Unicorn Multivitamin

EDITED 1/2019:

I originally made this post private (read: un-viewable) shortly after learning that every Multivitamin I found on the market (cir. 2016 ish) contained synthetic vitamins mixed with natural/organic, or they had dehydrating, immune-stimulation algae / flavorings / the stuff from the bottom of Oscar the Grouch’s bin…you name it.

But I’m re-publicizing it since I think it’s a great resource…especially since years of studying what vitamins actually go well when taken together, which ones should be taken separately to avoid interfering with eachother, and at what time to improve absorption and increase bioavailability.

I now take a variety of supplements timed throughout the day that serve me well, and have improved my labwork numbers:

Morning:

1/2 dose Natural desiccated thyroid (for my Hashimoto’s thyroiditis)

Zinc picolinate

Late morning:

Cherry-based vitamin C

Liver-based iron

B-100 complex

Late afternoon:

1/2 dose Natural desiccated thyroid

Evening:

Magnesium glycinate 

Liquid D3-K2

Primrose oil (for my PCOS)

Krill oil

Boswellia (for inflammation and Fibromyalgia)

What’s your regiment? Comment and tell me how you get your vitamin on these days! 

This is the original post, which I have republished since I think it’s great for research, or if you feel you have ever been in the same boat of trying to figure out what supplements work for you.

362.

That, my friends, is the number of multivitamins I browsed through on Vitacost in my search for a possible AIP-compliant multi.  And when I say “browsed” I really mean that I meticulously, obsessively, and with a martyr-mentality scavenged for…like The Lawnmower Man in that scene where he reads ALL the books in the library at the Same. Dang. Time.

I was looking for a vitamin that contained only whole-food-sourced nutrients and contained no cruddy fillers.  That was the easy part! Plenty of those to go around these days.

The tricky end of this schtick was finding one that had none of the fancy-pants ingredients that almost every freakin’ whole-foods multi has these days (in their efforts to compete and out-fancy each other).  I.e.: algae, extracts of seeds, nuts, peppers and beans, fermented grains, aloe, etc.

And us elimination AIP folk know that those just ain’t good right now, ya hear?

I did not just rely on my own tingling senses and reading skills though, because sometimes said skills are dull.  I emailed XXXXXX (brand name removed) and asked them if their product contained any nightshades, grains, seeds, non-nutritive sweeteners, nuts, beans, or algae. I also asked if they knew what the food sources were for their nutrients.

They responded that to the best of their knowledge and based on ingredient documentation, their product does not contain any grains, algae, nightshades, sweeteners, nuts, beans or seeds.

They also advised that they do not recommend the use of any of their products by individuals with known or suspected health conditions unless authorized by a qualified healthcare provider.

Edited 6/22/16:

They stated that the organic blend of nutrients is whole-foods sourced, and the other nutrients are synthetic and cultured in yeast.
They are going to get back to me after hearing back from their research and development team about nutrient food sources…more to come on that when I hear back! (end edit)

And then they sent me a couple of free sample bottles! What a groovy company, man.

Although every blogger I’ve read doesn’t recommend a multi due to the high-nutrient-density of the autoimmune paleo diet, I feel it is necessary for ME PERSONALLY to take one while I heal since I will probably not be able to consume the variety of ingredients recommended on the diet.

That being said, despite how excited I am about preparing and trying new ingredients, I am having a hard time eating organ meats and shellfish. If I can’t get past the gritty texture or gamey flavor of something, its not getting past my tongue! So I feel I need the extra boost that a multi will give me.

And, XXXXX, thank you so much. Thanks to you I have found my Unicorn. And I am going to study it.