Growing up, I remember being given multivitamins by my parents. Sometimes they were the chewable sort which made it easier. But when I grew up, I got lax. I would go through phases when I’d take vitamins or health supplements daily but then I’d miss my routine or forget and then that would be it – that thud of falling off the bandwagon.
Recently, thanks to chatting with some friends and family, I’m back on the bandwagon again 😛 Do you take any vitamins or health supplements?
I just picked up a general multivitamin over the weekend but I have been taking Omega 3 fish oil supplements for a few months now. Does it help me?
Let’s be honest. I can’t say. Can you really? The only way I think any benefits will be noticeable is if you have a problem and then take something and find your problem goes away. Otherwise, it would pretty much be preventative wouldn’t it?
Most of our vitamins and daily supplementary needs can be obtained from food, I’m told. But you know what its like for most of us. We often don’t eat as healthily as we like, nor do we eat enough of the good stuff. Sometimes, we skip meals or eat at odd hours and that can really mess with our systems.
For myself, I take the supplements and hope that it helps. Omega-3 is supposed to be good for the heart and skin so I guess there’s no harm in taking it. It doesn’t cost me very much and its as easy as popping a pill. I don’t know if its also helped with energy levels but I too find that I don’t get as tired in the day despite hectic schedules.
For me, the hardest has been finding a routine and sticking to it. I used to get nauseous when I took supplements in the morning, because I used to skip breakfast (don’t try this at home, kids!). It was mostly because I was lazy but these days, I have a healthy bowl of oats before leaving the house in the mornings, so once I established that routine, it was easy to slot in the supplements into my routine so I wouldn’t forget.
Do you take vitamins daily or a health supplement? Do you find it beneficial?
Like I said, unless you are taking something as a cure, its hard to say if it works but so long as I don’t suffer any side effects, I will take it and maybe add on other supplements in time to come. General good health would mean better skin, of course, and who doesn’t want that right? 😉
Paris B
LeGeeque says
September 4, 2012 at 8:44 amI’m on the Vitamin D bandwagon >< I'm on the extreme low end of Vit D deficiency and I'm extremely low on B12 which I need to fix with monthly B12 shots (hurts like a ()!**&@%&^!%^!$^!!!!!!!!!) but they work because I notice I don't get as tired anymore and I seem to sleep a lot better. With Vit D, I'm on 3 tablets a day (regular deficiency folks take 1 so you can imagine) but honestly, who isn't low in Vit D in winter? 😛 When I've fixed all of this, I'm going back on the bandwagon for regular multivites. Yes, Omega and fish oil is important. Coco takes it and her coat is glossy and healthy 😛
Paris B says
September 5, 2012 at 7:29 pmOuch about B12 injections and boo to Vit D deficiency 🙁 I might have been low on Vit D back in the day when it was winter except I didn’t know 😛 Good to know that you are bouncing back. I hope to have a nice and glossy healthy coat too like Coco! 😛
Hanny Daforcena says
September 4, 2012 at 9:08 amI take EPO for my eczema and my highly irregular periods. When I was a kid, it didn’t really help much but things got better as I got older and then I started taking it more regularly.
If things don’t help on the period side, I will add bak foong yuen (hundreds of them Chinese herbal pills for ladies)
Paris B says
September 5, 2012 at 7:29 pmI used to take EPO too and it did help me stave away the period cramps. I stopped taking it – got lazy as usual. Maybe I’ll add it back into my repertoire 🙂
ksuan says
September 4, 2012 at 9:12 amA group of my former colleagues, all dudes who work out, gave me two bottles of their favourite vitamin supplements because they were “afraid you won’t eat properly during your Masters, so you’ll need an alternative source of the good stuff”. The vitamins are rather amusingly called Ultra Mega Gold. The guys take two every day, but since my body mass is literally half each of theirs, I take just one and they seem to serve me fine. I also take a fish oil capsule a day. It’s all become pretty habitual now, and I always feel like something’s amiss in the mornings if I don’t take my supplements with breakfast!
Paris B says
September 5, 2012 at 7:30 pmAhhh very nice of your colleagues to look out for your health! 🙂 Now that I’m putting myself back on some sort of routine, it does get easier.
Janessa says
September 4, 2012 at 9:14 amNope, I don’t! I’ll occasionally take some vitamins but they’re the kids kinds so they’re basically like candy and taste better than some gummy candies. :]
Reading this post make me realize I should take vitamins haha.
Paris B says
September 5, 2012 at 7:31 pmHaha well, I went for a while without taking vitamins too so you aren’t alone 🙂 Besides, there is a school of thought that if you eat well generally, then vitamins are superfluous 🙂
Jyoan says
September 4, 2012 at 9:19 amI do have Vitamin C and antioxidants, and fish oil supplement, because those are the only ones I feel I need. And I drink milk regularly to get calcium.
For ladies, taking Zinc and Magnesium supplements is also beneficial.
However, I often forget to take my supplements. =P So this post is a good reminder for me to take them!
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 10:13 amI found that its important to establish a routine. When I didn’t take breakfast it was hard for me to get into a routine, but now I do, it’s become second nature in the mornings 🙂 I tend to take vitamin C only when I’m starting to feel under the weather lol!
Issa says
September 4, 2012 at 9:25 amawww, I take vitamins when my mom tells me to do so but after a few days, I tend to forget too… 🙁
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 10:15 amSet it next to your morning or evening foods and you should remember after a while 🙂
amelie says
September 4, 2012 at 9:26 amused to take a tablet of multi-vitamin daily for the past 20 yrs. have stopped, replaced with juicing vegetables, roots, gourds and fruits. it not only has vitamins and minerals but enzymes and all other co-factors. my skin now has the clarity & glow which i never had while on tablet. a word of caution, avoid all synthetic vitamins.
i try to get omega3, collagen and whatever the body needs from food instead of supplements unless there’s no choice.
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 10:17 amThat’s fair. Vitamins and nutrients from food would be my first choice too but I suppose that since I can’t always ensure I eat healthily or get the benefits from food all the time, taking multivitamins are my next best option 😉
xin says
September 4, 2012 at 9:31 amwell…guess who is on a bandwagon? 😉
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 10:18 amHmm… I wonder who….
babysaffron says
September 4, 2012 at 9:44 amHi….i’m taking USANA essentials and proflavanol C. And fish oil….
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 10:20 amHiya, not sure what they are except the fish oil lol! But I guess whatever keeps us going, right? 😉
Jenn says
September 4, 2012 at 10:05 amOh… i’m a pill popper, the good kind! 😛 At one point I was taking Vitamin C, Multivitamins, Fish Oil, EPO, Glucosamine, Acidophilus and two kinds of idontknowwhat from Sunrider that my mum made me take. I must have looked like a complete healthnut (when I’m far from it… I was probably the most unhealthy at that point because I was eating junk everyday!)! Lol!
Nowadays I just take vitamin C, Multi-vit and fish oil everyday. Not sure if this counts as a kind of supplement, but I down a glass of liquid chlorophyll every morning too on empty stomach. With this combo, I find that I do not fall sick as easily. Like you, I also find that taking Multi-vit makes me less tired. Not sure if the fish oil does anything though, but I hope it does help in the long run! Hehehe! 😀
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 10:22 amHaha pill popper! That’s a lot of stuff to take! But since you were eating junk 😉 then it might be a good thing you were taking supplements too 😉 I tried taking chlorophyll too once but couldn’t get into the habit 😛
Efrain says
September 4, 2012 at 10:40 amHere I am again after don’t having time because of school. My doctor say I shouldn’t take vitamins in a time because Isotretinoin as a derivative of vitamin A stays on the body fat, so I have a supply of vitamin A for a while. About supplements I was taking Omega 3 but I didn’t buy another jar.
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:18 pmHi Efrain, how’s school been? I didn’t know about the storing of vitamin A in the body. How interesting
Efrain says
September 7, 2012 at 8:47 amWell school it’s OK with a lot of work (it’s my last year before university). And yes there two types of vitamins, one type can be dissolved in fat (vitamin A, D, E and K) and the other type can be dissolved in water (vitamin C and B vitamins).
anis says
September 4, 2012 at 11:03 amI do take vit c, calcium+vitD ( to replace all that was lost during pregnancy n breastfeeding). Pestered by mumsy to take fish oil as I get flu from ppl easily. Also advised to take lecithin n garlic pills as every time I check my cholesterol it’s at borderline level. Blame the love for seafood. Now that I write it down, I was like, holy moly that’s a lot to take!
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:20 pmHaha yeah it’s always the case isn’t it? We pop it all easily but when you write it down, it’s like whoa! I took garlic pills once but didn’t like the after taste 😛
Sharon says
September 4, 2012 at 11:06 amI must have my vitamin c pills even if its the only supplement i take.
I find that it really boosts my immune system so that i don’t catch whatever virus is going around as easily n usually emerge unscathed *touch wood* i also need glucosamine for my knees especially i used to run quite a bit.
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:21 pmI take vit c especially when I’m traveling (if nothing else) because I find it helps ensure I don’t fall sick on holiday 😀
Chin says
September 4, 2012 at 11:23 amHi, for years I have been taking vitamins & supplements. However I read recently that it might not be too good to be so dependent on vitamins as your body will fall apart if you don’t take them and you willfall sick the minute you stop taking them.
Also people have thistendency to detox their body all the time. Unless you eat junk food everyday,smoke, drink, detoxing your body too much strips all nutrients and vitamins in your body , so I don’t think it’s too good to detox so often.
That’s just my 5 cents worth
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:25 pmThanks for the info, Chin. I guess it’s a good thing I don’t bother with the detox thing then! Lol 😉
Becca says
September 4, 2012 at 12:34 pmI take fish oil, a multivitamin (the gummy kind–those things are so good! No trouble forgetting to take them there! Haha), and then switch off days adding an extra dose of vitamin D and B12 in there. But I ran out of the multivitamins 2 weeks ago and haven’t gotten around to getting more, so I just take the D and B12 daily for now. I also take glucosamine, sometimes a fiber chewy thing, and lately started adding chia seeds to all my juices (not really a vitamin supplement, but really great for you nonetheless!)
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:37 pmWow that’s very healthy, Becca! 🙂 i see a lot of people taking B12 I wonder if I might need that… Hmm… Lol!
Sukie says
September 4, 2012 at 1:10 pmI take my multivitamins too! on top of that I also take Evening Primrose Oil (not on a regular basis because I find it difficult to swallow capsules) and peppermint oil capsules to help with the IBS 🙂
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:38 pmPeppermint oil capsules are new to me! Hope it’s all helping 🙂
LSY says
September 4, 2012 at 1:41 pmi take multi vits, vit c, vit e and glucosamine. i take them at night, after my night face routine and hopefully they work their magic whilst the body rests (in hope i wake up glowing in and out haha). but like you mentioned, it is difficult to tell if it is really working though.
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:51 pmHaha a friend of mine tried taking at night and couldn’t sleep thereafter lol! I take in the morning so it keeps me energized through the day 🙂
Tine says
September 4, 2012 at 1:49 pmI take 5 tablets a day (4 big ones) >.< I'm like a sick person. Vitamin D because I have Vitamin D deficiency, Vitamin C because Mummy said I have to eat Vitamin C or else I'll get sick, evening primrose oil to curb PMS (doesn't really help though; I don't notice any difference), omega-3 capsules (husband is taking it, so I'm kiasu, must also take) and Elevit with folate (because we're *ahem* trying for a family, so must get ready). That's five whoppers daily 😛
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:52 pmVitamin D deficiency sounds like a common thing in winter. I was thinking back and realized that I might have suffered from it back as a student, but just never knew! 😛 good luck on the family thing 😉
Sze Ling says
September 4, 2012 at 2:27 pmI have a routine that I’ve stick with for the past couple of years. It’s just Centrum and Fish + Evening Primrose Oil. Only one of each a day, with breakfast. It’s sort of “programmed” into my brain already, so I rarely forget. LOL. 😛
As for obvious benefits…hmm…I can’t really see any hard evidence on myself. But I just take it for the peace of mind. 😉 And hopefully it’d do me more good than harm. Hehe.
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:53 pmThat’s what I figure too – just take to be on the safe side 😛 glad to meet someone who is taking Centrum too! 😀
Petrina says
September 4, 2012 at 4:44 pmI take loads it seems nowadays. Hb n his family are in the health line and they take even more! I have seen a vast improvement over the years but like you said- its not a short term thing. It’s long term and a preventative. Food, water and air quality are not the same these days not to mention stress & type of work ( staring at computers, lack of exercise, long working hours n driving!).
I normally take a multi vit, C,E, calc & magnesium & fish oil as a min but since I’m expecting the Vit D has been dropped and I’ve added Iron & Vit D as blood tests show I’m extremely deficient :(. Oh and I also take a probiotic! Helps my eczema heaps. I’m lactose intolerant ( mild but still troubling when I more than 2 cups of milk or more than 2 scoops of ice cream!!) so calcium is a must and magnesium helps with my restless leg syndrome! I take supplements at night as that’s when ur body is resting n repairing itself.
Paris B says
September 6, 2012 at 6:58 pmI have to agree with you, Petrina. Even if we eat proper food, the quality just isn’t the same anymore. Even veges are full of pesticides aren’t they? Congrats on expecting! I can’t take probiotics cos it breaks me out but I hear it’s very effective for those who can take it 🙂