What to Look Out for in a Multinutrient

June 15, 2023

It might seem like multinutrients are a product of recent times, but they’ve actually been around for a lot longer than you might think. A chemist named Carl F. Rehnborg created the first ‘one-a-day’ multivitamin in 1934 (and made a boatload of cash from it, too). Since then, they have become a mainstay of kitchen cupboards and medicine cabinets across the globe.

The goal of a multinutrient is simple. Unlike single-serving supplements, a multi contains a wide variety of essential vitamins & minerals in a single dose. Multinutrients are designed to give your body the raw nutrients it needs to stay healthy for many years to come.

But what actually makes a quality multi-nutrient? Unfortunately, many multinutrients are on the market aren’t worth your hard-earned cash.

This article will explain what a multinutrient is, the ingredients you should look for, what vegans should consider, and whether you actually need one at all!

Want to find out more about our Vegan Multinutrient right away? Click here!

In this article:

Why do you need a multinutrient?
What vitamins and minerals should a multinutrient contain?
Do vegans need a multinutrient? Why do you need a multinutrient?
Can you get all the nutrients you need from food?
What is the best multinutrient for me?
Try the Vivo Life Vegan Multinutrient

Why do you need a multinutrient?

Unfortunately, the quality of our soil and produce has been decreasing over the last century.

One of the main reasons why food has fewer nutrients these days is because the soil it grows in is often overworked and used repeatedly to grow high-yield crops. This depletes the soil of essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. When the soil lacks these nutrients, it becomes harder for plants to absorb them, and as a result, the plants don’t grow as well or produce as many nutrients as they would under the right conditions.

By taking a high-quality multinutrient, you can ensure that your diet contains all of the essential vitamins and minerals you need that might be difficult to get from food.

Don’t get it twisted, though – a whole foods diet high in plants should be the focus of your health concerns. But taking a multinutrient is an effective and affordable way to fill in any gaps in your nutrition caused by soil depletion.

What vitamins and minerals should a multinutrient contain?

There is no set formula to what a multinutrient should contain, but most high-quality products will contain the following nutrients:

Vitamins:

Vitamin A: Maintains healthy vision, skin, and immune function.
Vitamin C: Acts as an antioxidant, helps the body absorb iron, and is necessary for healthy skin and immune function.
Vitamin D: Important for absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which are important for strong bones and teeth.
Vitamin E: Acts as an antioxidant and helps protect cells from damage.
Vitamin K: Assists with blood clotting and bone health.
Thiamin (Vitamin B1): Helps the body convert food into energy and is important for nerve and muscle function.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): Helps the body break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and is important for healthy skin, eyes, and nervous system.
Niacin (Vitamin B3) & Biotin (Vitamin B7): This helps the body convert food into energy and is important for healthy skin, nerves, and the digestive system.
Vitamin B6: Helps the body make neurotransmitters, which are important for communication between nerve cells, and is involved in the production of hormones and haemoglobin.
Folate (Vitamin B9): Helps to make DNA and is important for the growth and development of new cells.
Vitamin B12: Helps to make red blood cells and is important for nerve function.
Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5): Helps the body make hormones and is involved in the production of energy from food.

Minerals:

Calcium: Important for strong bones and teeth, muscle and nerve function.
Iron: Necessary for the production of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood.
Magnesium: Helps the body maintain normal muscle and nerve function, and is vital for bone health.
Zinc: Important for immune function, wound healing, and normal growth and development.
Selenium: Acts as an antioxidant and helps protect cells from damage.
Copper: Helps the body make red blood cells and is important for nerve and immune function.
Manganese: Necessary for the formation of healthy bones and cartilage.
Chromium: Helps the body use insulin properly, which is essential for blood sugar control.
Molybdenum: Necessary for properly metabolising amino acids and other compounds.
Potassium: Helps maintain normal fluid balance in the body, as well as muscle and nerve function.

Remember, each person’s needs are different, so this isn’t by any means an exhaustive list of what you need. It can depend on various factors, like biological sex, activity level, your daily diet, and more.

Do vegans need a multinutrient?

While a properly planned plant-based diet can provide nearly all of the necessary nutrients for good health, most vegans will benefit from taking a multinutrient supplement. This is because certain nutrients can be more challenging to obtain from a vegan diet, such as vitamin B12, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Omnivores tend to have higher levels of these nutrients because they eat animal products. However, animal products only contain these ingredients due to receiving supplementation. Of course, consuming animal products has been linked to a myriad of diseases, as well as the ethical and environmental considerations that come with it.

If you’re on a plant-based diet, you want to ensure your multinutrient contains high doses of essential vitamins and minerals in the proper forms (including B12).

Can you get all the nutrients you need from food?

In general, you can get almost all of the vitamins and minerals you need from whole foods. However, there are a few drawbacks to relying solely on food:

It can be inconvenient: Tracking your micronutrients every day is tedious, and it can be hard to guarantee you’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need. Sometimes you might have a busy day and don’t have the time or energy to cook a wholesome, whole-food meal. The multinutrient covers your back.
It can be expensive: Most nutritionists recommend eating different foods each week, to get a wide variety of nutrients into your diet. However, this can be expensive. If you’re on a budget, you might not be able to afford a different range of food each week. A multinutrient helps to plug the gaps in your usual diet.

It can be impossible: Vitamins like B12 were originally found in our soil. However as we wash our food, we don’t get the benefit of the Vitamin B12 (which is essential for our health). Likewise, getting enough sunlight to hit your vitamin D3 target can be difficult in the winter. In these instances, taking a multinutrient can ensure your body is getting what it needs, with minimal effort.

On top of a high-quality multinutrient, we also recommend a good source of omega-3 in your diet, which is crucial for brain and joint health. Try to avoid fish, as it can contain high levels of heavy metals like mercury, as well as microplastics.

Looking for a good source of omega-3? Try our plant-based Omega 3 (from Algae)

What is the best multinutrient for me?

When you decide to buy a multinutrient, it’s crucial that you choose one has been designed using recent and relevant scientific literature for your specific diet. For instance, if you’re plant-based, you should purchase a multinutrient designed for those eating a plant-based diet.

Unfortunately most multivitamins on the market are simply cookie cutter formulas. The doses are typically not in line with the latest scientific findings, and they often contain incorrect forms of vitamins (meaning much of it is not absorbed by your body). They also cater more to omnivores than vegans — so the range of nutrients and dosages might not be effective.

As well as a comprehensive list of vitamins and minerals, here are a few other things you want to look for in a multinutrient:

Tested for heavy metals and contaminants: The herbicides and pesticides used in agriculture growth can end up in our food. On top of this, many supplements contain high doses of heavy metals, PCBs, and other contaminants. That’s why we third-party test our Vegan Multinutrient (and all our products) for contaminants.

Potent doses in the proper form: Not all vitamins are created equal. The body is a complex machine, and not all forms of vitamins are easily absorbed. We created our multnutrient based on over 80 pages of scientific literature (you can download it for yourself at the bottom of this page). This means that the doses and forms of vitamins and minerals are proven by scientific research to be the optimal form for those on a plant-based diet.

Affordable: You shouldn’t need to spend a small fortune each month in individual vitamins and minerals. That’s why we’ve priced our Vegan Multi as affordable as possible — it works out at £0.32 a day.

Try the Vivo Life Vegan Multinutrient

Created using over 80 pages of scientific research, we’ve created our vegan multinutrient to be the foundation of a healthy plant-based diet. It’s affordable, high-quality, and third-party tested for heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, and other contaminants.

Simply take one capsule twice a day, and feel confident that you’re giving your body what it needs.

Try it today!

Sources:

"Vitamin A." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
"Vitamin C." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
"Vitamin D." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
"Vitamin E." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
"Vitamin K." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminK-HealthProfessional/
"Thiamin." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Thiamin-HealthProfessional/
"Riboflavin." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Riboflavin-HealthProfessional/
"Niacin." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May, 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Niacin-HealthProfessional/
"Vitamin B6." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
"Folate." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/
"Vitamin B12." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May, 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/
"Pantothenic Acid." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/PantothenicAcid-HealthProfessional/
"Biotin." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/
"Calcium." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
"Iron." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
"Magnesium." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
"Phosphorus." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Phosphorus-HealthProfessional/
"Potassium." National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Accessed May , 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/

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