Best Multivitamin for Women
No matter where I am, at an event for the kids, a business meeting, social gathering or simply shopping for groceries, once someone finds out what I do for a living, they inevitably ask “What vitamins should I be taking?” To be truthful, its mostly women. Men for the most part don’t seem to be interested in my nutrition advice unless of course, they have a physical coming up or they’ve been advised to “get in shape” by their GP. Women on the other hand are seeking preventative health advise to better the lives of their family as well as themselves. Because women are nurturers by nature, their wellness often takes a back seat. So, I almost always give the advice we all receive before the plane takes off, take care of yourself first so you can take care of others.
All of us seem to be living busier lifestyles, women in particular. When life gets hectic, we don’t prioritize our health. This can have negative impacts down the road. One of the ways women can begin to prioritize their health is to start taking a daily multivitamin. But then the important question becomes, “what is the best multivitamin for a woman?”
Young or older, active, or not, sometimes we don’t always get everything we need from our diet alone. Whether it’s a busy life, food allergies, or that you just don’t like fruits or veggies, a supplement can help cover those nutrient gaps. Candidly, the multivitamin is the foundation of a good vitamin plan. However, I always recommend a couple of additional supplements that, if incorporated into a single multivitamin pill, would be too big to swallow. At the same time, I try to make it an easy vitamin plan, one that doesn’t include too many supplements, making the plan overwhelming, causing someone to quit. Below are my recommendations for what the best multivitamin should contain and a few other recommendations to ensure the unique nutrient needs of women are met.
Multivitamin Must Haves for Women
Vitamin A
An important vitamin for our skin, eyes, and immune system. Recommended daily dose 1,000 - 3,000mcg
B Complex
B vitamins support many important functions needed for optimal health. A good multivitamin should always include a range of eight B vitamins. These vitamins work synergistically with each other, therefore a full spectrum of B vitamins, rather than high doses of individual B vitamins work much better for most men. However, additional B vitamins can be added for specific needs. Below are the individual B vitamins with benefits typically found in a “B complex” and a range of essential daily recommendations.
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B1 – Thiamine: 14mg to 18mg
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B2 – Riboflavin: 14mg to 18mg
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B3 – Niacin: 14mg to 18mg
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B5 – Pantothenic Acid: 14mg to 18mg
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B6 – Pyridoxine: 14mg to 18mg
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B7 – Biotin: 1400mcg to 180mcg
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B9 - Folate: 200mcg to 250mcg
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B12 – Cobalamin: 1400mcg to 1800mcg
Vitamin C
Pivotal to immune health and collagen production for our skin and joints. In addition to what you get in a multivitamin, it is recommended to supplement your daily dose with 500 to 1000mg to maximize the benefits of vitamin C.
Vitamin D
Recently found to have a positive impact on our immune systems, as well as in bone health. In addition to what you get in a multivitamin, recent clinical research suggests increasing your daily regimen between 2,000 to 5,000iu.
And last (but not least), Minerals
Essential minerals are extremely important to our health, these minerals include Calcium, chromium, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium and zinc. Because that’s a lot to pack into a single tablet, the strength levels of the minerals are kept at minimum therapeutic levels. That’s why it’s always a good bet to take additional key minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and zinc that are found to be more effective at higher doses.
Multivitamins are foundational for any supplement program, but they can’t cover all our essential needs. Best to take a few additional pills to get the appropriate preventative potency of the supplements I mentioned above, vitamin C and D. To achieve what I believe is an optimized foundational plan add omega 3 oil of approximately 1000 mg. This is an additional supplement I always recommend, as the science supporting the benefits is overwhelming.
The essentials I recommend above can be taken in 4, easy to swallow pills taken just once a day. Not a lot to ask for something that can dramatically improves your quality of life. Think of it as an insurance policy for you and your family.
Unique Vitamins That Women Need
If I haven’t expressed this enough, women have their own nutritional needs. The key elements mentioned above will help with those needs. However, as we age and our lives become more complex, so does our health. It’s very common to have issues with stress, lack of energy, poor digestion, cardiovascular concerns, and so on. It’s sage advice to pay attention to that time tested adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” For women who want to further optimize their health, protect themselves from a future health issue, and/or address a current health challenge, I generally suggest any one of the following to be added to their daily regime in priority order.
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B12 in an optimal amount of 250ug: Best known to support energy, B-12 also supports a healthy brain and nervous system
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Probiotics: Nearly every day we hear more and more evidence supporting the use of probiotics in maintaining a healthy digestive system and overall health and wellness
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Calcium with Magnesium: Together these minerals are known to be vital to muscle contraction and maintaining the structure of bones and teeth. Magnesium goes one step further, supporting cardiovascular health as well as a natural calming agent
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Ashwagandha: This calming adaptogen (an herb that helps your body adapt to stress) helps the body manage its stress response system while enhancing mental clarity
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Zinc in an optimal amount of 30mg: Valued for its benefits for immunity, blood sugar control, and wound healing.