Hello All,

I did low carb once before, and I'm starting it once again.
Now when I was carbing down, I remember how tired I was.

So... I was wonder what a GOOD vitamin would be to keep me full of nutrients, and vitamins while low carbing it?

Thank you all in advance

I don't know of one but you might look into the Multi-vitamin thread

and browse through the Nutrition & Supplement forum

I'm going to GNC and talk with those guys. I know they have a Mega Multi Vitamin that I used years ago and that thing gave me all the energy in the world.

Try looking at the Dr Mercola site. He's not strictly lowcarb as such, but a lot of what he says ties in with lowcarb. He doesn't recommend multivitamins at all! But he has a lot to say about what you can take instead.

And of course Dr Atkins does recommend various supplements, too - have you read the book? (DANDR)

That would be a good place to start. I personally don't take a multi either, as I think they are probably literally too much of a good thing. I do take some supplements, and would recommend magnesium as being a good one when switching to low carb.

amanda

Vitamin B-12 helps you feel better

Chromium Picolinate helps protect loss of muscle while you lose fat

Extra vitamin c helps with absorption of other vitamins
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You know and understand your needs better than anyone else. My truly best advice would be to get savvy on vitamins and minerals and such by doing a little internet research. Self discovery goes a long way towards helping one follow a plan to improve health....

If you get that tired feeling again, it will probably mean you're focused on weight loss and not health improvement. I've learned this through my experience and might have read it some place also.... Focus on improving health and let weight loss be the proof of having better health.

I've never heard of this, interesting.

This topic has been gone over and over again...

But you should go to a health food store and buy a very high quality multi..not one from Wal Mart, Costco or from a drug/grocery store..they are usually crap.

Buy one that has you taking multiple doses..one a days do not cut it!!!

A good multi should be the base of your nutrition program along with fish oils.

Cajun boy, I'd be interested in seeing where you got some of those claims regarding C, Chromium...

C is not much of a co factor and needs bioflavanoids to help maximize it's absorption and to protect it.

Chromium to help prevent muscle loss?? Sounds intriguing, but knowing chromiums actions on the body, I'm not sure on which mechanism where chromium helps with catabolism...blood sugar metabolism for sure, but I'd like to see where you got that info.

Sounds cool.

oh yeah Amandawood,
Mercola sells a "whole food " multi on his site,,and it is a joke..

Where else, on the internet, of course....

If I can't believe everything on the internet, should I believe you when you say Wal-Mart vitamins are crap???

My personal opinion; "quality" when it comes to vitamins is over rated. I don't think the quality differences will make any vitamin bad for me, just perhaps not as good as a vitamin of a different quality. I am not any expert, or authority on this; but using my own common sense, I went with the cheaper vitamins and minerals from Wal-mart and observed if my health would improve and it did. So, claims of superior "quality" doesn't impress me all that much.

I mean no offense to contradict your opinion of Wal-Mart drugs, and I'm only stating my own personal opinion. Calling the vitamin choices of others "crap" sounds a little abrasive to those who've chosen to use the cheaper vitamins, but I take no personal offense to it. I understand where you're coming from...

I understand you're very knowledgable and I did get some very good ideas from you in the past and truthfully, some of the things I followed up on based on what you said helped me quite a bit... so, for that, thanks!

As I said in my prior post, the best advice I can offer, if anyone asked me for advice in the first place; is to do our own research and get involved in making our own decisions... No one has to live with my choices except me.....

Yeah I agree. I mean vitamin C is vitamin C right...? B12 is B12 right...?

So I don't understand when I hear people say this, if it has the vitamins you need in it... go with it.

Supposedly the less expensive vitamins are of a lower quality and less absorbed/utilized by the body.

And, before you ask, no, I have no definitive source for this theory.

Thought I’d list some information I found on the internet and references if anyone wants to read more……..

I’d like to add a comment about how I feel about scientific proof not meaning so much in some situations. This is just my own opinion and I’m not suggesting anyone does anything my way or that anyone believes me.

There is very little research that’s been done on Berberine Hydrochloride. There’s evidence to suggest it might lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and help weight loss but there is always a disclaimer that says; more scientific studies need to be done to provide conclusive evidence.

In March of this year, about 110 days ago, I started taking 500mg of it, three times daily. I’ve lost almost 30 pounds, dropped my blood pressure considerably, lowered my cholesterol to under 200 and have control of my blood sugar to within normal ranges at least 95% of the time. Do I need to have a scientific study to tell me if I’m doing better on it?? I don’t think so….

I feel the same way about vitamins, minerals, amino acids… There is a lot of information and misinformation everywhere. I choose what I want to believe, monitor my situation and adjust accordingly. If harm is done, its my funeral………… So, far, I’m alive and seemingly well…



Many athletes and bodybuilders take the minerals magnesium, zinc, chromium and copper to help them achieve their goals. Some nutritionists believe that supplementation above a multivitamin and mineral supplement is unnecessary unless a person is deficient in these minerals.

Chromium is said to promote weight loss by building muscle tissue and burning fat. For weight loss, there is some evidence that chromium might be of some benefit.

Although chromium is quite safe in the recommended amount, damage has been reported with daily dosages of as little as 600 mcg. One form of chromium called chromium picolinate may alter the levels of neurotransmitters in people with depression or other mood disorders. There has also been at least one report of a skin reaction after using the picolinate form of chromium.

Ref: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/con...rtsMuscle_2.htm



It's a metal that's much more valuable in your body than on your car. Chromium, found in tiny amounts in most foods, works like a key to unlock insulin. Without this nutrient, insulin is much less effective at controlling blood sugar, building proteins, or performing any of its other jobs. If you don't get enough chromium in your diet -- and studies suggest the average American falls short -- you may be more likely to develop high blood sugar and high cholesterol.
Chromium is also a hugely popular dietary supplement -- and not because the nation has developed a sudden mania for well-controlled blood sugar. The demand for chromium pills -- often sold in the form of chromium picolinate -- is based on a simple and common premise: The mineral supposedly helps build muscle and burn fat. Ads for chromium supplements point to "many scientific studies" that supposedly prove the mineral's power to add wanted bulk while removing unwanted bulge. But a close look at the scientific literature shows that the short-cut to a perfect body is still a long way off.
Ref: http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/chromium

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is needed to form collagen, a tissue that helps to hold cells together. It's essential for healthy bones, teeth, gums, and blood vessels. It helps the body absorb iron and calcium, aids in wound healing, and contributes to brain function

Ref: http://kidshealth.org/teen/misc/vitamin_chart.html

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I remembered my information wrongly about vitamin C, or I can’t find the places that support my comment. Either way, if anyone wants to learn about how important Vitamin C is, google up Dr Linus Pauling. He dedicated his life to the study of Vitamin C and there is a University in Oregon named after him. When trying to first improve my health I slowly increased my Vitamin C to a mega dose level of 8g per day. After gaining my health back to where I felt comfortable to do so, I gradually cut it down to 1g per day. I’ve recently discontinued it as I ran out while living here in China and I can’t find any place that sells a vitamin c pill of more than 100mg and I’m not going to take 10 of those in a day, so I’ll do without till I get back home in the states…

We're all here to express our opinions based on our experiences. Sometimes our opinions are based on memories of something we've read in the past and it is somewhat distorted or does not get expressed properly for our failure to just communicate our thoughts or ideas correctly. But, it is easy enough and would be prudent for anyone to do a little research before running out and trying anything new just because they've read it here in a forum. So, I trust all can do and are doing that on their own as I have on many occassions.

Oh yes! The appendix sends a price check to the brain and signals the gallbladder to only release digestive fluid based upon the price of the vitamins.

IMHO, price often has little to do with quality. I see this all the time on ConsumerLabs. They test various vitamins for potency and purity. Sometimes the most expensive are the worst.

Man, I'd be in serious trouble if the body could do that.

But, without actually researching it, I'd be willing to wager that the supposed logic behind the idea that less expensive = lower quality is the *idea* that less expensive = the addition of ingredients the pervent absorption. I'm not saying it's true just that I'd bet that's the thought process underlying what I'd heard. And I'll repeat, I have nothing to back it up except this: 'that's what they say.' And we all know just how reliable that is!


I have wondered about liquid vitamins - if they'd stop including sugar, would they be better?

There is so much hokum around vitamins it isn't funny.

On LC, a good general multivitamin that is very well absorbed is One-a-Day Children's Sugar Free Vitamins -- Bugs Bunny vitamins. Children's vitamins contain the same concentrations of vitamins that adult vitamins contain, and buying a chewable means that there is no chance that the vitamin passes through intact.

Have it with a meal containing fat and you'll get all the benefits.