Multivitamins

Thompson’s – our favourite multivitamins

As Thompson’s take Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customer Award for the second year running, the regular, and ongoing, debate around the need and effectiveness of vitamin supplements continues.  But, despite the views from what sometimes feels like an infinite number of professionals and experts, it seems people are still willing to make up their own mind.  Our recent survey (published May 2018) of over 1,200
New Zealanders found that 46% of people who took multivitamins in one form or another felt all the better for it and 25% of people were unsure of the benefits but liked taking them anyway.

What does your body need?

Just as you need to keep your car topped up with the right kind of fuel, oil and water, we need to keep our bodies topped up with a number of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep us healthy and our immune systems strong.  According to Harvard University’s The Nutrition Source, the diagram below is a typical example of what a healthy eating plate should look like.

But what happens if we’re not getting what we need?

It’s commonly agreed that here in New Zealand, the most common deficiencies are:

• Vitamin D – aim for at least 20 minutes of sun exposure per day
• Iodine – substitute normal salt for iodised salt
• Iron – boost your red meat, poultry and fish intake
• Zinc – eggs, nuts, grains, lean meat, poultry and fish
• Calcium – boost dairy intake and cut down on fizzy and caffeinated drinks
• Omega 3s – two or three servings of oily fish per week
• Folate – leafy green vegetables, grains and cereals
• Selenium – two brazil nuts per day will give you all the selenium you need
• Vitamin B12 – eggs, dairy products, fish, red meat, poultry, shellfish

Due to modern living and the way our food is grown, made or processed before it reaches our plates, even the healthiest eaters amongst us may find it hard to find a diet that gives the full benefits of the list above. So, to give our bodies the best chance there is the option of boosting our intake with a multivitamin supplement.

As well as advocating a healthy diet, Harvard is also one of the ‘for’ voices in the use of topping up your diet with additional multivitamins and in New Zealand, we have a good field of brands to choose from.

So how do you know which will be best for you?

With so many products available, trying to find the one for you can be a daunting and time-consuming task, so that’s why Canstar Blue has done some of the work for you.

Our survey is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice – it’s always best to speak to a medical professional for that – what we want to do is give you a bit of insight into what people like about the multivitamins they use.  Effectiveness came out on top, followed by value for money, ease of consumption, taste and finally availability.

Available through pharmacies and health food stores, the winner of the 2018 Overall Customer Satisfaction Award, Thompson’s, has operated in New Zealand since 1951. Priding themselves on the use of high-quality raw materials and products, Thompson’s offer a wide range of vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements for the whole family. For more information, visit thompsons.co.nz

This information is not medical advice, and Canstar Blue is not making a recommendation or giving advice about medications or health related products. Always seek the advice of a doctor or pharmacist to find the right medication for you.