You eat healthy and, keep the processed foods to a minimum, but despite your best efforts you know your diet isn’t likely to cover your nutritional bases entirely, so you want to take a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement as a simple insurance policy. Deciding to build a consistent vitamin routine can lead you to ask questions such as “When is the best time to take multi-vitamins?” or “What should I do when I take them and end up feeling yucky rather than better?” Maybe your stomach gets slightly unsettled, or you may even feel a little nauseated, making it hard to keep a consistent routine. 

If this happens to you, you’re not alone! But, you are in luck, because you don’t necessarily have to live with it. We have a couple of tricks that you can use to get the full benefits of taking multi-vitamins daily. 

How to take multi-vitamins

Many of the ingredients in multi-vitamin/mineral supplements are a little difficult to digest in their pure form, unlike in their natural state in food.

Iron is perhaps the most common culprit, but many vitamins and minerals can cause slight stomach upset under certain circumstances, so even the iron-free versions may still be unpleasant at times. 

There are three simple things you can do that can help to reduce those unpleasant parts of taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement.  

1. Take it with food

If you’re asking yourself “Should I take my multi-vitamins without food?” the answer is no, especially if you’re more prone to experiencing unpleasant effects. Vitamins and minerals alone are not likely to trigger the full gamut of digestive secretions and activities that a meal would trigger. This can make it more difficult for your body to absorb and use these nutrients, and it can allow them to become more irritating. 

By taking your supplement with a full meal, the nutrients become part of the mixture. This disperses them into a larger mass, which keeps their concentration down in any one area of your gastrointestinal tract. Mixing with food begins to mimic natural delivery, which not only makes it easier for your body to absorb and use the vitamins and minerals, but it also makes them less likely to cause irritation and make you feel uncomfortable. 

2. Drink plenty of water

Water is required for body processes to occur efficiently, and digesting vitamins and minerals is no exception. Having sufficient water in your gut allows the contents to be mixed and distributed more easily, making it easier for the chemistry of digestion and absorption to occur. 

Drinking enough water also helps with elimination of wastes, including excess vitamins (water-soluble ones) and minerals.

3. Favor earlier in the day and split the dose

If you’re wondering, “Should you take vitamins in the morning or at night?” the answer is that it depends. 

Some products, like Thorne’s Multi-Vitamin Elite, are specifically designed for split dosing and taking vitamins in the morning and at night. The separate AM and PM formulations optimize nutritional support throughout the day and night, supporting wakefulness and restful sleep.

Some people find multi-vitamins energizing. Especially if you are one of those people, or if you occasionally have digestive upset with them, taking your multivitamin earlier in the day will usually be better, to avoid disturbing your sleep.

Many multi-vitamin/mineral supplements require you to take several capsules in order to benefit from the full daily recommended amount. That does not mean that you must take all of them at the same time, though.

Try taking half the dose with breakfast and half with lunch or dinner.

Splitting the dose between meals reduces the amount your body has to process all at once, which is especially relevant when taking multi-vitamins. It also helps to spread out the benefit over more of the day, especially for the water-soluble vitamins, like the B vitamins and vitamin C, that are discarded if they cannot be used right then. 

If remembering to take them twice a day is difficult, selecting a product that has a smaller serving size, like Thorne’s Basic Nutrients 2/Day, can make it easier to take them just once, usually earlier in the day when it might be easier to remember.

When selecting a small-serving size multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, be sure it contains all the nutrients that you are looking for. The lower capsule count offerings typically have to reduce the serving size by reducing the quantity of ingredients that take up a lot of space but are easier to get from other sources, like calcium and magnesium. This is fine for people getting enough of those nutrients from other sources but may not serve everyone equally well. 

Knowing when to take multi-vitamins is just as important as knowing what multi-vitamins to take. 

In addition to the products mentioned above, Thorne offers other tailored multi-vitamin/mineral formulations to suit a variety of needs. 

The competitive athlete may benefit from Multi-Vitamin Elite, while formulas like Men’s Multi 50+ or Women’s Multi 50+ may be preferred by adults ages 50 and older. 

For additional antioxidant support, a potent formula like Advanced Nutrients can lay the foundation for good health later in life.

So, next time you are staring at that handful of pills and wondering if it’s worth it and what’s the best way to take multi-vitamins, try these simple adjustments and remind yourself it’s just in case. Your body will thank you for it.