly by your body.  While casein in the “slower” supplement – since it’s digest more slowly – both proteins can help your muscles grow when you work out.  That’s because they re-form muscles after exercise.”    

But one doesn’t have to buy protein supplements or powders to get casein or whey.  Just drink a glass of real cow’s milk or eat some real cow’s milk yogurt.  “Approximately 80 percent of the protein in milk (cow’s milk) is casein protein, while the other 20 percent is whey protein.” 

Remember when kids used to drink cow’s milk at every meal?  At every meal they were getting high-quality protein to support growth and development.  On a recent trip, we ate lunch and dinner out many times.  It was so hard to find a restaurant or fast-food establishment that offered milk or yogurt with the meal.  Our hotel did offer milk at breakfast and we went to a local grocery store to buy some cow’s milk yogurt as I wanted to be sure to have some dairy every day for good health.

If you have a relative, friend, or a classmate that is into sports, share this blog with them.  Help them learn what high-quality proteins are.  Many people want to retain their muscle mass as they age.  Drinking real cow’s milk and adding some cow’s milk yogurt to your day are great ways to add some high-quality protein to your day.  And enjoy some eggs.  The American Heart Association now says healthy people can enjoy up to an egg a day and aging adults can enjoy up to 2 eggs a day. 

How can you add some high-quality protein to your day? 

• Enjoy some eggs, a glass of cow’s milk, some cow’s milk yogurt or cheese.
• After a workout, enjoy a glass of milk.  (See: What is best post-exercise, white or chocolate milk? )  
• Instead of the fake creamers in your coffee, add some real milk.  My daughter switched to real milk in her coffee and it adds some good nutrients to her day.
• Most Americans love cheese.  Cheese is a good source of the protein casein, but most of the whey is lost in cheese making.  For those who have trouble digesting the lactose in cow’s milk, cheese is a good choice as most cheese is low in lactose.  Choose Swiss, Blue cheese, gouda, provolone, Brie, Cheddar, Camembert, Muenster or Parmesan for cheese low in lactose.
• Let your kids enjoy some chocolate or strawberry milk.  Yes, some added sugar but also some good protein, calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients.  (See:  Is chocolate milk good for you? )  

Sources:  Movement and Nutrition , Plant protein, protein quality , Bodybuilding dietitians , food , WebMD , protein , whey protein , American Heart Association , cheese   Image sources:  Eggs , Cow’s milk , Yogurt