Multivitamins and the Military Diet

Multivitamins and the Military Diet

People frequently ask, “Can I still take a multivitamin on the Military Diet?” The answer is YES! If you take multivitamins as a regular part of your diet, there’s no reason to stop on the diet.

But should you take multivitamins as a regular part of your diet?

Are you getting all your vitamins?

Do you have a balanced diet of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains? Are you vigilant about getting your daily nutrient values? If yes, then you probably don’t need a multivitamin.  If, like most of us, you don’t have a consistently balanced diet or eat poorly, you should probably take a multivitamin to help fill in the gaps with the vitamins and minerals you’re missing. Just remember a multivitamin is not a magic bullet or a get out of jail free card! You can’t have ice cream for breakfast and fast food for dinner and expect your daily multivitamin to keep you in good health, it is a dietary SUPPLEMENT not a replacement for a balanced diet.

Daily multivitamins have been around for over sixty years and have become part of a morning routine for tens of millions of adults and children alike. The majority of multivitamins on the market contain 100% of the daily recommended allowance of ten vitamins and ten essential minerals, kind of like an insurance policy for your health. In addition to providing  you with the daily dose of vitamins and minerals your body needs, multivitamins also claim to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, improve your immune system, improve bone health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as some forms of cancer, and help with the prevention of colds and flu.

There are so many brands of multivitamins to choose from that you need to pay attention to make an informed choice. There are brands for women, for men, for seniors, for kids, for pregnancy, for vegetarians, and many more. So, before you head out and buy a bottle of any old multivitamins, do some research on trusted brands. Talk to your doctor and compare your diet with the ingredients in multivitamins. You want to make sure you’re supplementing what your diet is deficient in, and that you aren’t getting too much of a good thing which could be harmful to your body. Also, factor in your age and sex, and your current state of health. If you have specific health issues, you may need less or more of some of the vitamins provided in a multi. And always remember, if you eat a proper, balanced diet you can eliminate the need for a multivitamin.