What "Complete" Multivitamin Means & How To Tell If You Have One

Multivitamins are proven to decrease the prevalence of nutrient inadequacies1 in U.S. adults, making them simple, powerful tools in nutritional supplementation. It can be challenging to tell which multis have the vitamins and minerals you need for addressing nutrient gaps and providing whole-body support, though.*

During an episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, mbg director of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, advises caution when reading "complete" on supplement labels: "Be aware of that word. Turn over your product, and look—do you see vitamins A, C, E, D, and K? Do you see all eight B vitamins? Do you see macrominerals in there at relevant amounts?" If not, consider the word "complete" to be marketing semantics used to convince customers that they're getting a full, comprehensive array of nutrients. 

The key here is to check the number of micronutrients and dosage—i.e., how potent each ingredient is. A truly well-rounded multivitamin should include 100% of the daily value (DV), or more in some cases, of the majority of essential (i.e., we must consume them daily) vitamins and minerals.

Some exceptions to that rule: bulkier minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium (fyi, it's rare to find this last mineral in typical multi formulas) will likely be closer to 10% DV simply because of their size, which is still a useful amount for a reasonable daily serving (i.e., one to two daily capsules) of a multi.

With a comprehensive lineup of 33 ingredients—including 14 essential vitamins, 13 macro- and microminerals, and six bonus buddy botanicals for longevity—mindbodygreen's ultimate multivitamin+ is as complete as it gets.* In fact, since our multi features go above and beyond with a complete, high-potency B complex with B's in their bioactive forms and botanical antioxidants that support cellular integrity and resilience, we ditched the term "complete" altogether and went with "ultimate" instead (because it really is).*