18/12/2023
Fun fact, I once choked on a chewable Flinstone Vitamin.
Anyway. I talk a lot about macros here, but we need to give some love to the micronutrients, too. "Micros" refer to vitamins and minerals, so here is a list a little cheat sheet to help you make sense of the vitamins out there.
I'll be honest with ya, I've never known much about vitamins. The extent of my knowledge was always that Vitamin C helps us not be sick (and made us all cry with Graduation), Vitamin D comes from the sun, and B vitamins give us energy.
I've taken a multivitamin for pretty much my entire life. It wasn't until more recently in my life that I realized it's unnecessary. A multivitamin is a supplement, and if you eat a well-balanced diet, you're likely getting plenty of vitamins in.
Of course, if your diet is doo-doo, then multivitamins can be a helpful addition. Like any supplement, you shouldn't rely on it as your main source. It's very similar to a greens supplement- if all you eat is protein bars all day, it might be helpful. But, try eating real food.
Vitamins can be broken up into 2 categories: fat soluble and water soluble. The fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, & K, and they are found in mostly fatty foods (with exceptions of course). The water soluble vitamins are vitamin C and all of the B vitamins, and you'll mostly find those in fruits & veggies, dairy and grains (again, with exceptions). What's the difference in these types of vitamins? Essentially, water soluble vitamins pass through your body, where fat soluble vitamins are stored for longer term use.
One common misconception is that since B vitamins help convert food into energy, that they burn calories. While B vitamins do provide some energy (they're staples in lots ofvitamins do provide some energy (they re staples in Tots of energy drinks) they do not provide CALORIC energy. Chugging the energy drinks isn't the key to fat loss- I'm sorry.
I could only fit so much onto one graphic, so just note that there are MANY sources for every vitamin, I just had to highlight a select few!
2:-
2:-