How to Choose Your Daily Multivitamin

Dec 22, 2021 Lifestyle Tips 4 MIN

what is the best multivitamin

Multivitamins contain a variety of essential vitamins and minerals to help your body fill nutritional gaps. But not everybody has the same health benefits needs. For example, kids vitamins, like our kids' multivitamin gummy will contain a different daily value of nutrients compared to a multivitamin tablet for a woman over 50 years old.

Typically, a multivitamin will contain the basic vitamins, including Vitamins A, C, D, E, and some of the B vitamins. The minerals may also vary based on the size of the molecules and the form of the multivitamin product. A traditional tablet may accommodate larger molecules, whereas a softgel multivitamin or a gummy multivitamin may not. In addition to the size and form of the multi, nutrients may vary based on the manufacturer of the product.

Choosing the right multivitamin supplement for your nutritional needs doesn’t have to be difficult. If you don’t know how to choose a multivitamin, read on for some tips from some of our experts and consider talking to your healthcare provider. Whether you are searching for a standard women's multivitamin, mens vitamins, or another vitamin or mineral supplement containing essential vitamins and minerals, this multivitamin guide will help you find the perfect daily supplement to satisfy your nutritional needs. 

Q: How do I choose a multivitamin?

Lynn M. Laboranti, RD: When choosing a good multivitamin, one should first look for a high-quality multivitamin supplement. Keep four important things in mind when choosing a multivitamin.

  1. A Quality Statement

Quality statements represent a manufacturer's promise to offer high-quality, standardized products, and can come in the form of quality statements on the bottle or quality seals. Consumers should look for a name they recognize on these emblems or a seal from a health group that endorses the brand. Nature Made®, for example, carries a company-wide guarantee for potency standards on all of its products. The company also participates in the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP). Nature Made Vitamin E was the first dietary supplement to participate in USP's DSVP and presently, many of the Nature Made products carry the DSVP mark. The DSVP mark appears on the front label of approved supplements and verifies the product's quality, purity and composition. USP is a scientific non-profit organization that sets federally recognized public standards of quality for medicines, dietary supplements, and foods. USP has been establishing standards since 1820, and today USP standards are used by manufacturers and regulators in more than 140 countries.

  1. Check the Date

Expiration dates are put on products to let consumers know how long the contents will be effective. After the expiration date, the product contents will have aged to a point that they may no longer contain the levels indicated on the product label. Identifiable Information: The lot number is a series of letters and/or numbers important for tracking the supplement's history in case there are any specific questions concerning the product purchased.

  1. Contact Information

There should be a hotline and a website for help. Dietary supplements that promote a toll-free number and a web site are indicators that a manufacturer is interested in sharing information with the public and is available to answer consumer questions. Nature Made's Consumer Affairs department can be reached by calling 1-800-276-2878 between the hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time. Consumers can also visit www.naturemade.com to find answers to many questions about vitamins and minerals or ask a specific question to the nutritionists via e-mail.

  1. Warning

Warnings help to alert consumers about protective safety seals on the product, which should remain intact at time of purchase, and help caution them of the potential adverse effects of taking a supplement. People on prescription medication, pregnant or lactating mothers, or people with allergies should look for warnings on package labels. Quality manufacturers will alert consumers about taking a supplement under such conditions and suggest they contact a health care provider before taking a product.

Q: How do I choose which multivitamin formula is right for me?

Lynn M. Laboranti, RD: Don’t know which product is the right multivitamin for you? Whether you go for standard gummy vitamins and minerals or capsules or softgels, there are many mineral and vitamin supplements to choose from. People choose to take multivitamins for various reasons. Nature Made offers various multivitamin supplements in different forms to please individual's preferences-choose from tablets, softgels and gummy vitamins. Each is based on the nutritional needs of the individual's sex and stage of life. Nutrient intake requirements change with age, especially for women, as they experience various changes in their lifecycle-such as menstruation, pregnancy/lactation, and menopause. Nature Made multivitamin products can supplement a healthy diet to meet individual nutritional needs. 

If you think you have dietary shortfalls or have been diagnosed with nutrient deficiency in your diet, choose a daily multivitamin that offers those key nutrients. Remember, each daily multivitamin is unique and can support your body in different ways. Take a personalized approach and consider your own nutritional needs before choosing the best multivitamin supplement for you.

Nature Made Multivitamin Tablets & Softgels:

NatureMade Multivitamin Gummies:

NatureMade Multivitamins for Men, Women & Kids:

Learn More About Vitamins & Supplements:

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† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Authors

Lynn M. Laboranti, RD

Science and Health Educator

Lynn is a Registered Dietitian (R.D.) and is a member of the Medical and Scientific Communications team at Pharmavite. She has over 20 years of experience in integrative and functional nutrition and has given lectures to health professionals and consumers on nutrition, dietary supplements and related health issues. Lynn frequently conducts employee trainings on various nutrition topics in addition to educating retail partners on vitamins, minerals and supplements. Lynn has previous clinical dietitian expertise in both acute and long-term care, as well as nutrition counseling for weight management, diabetes, and sports nutrition. Lynn earned a bachelor’s of science in Nutrition with a minor in Kinesiology/Exercise Science from The Pennsylvania State University. She earned a M.S. degree in Human Nutrition from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Lynn is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutritionists, Dietitians in Functional Medicine, and holds a certification in Integrative and Functional Nutrition through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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