Do we need a Multivitamin?

We take it for granted that a daily multivitamin is part of a normal, healthy diet. However, we can get all the essential vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients our bodies need from the foods we eat.  Due to some reasons, health professionals still recommend a daily multivitamin for certain groups who are more predisposed to nutritional deficiencies:

• Pregnant Women:

Most doctors will encourage the use of a good prenatal vitamin to women who are either already pregnant or of childbearing age and actively trying to get pregnant. Certain nutritional requirements increase during pregnancy to ensure a healthy newborn, including vitamin C, iron, folic acid and other B vitamins.

• Vegans & Vegetarians:

Vegans and strict vegetarians have a hard time filling certain nutritional needs, specifically vitamin B-12, calcium and iron. But if vegetarians still consume dairy products and maintain a diet rich in plant-based protein and leafy green vegetables, they are likely getting what their bodies need without a need for supplementation.

• On a diet:

Low-calorie diets can be so restrictive that not only do they cause weight loss, they inevitably result in certain nutritional deficiency. Thus it needs to make sure the daily diet maintains optimal levels of key vitamins and minerals. 

• Aged over 60:

Older people do not always consume a balanced diet that provides enough essential nutrition. Common shortfalls include vitamin D, certain B vitamins and magnesium, an essential mineral for a plethora of bodily functions.

If you want to get all your nutrients from foods, here is a quick overview of certain key vitamins and minerals, which foods offer them and how much you would need to eat per day to meet the recommended daily intake:

Calcium—Daily Requirement: 1,136 milligrams
	Nonfat or low fat cheese: 2 ounces = 400 milligrams
	Fish and seafood such as sardines, pink salmon and ocean perch: 3 ounces = 325 milligrams, 181 milligrams and 116 milligrams, respectively
	Beans such as soybeans and white beans: 1/2 cup = 130 milligrams and 96 milligrams, respectively
	Spinach: 1/2 cup = 146 milligrams
	Oatmeal: 1 packet = 99-110 milligrams

 

Potassium—Daily Requirement: 1,136 milligrams
	Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes: 1 sweet potato = 694 milligrams 1 potato = 610 milligrams
	Beans such as white beans, soy beans, lima beans and kidney beans: 1/2 cup = 595 milligrams, 485 milligrams, 484 milligrams and 358 milligrams, respectively
	Nonfat yogurt or lowfat yogurt: 8 ounces = 579 milligrams and 531 milligrams, respectively
	Fruit such as bananas, peaches, cantaloupe and honeydew melon: 1 medium banana = 422 milligrams, 1/4 cup of peaches = 393 milligrams, 1/4 medium melon = 368 milligrams 1/8 medium melon = 365 milligrams
	Fish such as halibut, yellowfin tuna, rockfish and cod: 3 ounces = 490 milligrams, 484 milligrams, 442 milligrams and 439 milligrams, respectively

 

Magnesium—Daily Requirement: 380 milligrams
	Vegetables such as pumpkin, spinach and artichokes: 1 ounce of pumpkin = 151 milligrams, 1/2 cup of spinach = 81 milligrams 1/2 cup of artichokes = 50 milligrams
	Beans such as soybeans, white beans, black beans, navy beans and great northern beans: 1/2 cup = 74 milligrams, 67 milligrams, 60 milligrams, 48 milligrams and 44 milligrams, respectively
	Brown rice: 1/2 cup = 42 milligrams
	Nuts such as brazil nuts, almonds, cashews and peanuts: 1 ounce = 107 milligrams, 78 milligrams, 74 milligrams and 50 milligrams, respectively.

 

Vitamin A—Daily Requirement: 900 micrograms
	Organ meats such as liver and giblets: 3 ounces = 1,490 and 9,126 micrograms, respectively
	Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, spinach and turnip greens: 1 medium potato = 1,096 micrograms, 1/2 cup of pumpkin = 953 micrograms, 1/2 cup of carrots = 679 micrograms, 1/2 cup of spinach 574 micrograms 1/2 cup of turnip greens = 441 micrograms
	Cantaloupe: 1/4 medium melon = 233 micrograms

 

Vitamin C—Daily Requirement: 60 milligrams
	Fruits such as guava, oranges, kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple and mango:  1/2 cup of guava = 188 milligrams, 1 medium orange = 70 milligrams, 1 medium kiwi = 70 milligrams, 1/2 cup of strawberries = 49 milligrams, 1/4 medium melon = 47 milligrams, 1/4 medium papaya = 47 milligrams, 1/2 cup of pineapple = 28 milligrams 1/2 cup of mango = 23 milligrams
	Vegetables such as raw red sweet pepper, raw green sweet pepper, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, sweet potatoes and cauliflower: 1/2 cup = 142 milligrams, 60 milligrams, 48 milligrams, 38 milligrams, 34 milligrams and 28 milligrams, respectively

 

Vitamin E—Daily Requirement: 15 milligrams
	Nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts and brazil nuts: 1 ounce = 7.4 milligrams, 7.3 milligrams, 4.3 milligrams, 2.6 milligrams and 1.6 milligrams, respectively
	Turnip greens: 1/2 cup = 2.9 milligrams
	Peanut butter: 2 tablespoons = 2.5 milligrams
	Spinach and avocado:  1/2 cup of spinach = 1.9 milligrams 1/2 avocado = 2.1 milligrams
	Tomato paste, sauce and puree: 1/4 cup of tomato paste = 2.8 milligrams, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce = 2.5 milligrams 1/2 cup of tomato puree = 2.5 milligrams