If I'm on a strict diet but I take a multivitamin,,will that make up for lost nutrients?

Answer:
It may depend on the "strict diet". Some vitamins are water soluable, others are fat saluable. Those that are fat soluable need fat in your diet to be absorbed properly.Multivitamins are good for giving you the basics across the board, but sometimes your body could use, or needs, more than the basic daily recomended value of vitamins.Water soluable vitamins are usually safer than fat saluable vitamins if you get them in larger doses. Vitamin C for one is a vitamin your body can use a lot of, and is really hard to overdose on as the body simply flushes out what it doesn't need, as it does for many of your B vitamins. However, your body needs some other B vitamins to counter each other in equal doses, so taking a B-comlex tablet is best. Also, you need to take a B-comlex with food or it may cause nausea, or you should look for a time release formula.Vitamin C is also necessary for iron absorption, if that is a problem for you, whether you are getting too much or too little iron in your system, you may have to adjust your C intake.Vitamin D is required for Calcium absorption, and is necessary to help keep cholesterol down. It's actually best if you get about thirty minutes of sunlight a day for your body to convert cholesterol to vitamin D. More if you are dark skinned. This is partly why cholesterol counts are higher in the winter.Calcium is necessay for a high protein diet. If you are getting a lot of protein in your diet, you need to take it with calcium, or else your body will sap it from your bones!Potassium is something that is hard to supplement. You are supposed to get about twice the potassium in your diet as you are getting of sodium. Most people are usually getting huge amounts of sodium and little potassium. You can find potassium in fresh fruits, orange juice, some grape juices, bananas, and potatoes. Using the 2:1 ratio, you need about 32 ounces of orange juice per frozen dinner or can of soup!Vitamin A can be a bit toxic in high levels and is fat soluable, which means, once it's absorbed, it takes a while to be used. Hence, it is best to supplement with beta-carotene, which your body converts as needed to vitamin A. Any extra is fairly harmless, unless you smoke.Vitamin E is not so toxic as A, but is also fat soluable. If you want to deliver a 1-2 punch, you need to take E with selenium. Selenium makes E more useful to the body.Usually you don't need so much iron as you can get it in your diet, but you may need a little copper if you take zinc as zinc supplementation tends to deplete it. Copper is often found naturally in nuts.Magnesium, zinc, and calcium work together to create strong bones. Magnesium is necessary for a healthy heart and muscles, as is calcium. Too much calcium though can build up in your muscles though and you can get bone spurs or calcium deposits in your muscles. If you are absorbing too much calcium in your diet you may have to curb the amount of vitamin D you are getting from food sources, namely milk products.Without knowing more about your restricted diet, this should provide you with a little basic information about how vitamins and minerals play off each other. Stay away from artificial substances like fake sugars (Aspartame/Nutrasweet, Sucralose/Splenda, et al...) and other fake or artificial substances (Olene/Olestra, MSG, High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, etc...) and you should be fairly ok.

---

I'd find out from your doctor which vitamin would be best for you. But if you get the right combination of nutrient supplements, that should be helpful.I took vitamin pills while on my diet - Mostly Centrum.

---

it does not matter how you get vitamins, as long as you get them. still like the first person said check with your doctor.

---

Taking a mulivitamin will most certainly not hurt; but if you should really look at what you are eating first. Your diet should not be so strict that it is not letting you consume your necessary nutrients. Fitday.com is a very basic monitoring system and it's free.

---

no vitamins replace nutrients in food. what about protein your muscles need? what about fiber your intestines need? what about complex carbs your body need for energy?

---