“Do you just pee out vitamins?” – Supplements for beginners

There are two types of moms. The ones that put out a single vitamin for you each day, or the ones that dryly and very confidently said that there’s no need to take vitamins unless you want to pay for incredibly expensive pee.

So do you actually pee out vitamins? The easy answer is no. You are not peeing out all the vitamins in your supplements. There are two things to consider:

1. Type of vitamins: First of all, not all vitamins are disposed of equally. Of the 13 essential vitamins your body needs to function, nine are water-soluble, which means that whatever your cells don’t use right away is excreted in your urine. This is for example vitamins C and B. Then we have the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K. Any surplus of those are stored in your fat cells, which makes it easier to overdose on them.

2. Bioavailability, meaning how well the body is able to absorb nutrients. High-quality supplements should have a high bioavailability, so you know your body will be able to absorb as much as possible of the supplements. It should not be money down the drain.

Our philosophy on supplements is simple. We believe that health is energy, and the best way to have more energy is taking small, consecutive steps to feel better in your body and in your mind. For us, supplements have been a big part of that. So is also a well-balanced diet with home-made, nutritious food mainly consisting of fresh, organic produce and high-quality protein, limited or no alcohol and caffeine intake, no processed foods, and no preservatives. However, modern farming is complicated and no matter if you buy everything organic from local suppliers, you may still need to supplement with vitamins and minerals. In fact, we have a lot to say about farming and soil depletion, but that’s for another time.

Back to the juicy tricks, we promised at the beginning and the hacks for how to take your tablets without feeling like you are swallowing a speed boat. The first thing to know is that you need to treat tablets and capsules differently. Tablets I could easily knock back with a glass of water, but capsules proved more difficult. The trick is to take a sip of water and lean forward slightly before swallowing the capsule and the water, still keeping your head tilted forward. In other words, do not tip your head back when you swallow capsules. Capsules float, so leaning forward will do the trick.

We get it. Buying and understanding supplements isn’t easy. It is time-consuming, confusing, or sometimes even ambiguous. That’s why we are here. We see it as our mission to help others in this jungle, and we hope you find these tips helpful.

We would love to hear from you if there is anything else we can do for you. Shoot us an email, we reply to every single one.

Talk soon,
Anna & Oskar

Sidenote, when your pee is *ahem* bright yellow color, and you are not dehydrated, it can be vitamin B that is left over after your body’s needs are met. 

Keep in mind that the daily values that you see in supplement facts boxes are not tailored to individual requirements. If you have specific questions, you should speak to your doctor.