The Ultimate Guide to Timing Your Multi-Vitamins for Optimal Health Benefits

You eat healthily and minimize processed foods, but your diet might still lack some nutrients. To cover your bases, you consider taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. This decision raises questions like “When is the best time to take multi-vitamins?” or “What if they make me feel unwell?” You might experience an unsettled stomach or nausea, disrupting your routine.

If this happens, you're not alone. Fortunately, there are tricks to help you gain the full benefits of daily multi-vitamins without discomfort.

How to take multi-vitamins

Multi-vitamin/mineral supplements can be hard to digest compared to their natural form in food. Ingredients like iron often cause stomach upset, but even iron-free versions can be unpleasant.

Here are three simple tips to reduce discomfort when taking these supplements.

1. Take it with food

Do not take multi-vitamins without food, especially if you experience unpleasant effects. Vitamins and minerals alone may not trigger the digestive processes needed for absorption, making them more irritating. Taking supplements with a full meal helps disperse nutrients, aiding absorption and reducing irritation.

2. Drink plenty of water

Water is essential for efficient body processes, including digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals. It helps mix and distribute gut contents and aids in eliminating wastes, including excess water-soluble vitamins and minerals.

3. Prefer earlier in the day and divide the dose

If you're asking, "Is it better to take vitamins in the morning or at night?" the answer is that it varies. 

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. If you are one of them or experience digestive upset, take your multivitamin earlier in the day to avoid sleep disturbances.

Many multi-vitamin/mineral supplements require several capsules for the full daily dose, but you don't have to take them all at once.

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

Splitting the dose reduces the load on your body and spreads the benefits throughout the day, especially for water-soluble vitamins like B vitamins and vitamin C, which are discarded if not used immediately.

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 choosing a small-serving multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, ensure it includes all the nutrients you need. Lower capsule counts often reduce ingredients like calcium and magnesium, which are easier to obtain elsewhere, but this may not suit everyone.

Understanding the right time to take multi-vitamins is equally as crucial as knowing which ones to choose. 

Besides the products listed earlier, Thorne provides other customized multi-vitamin/mineral formulations to meet diverse requirements. 

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.

Next time you're considering your multi-vitamins, try these simple adjustments as a precaution. Your body will thank you.