Eli5: Why are multivitamins inferior to fruits/vegetables?

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Every article I read says you should primarily get your vitamins through fruits and vegetables and other whole foods rather than multivitamin pills. But if you look at the nutritional facts on say, a bag of spinach or cup of fruit, the % daily value seems way lower than a regular multivitamin, and you’d need to eat a ton of fruits/veggies to get a comparable intake (a single serving of spinach is usually almost an entire bag).

What am I missing?

In: Biology

16 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Because multiple studies have shown that we more readily absorb vitamins and minerals through the process of digestion (actually eating foods with vitamins and minerals). The vast majority of vitamins and minerals that we consume from a tablet or capsule is passed through as urine. While taking multi-vitamins is not entirely useless, you are mostly and quite literally pissing your money away.

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