Vitamin Overview And Recommended Intakes
The water-soluble vitamins consist of eight B vitamins: B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12 (cobalamin), as well as vitamin C Water-soluble vitamins are not readily stored in your body and need to be supplied continuously through your diet. On the other hand, fat-soluble vitamins are stored in your body’s tissues and retained for longer periods Depending on their age and health status, women and teens have differing daily vitamin needs. Also, pregnant and breastfeeding women under the age of 19 need 5 mg less vitamin C per day than pregnant and breastfeeding women 19 years or older This will be discussed later in this article
Antioxidants
Antioxidants may lower the risk of some health problems and slow aging. Vitamin C. You may also hear it called ascorbic acid. It also boosts levels of the brain chemical called norepinephrine, which makes you feel more alert and amps up your concentration.
You can get vitamin C from broccoli, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peppers, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes. Your body needs it to keep cells healthy.
What To Look For In A Multivitamin For Women
If you’re looking to optimize your nutrient intake or help ensure you’re ingesting enough vitamins and minerals each day, adding the right multivitamin can help you cover your bases.
Though multivitamins are especially beneficial for women who are pregnant or looking to conceive, women following vegan diets, or picky eaters, many other women can benefit from taking a multivitamin daily—or for shorter periods of time, like if you’re traveling frequently or experiencing high levels of stress. Meet the Expert • Brigid Titgemeier is a functional nutrition dietitian, graduate school instructor, and functional medicine patient. “There are companies that conduct third-party testing to assess the ingredient quality, consistency of product label, freshness, and more.
They then give supplements their seal of approval to indicate it meets their standards,” she explains. A few to look for: ConsumerLab.com, NSF International, Informed-Choice, and US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP). Your nutrient needs will vary greatly based on the stage you’re in, particularly when it comes to things such as iron, folate, and calcium.
To that point, it’s always best to chat through your particular needs with your doctor when choosing a multivitamin. Read on to learn more about the best multivitamins for wome.
The Best Women’S Multivitamin Overall
Multivitamins are a bit of a hot topic.
What’s more, the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2020-25 say about three out of four people don’t eat enough dairy, fruits, or vegetables. At the end of this guide, we go into more detail about who needs a multivitamin and how to choose the right one. Here are the best women’s multivitamins of 2021:
Best women’s multivitamin overall: Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women, $37.99 on Vitamin Shoppe
The Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women is an all-in-one choice packed with the essential daily nutrients, probiotics, and enzymes to aid with digestion.
Best budget women’s multivitamin: Nature Made Multi for Her, $13.99 on Walgreens
Nature Made Multi for Her gives a boost of calcium, folic acid, iron, and vitamin D for less than $30. Best vegan women’s multivitamin: Ritual Essentials for Women, $30 on Ritual
Ritual Essential for Women is vegan, gluten, and major-allergen-free, focusing on brain health, bone health, blood-building, and antioxidant support.