The Truth About Multivitamins

Not all multivitamins are made the same, and in the past few month there has been a lot of negative media attention directed at multivitamins. So are multivitamins actually good for you? Do they work? and which one best suits my family's needs?

In order to determine is multivitamins actually give you any therapeutic benefits, we first need to establish the fact that not all multivitamins are made to an equal quality and standard. The quality and quantity of ingredients a differ greatly between brands and since there are so many different brands available on the market it does make it hard for us to choose the best ones, especially when every company will tell you that theirs is the best. Let me share with you my two basic tips for choosing a multivitamin that is high quality and quantity so you too can ensure you are getting the best value for money multivitamin.

Firstly, it is important to ensure that the company has used natural forms of vitamins not synthetic. The easiest vitamin to look at here is Vitamin E which in its Natural form is also known as D Alpha Tocopherol. If it is listed as this name you are one step closer to the best multi for you. However, the synthetic form of Vitamin E is DL Alpha Tocopherol (notice its DL not L like the natural one - the easiest way to remember is that DL Does Less) and if this is used then it is likely that they have used other synthetic vitamins in there as well. The reason natural is better than synthetic is because the body will recognise it more effectively and you will get upto three times better absorption which means better results.

My second and final tip for buying a good multivitamin is to look at the quantity of ingredients, without compromising on the quality. This does however mean spending a little more on your multi to ensure that you are going to get maximum absorption and results for you money. The easiest thing to look at in a multi to judge whether or not it contains high enough amounts of the listed ingredients is to look at the B Vitamin levels. The B Vitamins are all required in different amounts so if your multi contains for example 50mg of each of them then it is not a balanced formula and won't be the best you can get. Also, if they are present in different amounts but these amounts are only 3mg or 5mg then it is far too low a dose and won't give you any benefits. You need to make sure that your B Vitamin levels are at lease 30mg and upto 100mg or even 150mg each.

So are multivitamins any good and do they work? In short yes they do, provided you get a good one. Sometimes however, you may not notice a huge improvement in your energy levels until they day the you forget to take it and wonder why you are so tired. The basic reason for taking a multi is because the essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs to perform every day functions such as energy production, correct sleep and detoxification are not always available from our food. This is due to common mineral deficiencies in the soil that our vegies are grown in and the sprays and pesticides which are used during the process of growing our food which has been proven to deplete the body of many essential nutrients. For this reason, as well as our high stress lifestyles, it is important to supplement our diet with all the essentials to ensure that we are still meeting our body's basic needs.

At Wave Health we offer several types of Vitamin and Mineral supplements, so there is something there for everyone. For the little ones we have our Multi Care for Kids which is a delicious Orange flavoured powder specially designed for children from 2 to 12 years. From 12 years and over, provided they can swallow pills, teens can use the Family Multivitamins or the Men's and Women's formulas. For a good value multivitamin that the whole family can use, we have the Family Multivitamin and Mineral. This is a high potency supplement suitable for anyone over 12 years. We also carry the Femme Essentials Multivitamin and Mineral and Male Essentials Multivitamin and Mineral for those who prefer to take something a little more specialised.

Special for July 2011 ONLY - 10% OFF all multivitamins (enter discount code MV10 when placing order)

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Purchase 10 or more of any single product and we will send you an extra one FREE of charge.