While consuming health aids such as multivitamins and nutritional supplements is absolutely necessary for maintaining optimal health, the time at which they are taken also plays a huge role on their impact on your body. By figuring out the best time to take multivitamins and vitamin supplements, you are making sure that they are properly absorbed and released into your body, getting the most out of your nutritional supplement.
However, the best time to take supplements can also change according to the type of supplements that you are consuming, which is why you need to sort out your intake first.
One thing to keep in mind before figuring out the best time to take multivitamins is to make sure that most of your nutritional intake is coming from natural and whole sources of food, such as dark leafy green vegetables and fresh fruits. Not only does this help in the better absorption of nutrients, it also makes sure that you don’t have to deal with unwanted side effects from excessive consumption of vitamin supplements.
Let us understand more about the best time to take multivitamins and other nutritional supplements, and how they impact our body.
Best Time To Take Multivitamins
There is no such fixed thing as the best time to take multivitamins when it comes to taking them. It is only recommended that you take them in combination with a meal during the day as a rule of thumb.
This is primarily to avoid complications like discomfort or nausea. It is also recommended that during the best time to take multivitamins, the food you consume should be high in fats. Since multivitamins mostly contain fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K, these nutrients will bond better with the natural fats present in your food, thus being absorbed better by the body.
Regardless of the best time to take multivitamins, if they are consumed on an empty stomach, you may experience no actual benefits from consuming those multivitamins.
Best Time To Take Supplements
Vitamin supplements in general are divided into two types of categories based on their ability to be absorbed by the body. The nature of their absorption determines the best time to take supplements:
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Water soluble vitamins are those nutrients which are not naturally produced by the body, and are hence absorbed from external sources such as vegetables and nutritional supplements. One of the most common water soluble vitamins include the b class of vitamins and vitamin c. When it comes to figuring out the best time to take vitamin C, you need to make sure that you are consuming it in tiny amounts throughout the day. Since it is naturally available in a lot of forms such as lemons, oranges, and tomatoes, this shouldn’t be too hard for you.
For example, the best time to take vitamin C would be right after you wake up. Later in the day, you can consume it about half an hour before every meal in consistent intakes to optimise its value. Make sure that you are getting in the recommended daily allowance of water soluble nutrients every day. You need not worry much about consuming it in excess since it is flushed out by our body via urine.
Similar to the best time to take vitamin c, your consumption of other water soluble vitamins such as the B complex vitamin should also be spread out evenly through the day and in consistent doses to get the most out of your supplement.
Fat-soluble vitamins
Fat soluble vitamins are a class of essential nutrients that are primarily synthesised within your body. Since you have a natural reserve of them, you do not need much of it and only need to consume minimal amounts to meet the recommended daily intake. These vitamins primarily include Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. When you are figuring out the best time to take vitamin D, make sure to include a meal that is rich in natural water soluble vitamins and fats in order to optimise its benefits.
The best time to take vitamin D is also dependent on the amount of nutritional supplements you will be taking in addition to it. In case you are substituting your diet with other nutritional supplements, it is best that you space your consumption out through the day and assign each meal for a different type of supplement.
Similar to the best time to take vitamin D, your consumption of all fat soluble vitamins must be done in combination with a meal rich in fats and other water soluble vitamins. It is also recommended that you consume these nutrients earlier in the day so as to ensure better absorption and energy levels throughout.
What To Keep in mind
While figuring out when to take multivitamin and optimising its intake can be beneficial to your health, consuming it in excess can have the opposite effect. Always make sure that you maintain an accurate record of the nutritional supplements that you are consuming and be wary of the reactions that take place between them.
For instance, if you are someone who is on prescribed medication for blood thinners, then you should not be consuming vitamin supplements like Vitamin K, since it may cause clots in your body.
In case you are pregnant, make sure to check for specific body requirements, and do not consume excess prenatal vitamins. If you require more than the recommended vitamin D dose adults or minerals like iron, substitute your intake for those specific nutrients instead of using additional prenatal vitamins.
It is also a good idea to be cautious with fortified foods such as breakfast cereals and other such nutrient enriched foods since you may end up consuming too much of one nutrient, causing a major imbalance in your body.
Regardless of the best time to take multivitamins, always make sure that you are consuming a balanced healthy diet. Good diet and regular exercising are great ways to ensure maximum health benefits from all supplements.
