# Whole Food Multivitamins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696 "2019-05-29T04:29:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![memeingtrillions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@memeingtrillions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/memeingtrillions)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/1 "2019-05-29T04:29:46Z")
I have looked this up in the past but am not really qualified to understand - are whole food multivitamins ie Alive! better than “synthetic” or extracts? Let’s be clear: can I eat a diet of just beans and pasta, and Alive!? And maybe a fiber, like celery. There must have been some research on some substance showing decreased absorption for something, leading to the idea that compressing chunks of actual food into a pill would work better. Or is it a total fad? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/2 "2019-05-29T10:14:06Z")
They are called “supplements” for a reason. They are meant to supplement food, not replace it. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/3 "2019-05-29T11:58:10Z")
[Primate chow.](https://www.zupreem.com/products/zoo-animals/primate-diet-dry/) Though, even living off such a product, you would probably want to at least eat a piece of fruit or something. Organizations such as the military have spent time looking into creating portable, non-perishable meals, and homogeneous bars/pills are supposed to be emergency iron rations, not a palatable basic diet. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/4 "2019-05-29T12:11:57Z")
Multivitamins are unnecessary for most people to begin with. A balanced diet should provide you with all your nutrients unless you have a specific condition that requires supplements. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/5 "2019-05-29T19:20:16Z")
> [@memeingtrillions](#): > > are whole food multivitamins ie Alive! better than “synthetic” or extracts? Some nutrients appear to be better absorbed when accompanied by the food matrix, but in other cases the synthetic forms are better absorbed: > **[Is it better to get vitamins from foods or supplements? - ConsumerLab.com](https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/is-it-better-to-get-vitamins-from-foods-or-supplements/natural-vs-synthetic-vitamin/)** > > Learn more about the benefits of getting vitamins from food versus supplements, natural versus synthetic vitamins, and more. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/6 "2019-05-29T21:17:11Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Multivitamins are unnecessary for most people to begin with. A balanced diet should provide you with all your nutrients unless you have a specific condition that requires supplements. Exactly. You should only take a vitamin pill of your doctor has recommended it. Even then, you should determine if the deficiency can be resolved by changing your diet. If so, do it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/7 "2019-05-29T21:31:34Z")
> [@memeingtrillions](#): > > I have looked this up in the past but am not really qualified to understand - are whole food multivitamins ie Alive! better than “synthetic” or extracts? Let’s be clear: can I eat a diet of just beans and pasta, and Alive!? And maybe a fiber, like celery. > > There must have been some research on some substance showing decreased absorption for something, leading to the idea that compressing chunks of actual food into a pill would work better. Or is it a total fad? Well, let’s see. The [del]marketing hype[/del] specifications for Alive!: \*This Whole Food Energizer Multivitamin Is Made With Daily Essentials, Botanical Energizers And System Defenders Including: ``` 25 Vitamins And Minerals. 18 Amino Acids. 12 Digestive Enzymes. 14 Green Foods. 12 Organically Grown Mushrooms. 40+ Antioxidants.* ``` Sounds like the company wants you to think that it’s better than other supplements because it’s prepared from “whole foods”, whatever that means. To be dependable and not have constituents vary widely (and thus be safe to consume), manufacturing would have to involve a standardized process, as opposed to Mother Earth types sprinkling bits of kale and hawthorn into the vat while dancing around it, singing traditional folk tunes. So it’s already sounding like other companies’ supplements. Digestive enzymes? They’re very likely to be chewed up by your G.I. tract and not function in your body. Ingesting a big slew of antioxidants is probably not a good idea, since large doses of them could be detrimental. Vitamins A and E in supraphysiologic amounts have been linked to increased cancer risk in some research. All in all, you’re better off eating a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fruits\*, which contain many phytochemicals that Alive! lacks. \*and mushrooms, organic or non-organic, if you like. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-food-multivitamins/834696/8 "2019-05-29T21:42:31Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > They are called “supplements” for a reason. To evade Federal regulation. [This lays it all out, really.](https://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/07/02/dietary-supplements-scary-substances-manufactured-under-scary-conditions) [So does this, from _National Geographic_.](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2014/11/12/the-scary-synthetic-and-all-too-secret-ingredients-of-dietary-supplements/)