5 Mistakes You Make When Choosing a Multivitamin

Taking a vitamin is a great way to make sure your body is staying healthy. But are you taking what's right for you? There are tons of brands on the market and they all claim different things! Be sure you aren't making these mistakes, found by clinical nutritionist and author Kelly Dorfman on Huffington Post.

Assume they are all pretty much the same: Multiple vitamin and mineral supplements are targeted to different populations and needs. From low potency one-a-days for those who want minimum support but do not want to swallow many pills to a complete overhaul nine-a-day program for the fully committed health enthusiast. There are gentle food-based supplements and high-potency supplements for those with greater needs. Supplements geared to women of childbearing age can be full of iron, a mineral most men and older women should generally avoid. Before throwing a random bottle into your cart, gather more info to see which one will suit you best.

Neglect to look at the other ingredients: Some of the bestselling multiples are full of additives health-conscious consumers go to pains to avoid in their food. Look at the full list of ingredients and avoid supplements with artificial colors and too many hard-to-pronounce ingredients beyond the nutrients themselves.

Assume Daily Value (DV) is the ideal goal for nutrients: One of the most common misconceptions about nutrition is that the DV for nutrients listed on the side of food containers and supplement bottles is a government sanctioned optimal nutrient goal. Some people even believe you should not exceed the DV. In fact, the DV is a bare minimum standard set to assure that most people will not develop a nutrient deficiency symptom. Between symptoms of malnutrition and robust health is a lot of gray area.

>> Check out Skinny Mom's Glossary of Supplements and see what you should be taking!

What other mistakes are you making about vitamins? Read the original story on Huffington post.