Vitamin pills in-take pre and post ER

[Moscyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff I take multivitamins every day and hope they actually get into my system. I eat virtually no vegetables despite heroic efforts to try to like them. I'm the cook and have tried every approach but nothing makes them attractive.

I used to hate vegetables when I was younger. Didn't like fruits too except for fruit juice but I think it was around my early forties when I started to like eating most kind of vegetables and have found out lots of ways to cook them. I just cooked curry vegetables for dinner today.

[donheff]

Just read an article in today's paper saying that men taking vitamin E (at the recommended high doses for "miracle" effects) have a 17% higher instance of prostate cancer. I'm sticky with my one a day's.

[freebird5825]

I did the daily vitamin pill regiment when I was w*rking, using one of those 7 day plastic pill dispensers. My diet was ok in those days but not what I would call great. I ate a lot of carbs at lunches out.
Post-FIRE, I am concentrating on eating as healthy as I can. I still eat some junk food but the majority is homecooked with good variety of meats, dairy, and veggies. Fresh and canned fruit and cheese are daily snacks.
I have recently cut back on quantity consumed and a lot less carbs, to help me lose weight while my medium duty activity habits have improved. So I use Ensure Plus as a supplement. The chocolate flavored version, well chilled, is so much easier to do than the pill form vitamin supplements.

[Dawg52]

I've started drinking V8 Smoothies. Not replacing my normal med's, but not bad for a snack or even a meal. I put a cup of the drink in a blender, add a banana, ice and that's it. Pretty darn good. I do take a one a day vitamin too.

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff I'm sticky with my one a day's.

I think this post belongs over on Haha's shower thread.

[Bestwifeever]

I just noted in another thread that women taking vitamins do not live longer than those who do not per this report: Vitamin and Mineral Diet Supplements Don't Help and May Harm Older Women, Study Says - ABC News

Quote:

The study looked at more than 38,000 women age 55 and older who participated in the Iowa Women's Health Study since the mid-1980s. The researchers found that when it came to reducing the risk of death, most supplements had no effect on women's health. In fact, women who took certain kinds of dietary supplements -- vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron and multivitamins -- faced a slightly higher risk of death than women who did not. Only women who took supplemental calcium showed any reduction in their risk of death.

Now if someone will just release the research that smoking is beneficial we really will be living in bizarro world.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever Now if someone will just release the research that smoking is beneficial we really will be living in bizarro world.

Chocolate. I'd love to find out that 8 ounces of high quality chocolate daily would increase my life span....

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 I have recently cut back on quantity consumed and a lot less carbs, to help me lose weight while my medium duty activity habits have improved. So I use Ensure Plus as a supplement. The chocolate flavored version, well chilled, is so much easier to do than the pill form vitamin supplements.

Ensure Plus has 50 grams of sugar in it. That's over 12 teaspoons of sugar in a serving. The third ingredient is sugar, with water and maltodextrin (a carb) as the first two ingredients.



Creamy Milk Chocolate Ready to Drink

• Ensure Plus Ready-to-Drink Creamy Milk Chocolate / 8-fl-oz Bottle / Case of 24

Water, Corn Maltodextrin, Sugar (Sucrose), Milk Protein Concentrate, Canola Oil, Soy Protein Concentrate, Corn Oil, Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali). Less than 0.5% of the Following: Potassium Citrate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Magnesium Phosphate, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Soy Lecithin, Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt (Sodium Chloride), Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Carrageenan, Ferric Phosphate, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc Sulfate, Niacinamide, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Chloride Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin, Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenate, Potassium Iodide, Phylloquinone, Cyanocobalamin, and Vitamin D3.
Contains milk and soy ingredients.

[Leonidas]

Wow, that's almost twice the amount of sugar in an 8 oz Coca Cola.

[freebird5825]

Wow is right!

TY for reading that tiny print on the can for me.

I need to find a better way to get my vitamins.

UPDATE: You got me curious, so I got my reading glasses out and read the label on the 8 oz can I drank the other day. Looks like they changed the formula to 22g of sugar per 8 oz and added some fiber.

Click on the image to make it bigger, if anyone else is squinting to read the characters in the pic.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Chocolate. I'd love to find out that 8 ounces of high quality chocolate daily would increase my life span....

It'll increase your life span all right. Unfortunately, it will increase your body span as well...

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas Wow, that's almost twice the amount of sugar in an 8 oz Coca Cola.

Yeah, it's a lot. On the other hand, at least it's real sugar and not that HFCS crap.

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas Wow, that's almost twice the amount of sugar in an 8 oz Coca Cola.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 Yeah, it's a lot. On the other hand, at least it's real sugar and not that HFCS crap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Ensure Plus has 50 grams of sugar in it. That's over 12 teaspoons of sugar in a serving. The third ingredient is sugar, with water and maltodextrin (a carb) as the first two ingredients.

See my update and label pic in post #30.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 Looks like they changed the formula to 22g of sugar per 8 oz and added some fiber.

That's still a lot of sugar, though. At least it is for me. I wouldn't buy it, personally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB It'll increase your life span all right. Unfortunately, it will increase your body span as well...

So I'd die fat, happy, and later than otherwise. Hmmm...

[freebird5825]

Ever educating myself...I found a great table listing the amount of natural sugar in 12 oz servings of 100% fruit juice, another beverage I enjoy.

HookedOnJuice.com :: Sugar and Fruit Juice Nutrition Information Facts

Doing the math for the amount of sugar in 8 oz of Ensure Plus (1.5 multiplier for the 12 oz equivalent), it seems to be on par with some fruit juices. Interesting!

A footnote...Mr B gets the Ensure Plus by the case thru his VA benefits. The cost to him is zero.

[W2R]

I guess that is why Weight Watchers frowns on fruit juices so much and promotes whole fruits instead. I should have clarified that I am (constantly) trying to lose weight, so that is why I wouldn't buy it. But in your case, you look great (really! I've seen the photos) and you can probably tolerate a lot more sugar in your food than I can.

[Leonidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 Yeah, it's a lot. On the other hand, at least it's real sugar and not that HFCS crap.

True dat, but if HFCS is the Great Satan, then regular ol' sugar is just a slightly lesser imp.

I called for Jihad on HFCS in my diet, and sorta forgot about sugar in its more natural forms. Or I told myself, "thank God it's not HFCS". And that way lead to trouble.

It doesn't really matter the source - HFCS in a soda, sparkling, all-white, sprinkly sucrose on your Cheerios, or fructose in that glass of all-natural, no-sugar added apple juice - too much sugar is bad for us.

[freebird5825]

Amen to limiting sugar in the diet.

Discussions like this always help me learn something new. I have no blood sugar issues, so I really don't monitor my sugar intake too closely. But that can always change as my driver's license typographical error persists.

I will certainly look at other vitamin supplement products in liquid form, minus all the sugar. I'm not a consistent pill taker. I can either change my ways (take multivitamins) or find a better alternative. Free doesn't always mean better, eh?
Suggestions are most welcome.

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R I guess that is why Weight Watchers frowns on fruit juices so much and promotes whole fruits instead. I should have clarified that I am (constantly) trying to lose weight, so that is why I wouldn't buy it. But in your case, you look great (really! I've seen the photos) and you can probably tolerate a lot more sugar in your food than I can.

Well thank you for the compliment

I am increasing my whole fruit intake also. I am eating a lot less bread and pasta. And darn it, less chocolate.
I realize weight gain issues loom with my ongoing menopause transition, so I am being proactive. I will never be thin, but I can control my weight and body tone pretty well with the few activities that the tendinitis in my hands allow.

[TromboneAl]

The good news is that you have some low-hanging fruit to eliminate (that is, it should be easy to cut out those Ensure shakes and get rid of all that sugar). I guess you know that I'd get rid of the whole fruit and juices too. Sugar is sugar, even if it comes with some fiber and water.

As for alternatives, I just had my post bike-ride smoothie that I love. You could have one together with a vitamin pill. Here's the recipe:

12 oz water
1 scoop GNC 100% whey protein powder -- must be Chocolate Caramel Sugar-free)
1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 frozen strawberry
2 ice cubes
1 tsp Psyllium husks (optional, but makes it thicker)
1 tsp Coconut Davinci sugar-free syrup
1/8 tsp salt or potassium salt

Blend

An interesting thing about that recipe is that it shows how adding salt to something sweet enhances its flavor.

Quote:

And darn it, less chocolate.

You really don't need to do that. We make lots of sugar-free chocolate that tastes great (or you can buy Chocoperfection).

Chocolate Bars
4 Squares unsweetened Baker’s Chocolate (chopping helps but is optional)
8 drops liquid splenda
.5 tsp Peppermint Extract (optional)
1/16 tsp KCl salt or regular salt
4 tsp Erythritol (granulated)
.5 cup Well-roasted pecans, chopped

Do not allow any water to touch the ingredients. Even a drop can cause the chocolate to “seize.” Also, do all heating slowly, and don’t let the chocolate get too hot.

Melt the chocolate blocks on low, sliding them around and stirring frequently.
Once melted add the splenda and peppermint and stir immediately
Sprinkle on the chopped nuts and erythritol
Stir slightly, and quickly pour onto waxed paper on a cookie sheet
Place in freezer until hardened