Vitamins and Health question

Whats the difference between eating a multivitamin to get nutrients

and

eating actual healthy foods like vegetables to get your nutrients?



Does your body absorb a vitamin differently in ways than it would normal food?
Can a person eat trashy foods but take a multivitamin to make up for lost nutrients?

Surely it would seem like you couldn't do that - i notice i good i feel when i eat right, but i was looking for a more scientific type of answer

I was wondering this today when i was quickly chugging a low sodium v8 can which i dont really like to drink but i really notice how good it makes me feel later

anyone have an article on something like this

bioavailability.

multivitamins are supplements
they are absolutely NOT a substitute for what you are supposed to obtain from your diet.

eat healthier.

so bioavailability is like how easy it is for my body to absorb the nutrients

and normal healthy foods like vegetables are easier to absorb or something?

am i on the right track

well there are also things like fats in regular foods. you need some fats. vitamins are just to make up for things food is lacking, not to be a meal replacement.

I only gave this a quick skim but it looks like a quick summary of common opinion on the matter:

Vitamins from food vs. supplements (http://www.caca.essortment.com/vitaminssupplem_rntt.htm)

put it in terms of you

are you a cook? a COMPLETE food nerd? then no vitamins

if you aren't then you should definitely take vitamins

here's a good food pyramid:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/images/newhealthypyramid.gif

like it says most likely you should take vitamins. I also agree with the link rayn posted and think you shouldn't take them every day, just most days.

I break mine up into 3 pieces and take the pieces with my larger meals. I don't know if it does anything but my pee isn't bright yellow like it would be if I ate it all at once. (that's probably very expensive pee)

so bioavailability is like how easy it is for my body to absorb the nutrients

and normal healthy foods like vegetables are easier to absorb or something?

am i on the right track

yes
just eat food. it's healthier. you can live without vitamins. you can't live without food.

While you can certainly get by eating a healthy diet, vitamins can't hurt. All that nonsense about vitamin toxicity, reactions to vitamin coatings, etc. is drivel.

That being said, I feel significantly worse if I go a day or two without my multivitamin. Others I know feel the same way. Just remember you're taking a multivitamin supplement, not a replacement.