What makes a multivitamin a "high-quality multivitamin?" Why is there such a big difference in price between what your healthcare practitioner recommends, and what you find in retail stores? Why do you even need a multivitamin?



Clients and VIGOR Training members have asked me these questions numerous times. I'll provide the answers below.



I ran the nutritional supplement brand for one of the top fitness companies in the United States for several years. I formulated or helped formulate numerous supplements, including multivitamins.



During the process, we also vetted manufacturers, decided on which forms of micronutrients to use and considered things like fillers and excipients, which few people consider when buying their supplements.



I also worked for a year with one of the most respected nutritional products manufacturers in the world. I designed and formulated products, and have been “behind the scenes” in the supplement manufacturing world.



Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Hopefully, by the end of this, you'll understand why you're better off investing a little more in your supplements for products that work, rather than buying what's cheap and might not be as effective.



Once you understand why you need a multivitamin, check out my post on the best multivitamins to buy.





Why You Need a Multivitamin



When I refer to a “multivitamin,” I’m really talking about a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement, or a supplement that includes most, if not all, of your essential micronutrients.




Micronutrient: essential vitamin or mineral that must be consumed through diet or supplementation to maintain normal cellular and molecular function.




If you don’t use a multivitamin today, here are three reasons why I believe you need to start.



1. Vegetables and fruit are not as nutrient-dense as they once were.



Though farming production has improved in many ways, growing produce bigger and faster comes at a cost. Super-sized fruit and vegetables lack the nutrient density they once had.



Also, farming has depleted soil of many minerals it once contained. The plants cannot absorb what is no longer there.



Research shows that today’s produce has less protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and vitamin A than in the mid-1900s.



As one study put it, you’d need to eat eight oranges today to get the same amount of vitamin A that a single orange contained when our grandparents were young.



2. Higher mental and physical stress levels require more micronutrients.



We encounter more oxidative stress, emotional and physical stress, pollution, and other toxins than ever.



We also get less sleep, movement, and time outdoors, which hampers your ability to recover from those stresses.



Vitamins and minerals play essential roles in helping us deal with these stressors and maintain healthy metabolic function.




Increased metabolic and enzymatic demands during times of stress may also be associated with increased micronutrient utilization and subsequent depletion. Moreover, stress is associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Through their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms, nutrients may be utilized at greater concentrations in response to these processes. It is also possible that increased micronutrient excretion through urine and sweat may contribute to reduced bodily nutrient stores. Perspiration is increased during times of physical and psychological stress, possibly accounting for increased excretion of certain micronutrients through sweat. Stress and increased cortisol output via its effect on aldosterone levels may also contribute to changes in the urinary excretion of associated minerals and electrolytes, thereby modifying nutrient concentrations. Finally, stress is also associated with appetite changes; therefore, reduced nutrient concentrations could be an artifact of dietary changes.