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Harvard School of Medicine says “a multivitamin is the cheapest form of health insurance that you can buy.” its absolutely a smart thing to do to take at least a good one per day multivitamin to make sure your bases are covered, along with getting a good range of different whole foods. things to watch out for though are making sure that you are taking a supplement with high enough doses of the vitamins/minerals you need, as well as making sure that you are actually absorbing the majority of the nutrients you are getting. a lot of minerals aren’t absorbed properly unless they are “chelated”, or bound to specific amino acids. your body will do this naturally, albeit inefficiently, so finding a company that uses chelated minerals in their supplements helps.

Good point Pete, asbsorption rate is a huge problem with multi’s. Calcium in particular is a tricky and very stubborn vitamin. You need to get about a 2-1 ratio Calcium to Magnesium to make sure that your body can properly integrate all of the nutrient, and taking sufficient Vitamins C and D will also help. And that’s just for Calcium! Our bodies are so complex and there are hundreds of thousands of biochemical reactions going on in every second…

Yeah, i always make sure to take my multi’s. I read somewhere that
one really intense lifting session can set you back and deplete your
mineral levels for as much as up to 18 days afterwards or something
like that. Gotta make sure your body is supplied with good stuff to
keep it working properly.

What multi vitamins do you recommend? Right know I am taking opti-women by Optimum. 
 
Should women take multi vitamins specially made for women? I would assume yes due to added calcium, vitamin D, Magnesium, ect. 
 
Are there multi vitamins that are better for people who weight train?
 
I hate it when I go to the pharmacy and ask what multi vitamin I should take… They say “they are all the same, just choice a brand on sale” This drives me nuts!!!

actually the only really big nutrient requirement difference between men and women is with iron. menstruation cycles and all that stuff make women’s iron requirements higher than men, but other than that most nutrients are just as vital for men as for women and in comparable amounts.
i like the Cooper Complete line of vitamins. they independently test each batch at separate labs to ensure quality, and change their formulas to keep up with the latest research. they use test results and research from the Cooper Clinic down in Texas to justify anything they do.

there are specific lines of vitamins for athletes, but they vary greatly from company to company. Cooper has a product for elite athletes but unless you compete or play professionally you most likely don’t need the extra vitamins. Biotest just released a new vitamin product for elite athletes and i usually really like their stuff, but again its tailored for elite athletes. they use chelated minerals but its not a multi-vitamin, it only targets the 4 minerals that athletes are most deficient in.

basically unless you are a professional athlete just take a standard multi-vitamin. and the pharmacist is right for all intensive purposes. most of the supplements you find on the market are the same and based off the same RDA guidelines and probably even manufactured in the same place and maybe even same batch before they are repackaged with separate labels.

Wow, thanks Pete!! That is good to know.  I will check out the Cooper Complete line of supplements.  I guess I should not get mad at the pharmacist any more lol. 
 
So I guess you are a big fan of biotest products.  I hear really good reviews about them.  I always wanted to try their low carb Metabolic Drive.
 
Have you ever tried it?  
 
It’s a bit pricy, is it worth it?
 

I always look for an Iron free multi as I eat  a lot of red meat and feel its not necessary to add more iron supplementally. As silly as it sounds I often buy kids vitamins because they are iron free and cheap, not to mention chewable and tasty!

yeah i still make sure i eat my flintstones vitamins every day!

lol, you’re mom would be proud Jon.
Max, you are correct that you don’t really need a whole lot of iron, especially if you are eating your red meat. women have higher iron requirements than men so they have to watch it, but it shouldn’t be a problem for most guys.


llulko, i have tried Metabolic Drive, i am actually currently using the Low Carb version right now in my peri-workout shakes and i’m getting some great results. i also love their Metabolic Drive Complete which has a great amount of cassein. i use that in my snacks and shakes and anything that i’m not doing right around my workouts. i do love Biotests stuff, they put a lot of effort into researching their products and use the best quality ingredients they can find. head and shoulders above most other companies out there.

Thanks Pete.  I am going to buy low carb metabolic dive when
 
I am done with my current protein. 
 
What are your favorite flavors?
 
Can you share some of your recipes using low carb metabolic drive?    I would make bars, puddings, shakes, and protein pancakes
 
Also, does the biotest casein have a different consistency then the low carb metabolic drive??
 

i’ve tried the chocolate, vanilla, banana cream and strawberry. the strawberry and banana ones are interesting, they have a different consistency and kinda foam up in the shaker bottle and i don’t like them as much as the standard chocolate and vanilla, but they are a nice change.

the low-carb metabolic drive and the metabolic drive complete have basically the same consistency, although like i said the banana and strawberry are a little… creamier i guess i should say?

i really only use the low-carb for my workout shakes so i only mix them with water, but my two favorite snacks for the metabolic drive complete are:

1 scoop Vanilla Metabolic Drive Complete
1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 tbsp walnut or flax oil
sprinkle of shelled unsalted sunflower seeds

and

my prebed power pudding which was posted in another thread:

1 scoop Chocolate Metabolic Drive Complete
1/2 cup plain cottage cheese
2 tbsp unsalted creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp flax oil
dash of milk or almond milk to help mix