Not all multivitamins are created equal!

A new year is always a good time to take stock of our health and get back on track. Not only do we feel we’ve indulged over the festive period, but the winter months are often a time when we start to catch colds, flu and that other infamous virus….

So, we often look at our diet as a starting point. Eating a healthy, balanced, wholesome diet should always be our aim but we all know that there are always going to be obstacles and barriers in our way…”I was going to cook from scratch but I left work late and I’m shattered”, “I want to make a dish with loads of vegetables but my partner / kids won’t eat it”, “I can’t afford to eat healthily, I’m still paying off Christmas”. These are all genuine and realistic barriers that we, at Awesome Supplements hear daily.

Even if we don’t come across these barriers, does anyone actually have the time to go through the lists of ingredients in their meals and ensure that they include all the vitamins and minerals that we need? And what about quantities? Do we really need to check the recommended daily intake of every vitamin and mineral to check we are getting the right amount? And if you study ingredients, you’ll see that some minerals come in different forms. How on earth do you know which is best?

Believe us when we say that vitamins and minerals are a minefield. And with more and more of us eating processed, convenience food, lacking essential nutrients in our diet is becoming increasingly common.

So, as well as the gym membership and the healthy food shop, or subscriptions to meal delivery services, the supplement market can also be our go-to.

But do we know what we are actually looking for? 

Surely all multi-vitamins contain the same ingredients, right?

Well, no they don’t as a matter of fact. So, as well as looking at the price tag and the number of doses included, looking closely at what they contain is also pretty important.

If you’ve ever looked on the back of a multi vitamin pack, you’ll know as well as we do that it’s pretty complex. Even on the back of our multi vitamin, Awesome Defence! It’s not uncommon to glaze over by the time you’ve reached the third ingredient …

But, the good thing is, that you don’t need to get stuck into the ins and outs of vitamins and minerals, as we’ve done the work for you…

We’ve looked at the market leader in vitamins and compared not only the ingredients, but the type of ingredient, as this is something that can easily be overlooked.

Let’s look at Vitamin D for starters. A deficiency in this vitamin is a worldwide problem. In the UK, it’s recommended that we should supplement with this vitamin between September and April. Our market leader simply lists their ingredients as Vitamin D. But did you know that there are two types of vitamin D - D3 (choleocalciferol) and D2. (ergocalciferol).

D3 is the more powerful of these, raising Vitamin D levels almost twice as much as D2. That’s why they are used in the Awesome Defence, and listed as such in the ingredients. Without the detail, on the label it’s anyone’s guess as to what it contains.  All we can tell you is that we use the one that gives you the greater benefit. 

Let’s move onto vitamin E. This is the one that acts as an antioxidant, getting rid of the free radicals that can damage our cells. That’s why we pump so much more into our capsules than our friends who lead the market (twice as much as the recommended daily intake in fact).

We all know the benefits of Vitamin C. Unlike the market leader, our supplement contains the full 100% of the RDI. So if you forget to put your fruit in your lunchbox, you know you’ll be sorted.

We are aware as well that one of our main competitors who’ll be advertising like mad this new year, does not add any Vitamin B5 in its dose. Vitamin B5 is one of our most important vitamins as it helps convert the food we eat into energy. We give you more than you require in our supplement. So when you’re eating well and working hard on your training, it’s good to know that the vitamins you are putting into your body are actually doing their job.

In terms of the vitamins, let’s finish off by looking at Vitamin K. This is a group of vitamins essential for blood clotting. Without it, our wounds are going to struggle to heal. A lack of this vitamin can also lead to significant bleeding, poor bone development and osteoporosis. In Awesome Supplements we include both Vitamin K1 and K2. Our market leader? Neither. What a glaring omission.

Let’s have a closer look at the minerals now, starting with magnesium. Magnesium plays an essential part in supporting nerve and muscle function and energy production. But have a look on the back of the packet. Many brands (including the market leader), use Magnesium Oxide. This is not a good form of magnesium, simply because it’s really hard to absorb (or has poor bio availability). Magnesium citrate on the other hand, has high quality bio availability. No prizes for guessing which one Awesome Defence contains.

Finally, let’s consider iron. This is vital for growth and development, yet is also a mineral that is commonly lacking in those that follow a plant based diet. Our market leader uses Ferrous Fumarate. Like Magnesium oxide, this is well known to have very poor bio availability, unlike Ferrous Bisglycinate which has a much higher rate of absorption. Again, no prizes for guessing which one you’ll find in Awesome Defence.

So, as you can see, buying a multivitamin isn’t as easy as it looks. The cheaper the product, the more likely it is that the quality of some of the ingredients is poor. We’ve only touched on the big ones here but there are many other high quality ingredients in our product. We are proud of the research we under take and our evidence-based approach to the quality of our ingredients.

So, if you’re out shopping for supplements to complement your health kick, remember, not all is necessarily what it seems. If the labels are vague, the chances are that you’ll be buying an inferior product. And just because something comes with s higher price tag, don’t assume it’s better. Look no further than Awesome Defence if you want to hit your levels of nutrients and get the best bang for your buck both financially but also in terms of quality.