Vitamins, minerals, multivitamins, multiminerals. What does it all mean? Are single ingredient vitamins better or are multivitamins optimal? What’s the importance? What should you look for in the ingredients?
With so many questions and even more “answers” it’s enough to keep a person up at night (which multivitamins could also help with).
In this article I’ll break it all down. By the time you finish reading, you will sleep easy, knowing that you can now make effective, educated decisions regarding your future vitamins. Check out this stack for beginners.
What are Vitamins & Minerals?
Getting the basics out of the way so we can move onto the more interesting stuff, I’ll keep it simple, and moderately scientific.
Vitamins are basically any of several organic compounds essential for normal growth, and functioning in we mere mortals. There are thirteen of these essential vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, and K, with eight vitamins in the B complex). Also, vitamins are made by living organisms.
Minerals are inorganic elements on the earth and in foods that our bodies need to develop and function normally. Minerals are more frequently found in soil and rock.
Comparing the two, it’s easy to see the similarities, and some minute differences. The importance is in knowing that both vitamins and minerals are essential to human functioning.
Diet Deficiencies
Vitamins and minerals can be obtained from several different sources. The most obvious being nutrient dense foods like meat, vegetables, fruits, and, most importantly, donuts and the legendary sweet fish native to Sweden (I wish).
Most of us, however, aren’t getting the adequate amount of vitamins and minerals needed.
I know what you’re thinking. This doesn’t apply to you. You’re following the newest best trending diet, and that always works. For examples: (1) you do carnivore because one youtube video told you anything that’s not meat has a defense system that tears the human body apart from the inside out, and really the problem humans have with vitamin deficiencies is just a myth, or on the opposite end of ludicrousy, (2) you watched — what’s probably the biggest load of misinformative, cherry-picked pseudoscience since flat earth — a Game Changing documentary and you now have vegan superpowers, or most commonly, (3) you purchased a cookie cutter meal plan and currently get all your generous 1200 calories from dried chicken breast and rice. So, obviously, if you fall into any of the aforementioned categories you’re surely fine. Right? Wrong.
It’s not that easy. In fact, even if you drink a gallon of artisanal spring water daily, had your blood type tested, went to an endocrinologist, then met with an accredited nutritionist, and they optimized your diet, down to every macro and micro nutrient, and even threw in optimal biohacking techniques…it’s highly likely you still have something missing. Because, biology.
Yes, some people are better off than others. But most of us, especially those of us who absolutely must walk around at near-competitor level body fat percentages (otherwise we’re afraid to show our faces in public), are missing out on necessary vitamins and minerals. Tangent: read this article for some fat loss hacks.
As it turns out, being in a caloric deficit also means you’re at a nutrient deficit, which, big surprise, can lead to a vitamin and mineral deficit.
Where Vitamin Supplementation Comes In
Don’t worry. I’m not about to try convincing you to start bulking, or even crazier, simply eat enough healthy foods. Nor will I attempt to convince you that widely renowned superfood-veggies like broccoli aren’t evil, because obviously all plants want to kill you; I’d never dare suggest that, although admirable, your quest for saving the animal kingdom isn’t optimal for health (We get it, you’re woke, and we’re all terrible).
The reason I won’t open those particular boxes of pandora is simple: I stopped arguing about religion when I stopped wearing band- t-shirts. Yes, I am implying that diet and nutrition is the dogma of the health and fitness community. On that note, did you know that Intermittent Fasting can be applied to pretty much any diet? No, really. Check this out!
I digress. We all have some deficiencies, to varying degrees.
Previously, I mentioned how there are thirteen essential vitamins. As such, the natural place to start when looking to live a healthier lifestyle is getting enough of those key vitamins.
Below are those thirteen essential vitamins, some of the roles each one plays, and suggested foods to get such vitamins.
| Vitamin | Suggested Foods |
| Vitamin A: helps form and maintain healthy skin, teeth, bones, and soft tissue | Sweet potato, spinach, raw carrots |
| Vitamin C: Needed for the growth and repair of tissues throughout the body (and more). | Red peppers, orange juice, kiwi, broccoli |
| Vitamin D: Usually comes from the sun, and so necessary it makes you wonder if maybe we do have something more in common with kryptonians. | Cod liver oil, Rainbow trout, Sockeye salmon |
| Vitamin E: Helps with the formation of red blood cells and is an antioxidant | Wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds dry roasted, almonds |
| Vitamin K: also known as clotting vitamin, allows blood to coagulate (when needed) | Frozen collards, turnip greens, kale |
| Vitamin B1: or thiamine, helps convert carbs into energy | Black beans, macadamia nuts, asparagus |
| Vitamin B2: or riboflavin, works with other b-vitamins. Also important for growth/production of red blood cells | Beef liver, clams, portabella mushrooms, plain yogurt |
| Vitamin B3: or niacin, helps function of; digestive system, skin, and nerves. | Chicken breast, marinara sauce, canned tuna |
| Vitamin B5: or pantothenic acid, is essential for growth and food metabolism | Shiitake mushrooms, salmon, avocado |
| Vitamin B6: or pyridoxine, helps body make antibodies and hemoglobin, helps maintain blood sugar | Poblano, sunflower seed, halibut |
| Vitamin B7: also known as biotin, essential for food metabolism | Onion, almonds, eggs, chicken, cabbage |
| Vitamin B9: aka folic acid or folate, helps with tissue growth and repair | Frozen spinach, black-eyed peas, white rice |
| Vitamin B12: helps with red blood cell stuff; important for energy and metabolism. | Clams, Atlantic salmon, grass-fed ground beef |
How Vitamin Supplementation Can Help
Getting all those every day can be challenging, for sure. Luckily, supplementing with vitamins is a powerful way to optimize our regimens without having to make massive changes (and thank the gods of gainz, because really who wants to make massive healthy changes?!).
Multivitamins can accomplish providing such benefits by helping us get any vitamins and minerals that our well-balanced diet might be missing.
In the following section, I’ll look at just some of the benefits found in supplementing with vitamins. These are often in association with obstacles you might be facing due to deficiencies.
- Healthy aging*
- Heart health*
- Can boost immune system*
- Improved daily energy levels*
- Hormone balance*
- Healthy hair, skin, and nails*
Those are just a few of the many possible benefits associated with taking your vitamins.
Building Your Foundation
Starting out on taking vitamins is a way to lay the foundation for the rest of your supplements. As such, it should be the first thing you look at. Yes, even before pre-workout. That’s a hard pill for me to swallow too, don’t worry. Besides, there’s these nifty little things called multivitamins, and that’s the big role they play in your supplement regimen.
For those of you whose primary focus is getting those essential vitamins into your daily life, look no further than Bucked Up’s Multivitamin Gummies (from our Essentials line).
Bucked Up Multivitamin Gummies.
The Bucked Up Multivitamin Gummies from our Essentials line are rich in all the essential vitamins we need to function optimally, as well as a couple others. Here are just some of the key ingredients in the Bucked Up Multi-Gummy:
- Vitamin A: healthy immune system & ocular health*
- Vitamin C: famous antioxidant protecting cells against free radicals*
- Vitamin D: strengthen bones & muscle*, encourage healthy immune function*
- Biotin: Supports skin, hair, ocular, and nervous system efficiency*
- Vitamin B12: Maintain blood and nerve cell health*
- Zinc: Effectively soothe inflammation thereby encouraging optimal aging*
Other Imperative Vitamins for Key Components of Healthy Living
Below are some honorable mentions. Read on to discover some sweet vitamins you can snack on to supplement a solution, and reap some gummy gainz. That’s right, each of the following vitamins are available as part of our Gummy Essentials line.
Vitamin C: Supports, well, you know…
Vitamin D: Encourages optimal:
- Daily energy*
- Mood (i.e. motivation)*
- Hormone balance*
- Bone and joint health*
- Support heart health*
- Proper nerve function*
- May aid fat loss*
- Supports respiratory system*
- Sounds shamanic AF.
- Accelerate time to sleep*
- Improve sleep quality*
- Encourages optimal g**** h0rm0ne balance*
- Supports gainz*
- Sooth existential inflammation*
Apple Cider Vinegar: Recently gaining popularity, boasts benefits in…
- Gut health*
- Heart health*
- Blood sugar modulation*
- Cleansing the system of harmful bacteria*
Multivitamins to Maximize Your Metaphorical Mansion
The least visually appealing, and least immediately gratifying portion of building a house is the foundation excavation process. Of a 15 week timeline project, 6 weeks can be excavation: foundation. However, anyone who knows anything about construction knows this is the most critical step for longevity. After all, you wouldn’t want to have the fam over for a party and have the place collapse with everyone inside just because you tried shortcutting past the tedious essentials — that’d ruin the whole flex.
Building your dream physique is no different. We love our pre-workouts, pump enhancers, fat burners, and recovery products just as much as you (naturally), but unless you have a regenerative superpower, then no one is exempt from needing a solid foundation.
To build muscle, lose fat, and enjoy quality living, you must excavate and lay the foundation. Lucky for you, we already did the whole boring part of checking the building sites (physiques) and discovered the vitamins+minerals most of us will need more of, prior to laying concrete. Once we added those in, we got to work adding in all the highest quality ingredients at their clinical doses to promote absorption.* Our STAG and DOE Multivitamins ensure that when you construct your castle of lean muscle captivation, you’re doing it on solid ground.
STAG Full Spectrum Formula For Men
STAG covers you on all of the essentials, then provides you with all the nifty upgrades a guy could possibly need, like Iron and Magnesium. To cap it off, we made sure the bioavailability (how well your body absorbs the benefits) is unparalleled.
- Formulated for Men: Equality doesn’t mean same. Designed to help free test levels*
- Clinically Dosed: You should get what you pay for. Quality ingredients & results.
- Bioavailable: Increased bioavailability means you get all the benefits.*
- Full Spectrum Panel: Like a full-coverage insurance plan, except we actually cover you
DOE Full Spectrum Formula For Women
DOE Full Spectrum Vitamin Formula combines essential vitamins, minerals, and specialized ingredients to provide a solid foundation for the active woman. Using clinically dosed ingredients to enhance health* and folate to boost absorption*, DOE Full Spectrum ensures you are showing up to life as your best, healthy self everyday.
Designed with diamond-cutter attention to detail, DOE Full Spectrum also has Cranberry and D-Mannose for urinary tract support*. We use chelated ingredients for improved bioavailability, and to promote overall wellness, we have included ingredients to help hormone balance*.
Specifically made for women, DOE delivers the science-based nutrients we need for vibrant health; 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 for healthy & strong bones* B-vitamins to support heart and brain*. Biotin for luminous skin and hair.* Add onto that, powerful antioxidants like vitamin C, then vitamin A to promote a healthy immune system*.
- Chelated Ingredients: Improved bioavailability*
- Urinary Tract Support: Cranberry and D-Mannose*
- Hormone Support: For ULTIMATE health and wellness*
- Heart + Bone Health: two critical components of strength and stamina*
- Hair, skin, and nail health: B-vitamin complex for vibrance*
- Iron-Free: some women can handle iron, some can’t.
SUMMARY: Schematics for Superb Vitamin Supplementation
Leaving multivitamins, vitamins, and minerals on the shelf or in the cart, is the equivalent of gainz lost.
Build your foundation. Take your health as seriously as you take your gym sessions.
In other words, maximize your multivitamin and reap the benefits. The first step is easy. Just jump through this link.
