Animal Pak multivitamin supplement - Anyone used it?

[spirez]

I've been looking at this vitamin and mineral pack that a fair few bodybuilders and strength trainers alike are supposed to be using to help with their nutritional needs. Was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this product?

http://www.animalpak.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=48

I'm now positive that my one a day sanatogen gold supplement isn't cutting it with my lifestyle so need something that offers a little more.

My diet is good and i eat plenty of fresh fruit, veg, complex carbs etc etc so this is only a supplement, not expecting a miracle product! Also, the fact is that a lot of fruit and veg these days doesn;t have as much nutrients in them as they should due to poor soil and farming methods, yet i can't afford to shop organic all the time.

Anybody got any other reccommendations for a good multivit?

[Gary]

The animal Pak I've heard good things about from the people who have used it, but it seems overpriced for what it is to me. It is important to remember the animal pak has more in it hthan just a multivitamin though.

There are several 'super' vitamins which give well over the recommended RDA for a number of vitamins and minerals. Since these usually are the water soluble ones any excess passes through. Some believe this is a waste, and prefer to take several normal multivits a day, although whether this results in an excess of fat soluble vitamins I couldn't say.

Personally I don't get much from a multivit, I still take it though as a back up to cover any gaps in my nutrition, which is where you would be getting all your vits and minerals in an ideal world.

I use the holland and barrett super ones, though this is mostly because they had 2/3 off in the sale :D

[Garrett]

yet i can't afford to shop organic all the time.

To be honest, you needn't bother with organic at all. I'm a dietician and i'm yet to see any good clinical studies that show any difference between produce from organic farming methods and conventional methods.
What matters more is the freshness of the product you're buying. Some vitamins are light sensitive and if the veg/fruit you buy has been there a week or more, it will have a lot less vitamins/minerals than something fresh from the farm.

And if you are eating the recommended fresh fruit and veg everyday, you actually don't need to bother with any supplements. The recommended guidelines include large safety margins that mean you are receiving more than enough vits/minerals by eating a healthy diet.

A few of the 'performance optimizers' in that pack, although the theory behind them is biochemically sound, there are no clinical studies that show they actually work. Examples being Coenzymes A & B and L-Carnitine.

So if your strapped for cash, ditch the supplements and eat a healthy diet like you are, and you'll be fine.

[Incredible Bulk]

overpriced and over hyped...

use the money for a good multi vit and a good steak to eat for dinner

[Ad McG]

Very over-priced. Many of the vits/minerals in there are actually in the cheapest form possible and while it looks similar to other quality multis it is in fact not. There is a hell of a lot in there and it will do a bit of the job but it is in no way worth it for the results or the quality of the ingredients.

I once thought this was a really good product but recent discussions have shown me that it is pretty poor. I believe the Now Foods Adam multi is one of the best out there, price/quality wise.

[spirez]

This site has them for £20 for 44 paks, doesn't seem unreasonable to me, although i don't know how long this offer's on for.

www.sshealthfoods.com

Those Adam ones look quite good though. Are they recommended for athletes?

Cheers

[Ad McG]

This site has them for £20 for 44 paks, doesn't seem unreasonable to me, although i don't know how long this offer's on for.

www.sshealthfoods.com

Those Adam ones look quite good though. Are they recommended for athletes?

Cheers

Yes. They sell them on myprotein.co.uk if you're in the UK, and I think they sell them on bulknutrition.com for Canada/US, but don't quote me on that.

[rsm688]

animal paks are pretty nice, but they are expensive and its a PITA to take all those pills along with my other supplements. its like 20 pills a bag. i switched over to NOW Adam multivitamins and take 2 a day and love it.

[spirez]

I found the Adam's on ebay, couldn't see them on the myrpotein site any more.

So is it enough to take two a day of those? The bottle reccommends 3 a day?

[Ad McG]

http://www.myprotein.co.uk/now-foods/vitamins-and-minerals/

It's in the Now foods bit.