Gaining weight can take as much effort as losing it. A caloric surplus, which involves consuming a greater number of calories than you burn, helps you put on pounds. No specific vitamin, regardless of its claims, will make you gain weight -- vitamins don't contain calories. Only calories that come from nutrient-dense foods support muscle growth, bone strengthening and tissue repair if you've lost weight due to surgery. Consult with your doctor before starting a diet to gain weight. Sudden weight loss or an underweight body size could be caused by a health condition that requires medical intervention. Vitamin manufacturers may brandish promises on their labels claiming their products make you stronger, more alert or better able to put on muscle. Adequate nutrition, including vitamins, is essential to good health and attaining a healthy weight, but quality vitamins come from whole foods. Your body also digests and utilizes vitamins from whole food sources better than from pills. To gain weight, eat whole, unprocessed foods such as protein, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fresh vegetables -- especially starchy ones for the calories -- fruit, nuts and seeds.
These foods are a rich source of naturally occurring nutrients, not synthetic ones. Most vitamin deficiencies actually show up as weight gain -- not getting enough vitamin D, for example, can leave you feeling sluggish and stimulate hunger hormones. Don't become vitamin deficient to gain weight, though. Vitamin B-12 is a nutrient you consume in animal products. It supports red blood cell production and energy. Without adequate vitamin B-12, you may find your appetite decreases and it's harder to eat the calories you need to gain weight. Vegetarians and vegans, as well as people with pernicious anemia or digestive disorders like Crohn's disease, are vulnerable to B-12 deficiency. To get ample vitamin B-12 in a weight-gain diet, eat plenty of protein in the form of poultry, eggs, lean steak, shrimp, dairy and fatty fish. High-calorie B-12-rich snacks include a sandwich made with chicken breast on whole-grain bread; Greek yogurt mixed with a teaspoon or two of honey, granola and berries;
and scrambled eggs served in corn tortillas with sliced avocado and salsa. At meal time, always include a protein, such as ground turkey or flank steak, to provide calories and B-12. If you fear you're deficient in B-12 or you're a vegetarian, talk to your doctor about taking a supplement. Protein can help you gain weight in the form of lean muscle mass. Protein isn't a vitamin, but its amino acids contribute to the building and repair of muscle tissue. In addition to animal-based proteins, consider augmenting meals with nuts, nut butter, seeds, and dried beans and legumes. These vegetarian protein sources don't contain vitamin B-12, but do offer ample calories, vitamin E and other B-complex vitamins. Add them to meals to boost the calorie content. Try peanut butter on a whole-grain bagel in the morning; add kidney beans or chick peas to vegetable soup; or use hummus as a dip for whole-wheat pita bread. Make your caloric surplus equal to 250 to 500 calories per day to gain 1/2 to 1 pound per week.
In addition to quality protein, include generous servings of whole-grain carbohydrates and healthy fats at meals. Adding calories in the form of sugar, refined grains and saturated fats won't provide you the balance of vitamins, or other nutrients, you need. Increase portion sizes of healthy, whole foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have an extra whole-grain roll, a double serving of mashed sweet potatoes or another ounce or two of meat. Have healthy snacks consisting of vitamin-rich foods such as dried fruit or sunflower seeds. Create a smoothie between meals by blending strawberries, bananas, milk, yogurt and protein powder. Add a spoonful of ground flax seeds to increase the nutritional value and calorie content. Drink 100 percent fruit juices between meals to get other vitamins, such as vitamins C and A. Healthy sources of fat, such as avocados and olive oil, can be added as a condiment to sandwiches and salads. Never skip a meal when you're trying to gain weight. Don't forgo exercise either.
You need movement to stimulate your appetite and help build muscle mass, which is a healthier form of tissue compared to fat. Do Vitamins Speed Up Metabolism? Foods That Speed Up Your Metabolism & Help You Lose Weight Does Fasting Speed Up Metabolism? Pills That Make You Gain Weight Fast Vitamin B Complex and Weight Gain The Best Weight Gain Supplements for Women Vitamins to Increase the Appetite 18 Habits That Can Make You Fat Quick Weight Gain Meal Plans Vitamins Recommended for a 40-Year-Old Woman Can Vitamins Make You Fat? Do Midnight Snacks Speed Up Metabolism? How to Slow Down Your Metabolism and Gain Weight How to Gain Weight for Skinny Girls With a Fast Metabolism What Happens to Your Body When You're Underweight? Taking B6 & B12 to Lose Weight How to Lose Weight While Taking Lyrica Can Certain Vitamins Help Suppress Your Appetite? How to Gain Weight in SummerIf you have trouble getting the calories needed to support lean muscle, then a high calorie, high protein weight gainer may be the answer you need to build rock solid, lean muscle mass.*
View Top 50 Overall View Top 10 In Each Category View All Best Sellers Loaded with 1,250 Calories, 250g of Carbs, & 25 Vitamins and Minerals to Pack on Pounds* Over 600 Calories and 60g of Protein and Complex Carbs to Get Big* Supports Muscle Growth, Muscle Protein Synthesis, and Recovery* Designed For The Hardgainer! Awesome Value, High Calorie, Mass Builder Protein! The Perfect Muscle Building Macrobolic Nutrition Formula!* The Ultimate Lean Mass Gainer Formulated With Only Premium Protein Sources Provides 1270 Calories And 50 Grams Of Protein Per Serving Delivering 760 Calories With 55 Grams Of Protein, And The Perfect Balance Of Protein To Carbs Sign up to receive emails with all the best deals, new articles, and MUCH MORE! Your information is safe with us. View our privacy policy.So, you’re thinking of taking a daily multivitamin? Or maybe you’re already taking one and you’re just wondering if it’s the best one you could be taking?
Or maybe you’re wondering exactly what the health benefits of a multivitamin supplement are or if there are any possible side effects associated with it? Or, maybe you just want to know what the best multivitamin is for men, and what the best one is for women? Well, if you came here with any of those questions in mind, sit back and relax. You’re about to get all of the answers. Multivitamins are one of few supplements whose benefits are pretty obvious. Quite simply, they contain the vitamins and minerals the human body requires on a daily basis to keep you healthy and functioning at the highest possible level. Will taking a daily multivitamin supplement directly cause fat loss? Will it directly cause an increase in muscle or strength? But, will it indirectly help with fat loss and building muscle and really any fitness related goal? Like I said, multivitamins contain the vitamins and minerals the human body needs to function on a daily basis and do everything that is required of it.
Whether it’s lose fat, build muscle, recover from exercise, see, sleep, move, think, pump blood or just avoid getting sick. Whatever it is your body does, a multivitamin contains the nutrients it needs to do it. Everyone should probably be taking a daily multivitamin supplement. Men, women, young, old… whether you work out or not. Technically of course, if your daily diet is EXACTLY what it should be 365 days of the year, you may not truly NEED to take one. The problem is, there are VERY few people whose daily diets are anywhere near as good as they’re supposed to be. That’s just the world we live in these days. Men and women all over the world eat too much useless crap with no significant nutritional value, while at the same time eating too little of the healthy foods that are high in the nutrients we need. This combination pretty much guarantees that most people are lacking in various essential vitamins and minerals. But wait, what about that small group of men and women whose daily diets actually ARE pretty good?
Well, you should probably still take a multivitamin supplement every day. Because it will serve as your diet’s fall back plan and guarantee your body is getting everything it needs on a daily basis, even on those days when you might not have eaten as perfectly as you should have (or usually do). In my case, that’s exactly why I take one. In all honesty, my diet is as close to perfect as it gets. It consists primarily of foods high in nutritional value, and I rarely eat any junk of any kind. But, I still love the idea of taking a daily multivitamin just to be sure that I supplied my body with every important vitamin and mineral it needs to keep me healthy and functioning at my very best.I mean, hello, it’s a multivitamin. It contains the things we are SUPPOSED to be getting from our diets already, but usually aren’t. Obviously, if you are taking any medications or have any known health or medical issues (or are pregnant or nursing) it would be a good idea to check with your doctor first just like you should before taking any supplement of any kind.
But really, as long as you are just a typical healthy adult and are taking a high quality brand (more on that in a second), a daily multivitamin is probably the safest supplement there is. In fact, the only actual “side effect” I’ve ever heard about is an upset stomach, and this can very easily be avoided by simply taking your multivitamin with food. And once again, a high quality brand helps, too. Speaking of the best brands… This is usually the most common question. There are hundreds of different multivitamins on the market, all containing different amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. Some are designed to be the best for men, some are the designed to be the best for women. Some are designed to be the best for people who are active. Some for men and women above the age of 50. Some are even designed with specific health benefits in mind (like heart health). So then, which multivitamin is the best for you? Well, there’s a few things to take into consideration.
So, taking all of this into account, here are my recommendations: For men, I personally use and fully recommend GNC’s Mega Men. It passed all the independent lab testing I saw and contains the right amounts of the right nutrients most men require on a daily basis. I’ve been taking this brand for quite a while myself. In case you’re wondering, I always order it from right here so I don’t have to step foot anywhere near a GNC (hate them, love their multi). For women, I fully recommend GNC’s Women’s Ultra Mega. It also passed all of the independent lab testing I saw, and it too contains the right amounts of the right nutrients most women require on a daily basis. It can also be ordered online right here. For men and women over the age of 50, my recommendation would definitely be Centrum Silver for the exact same reasons I mentioned above. You can order it from here at well. So, there you go, everything you need to know about one of the VERY few supplements that are safe, effective, and beneficial to pretty much everyone.