As An RD I Was Trained To Be Skeptical Of Multivitamins — Now I Take One Every Day 

I never thought the daily multivitamin bandwagon was for me, but I recently joined the 31% of adults1 in the U.S. who reach for this supplement. Why? Because I finally let go of the skepticism I harbored for years, and I found a high-quality multi that was actually worth investing in. 

My main pushback toward multivitamins was that they weren't personalized. I used to be much more of the mindset that people should only supplement with micronutrients if there's a deficiency or insufficiency in the diet—say if you don't eat animal protein and aren't getting vitamin B12 in your diet, or if a blood test comes back showing you're low in...(insert vitamin D, iron, magnesium, and so on).

If either of those cases was relevant, then I would typically encourage friends and family to individually supplement with that known nutrient. 

Yes, dietitians don't always eat perfectly—no one does. In fact, research indicates that Americans' diets fall shy of the daily requirements for a number of nutrients (especially vitamins A, C, D, E, and K and calcium, potassium, and magnesium) from food alone. An astonishing number of people (80% and 93% of Americans2) miss the mark on daily vitamin E and D intakes, respectively. 

I quite frankly wasn't expecting to feel a difference when I started to take ultimate multivitamin+. I knew these nutrients would support my immune, heart, brain, and bone health, and that was enough for me.* 

But even a few weeks in, I started to wake up ready to go in the morning and kept up that energy throughout the day.* I had more mental clarity in the afternoon—which helped with my writing and overall motivation. Mostly, I just felt better.*