good multivitamin for young very active women?
Posted by kelly16 on Oct 19, 2007 · Member since May 2006 · 12 posts
hey everyone, i was just wondering what multivitamin anyone could recommend for a varsity athlete who is also a student (aka very little time to cook and eat right). Something that has good protein and iron? Thanks!
Um... a multi-vitamin won't have protein.
I like my New Chapter Organics One Daily. They don't have everything all pumped up but they aren't synthesized and isolated vitamins. I am pretty sure most of it comes from whole foods, which is what I like.
Remember that you need about 60g-65g of protein, it's not that much compared to most of what you hear.
I think the most important minerals to get as an athlete are potassium and calcium/magnesium. They support nerve and muscle function and such.
I use DEVA calcium chelate as a supplement (also has magnesium and zinc), but for potassium there's not much to do... the highest concentration I've seen in a pill is 3% per pill (!). You're better off eating high potassium foods, like bananas, potatoes, apricots, soy, and... cocoa! :D
I take VegLife Vegan one daily--which I like because it has 22 mg of zinc (more than most other multivites).
I take an iron-free multi and a separate (25 mg) iron bisglycinate supplement--not at the same time, of course. Iron and zinc compete for absorption, so it's best not to take them in the same multi.
Also a cal-mag supplement, very important for female athletes....I take Pure Vegan calcium bisglycinate/magnesium aspartate. supposedly it's way more absorbable than calcium citrate and calcium citrate/malate.
If you eat balanced meals, with protein sources present at each, you shouldn't have a problem getting sufficient protein. Especially if you're an endurance athlete, most of your fuel needs to come from carb sources!