Ask Mr. Beefcake: Vol 1. - Learning Your ABC’s - VITAMINS!
February 20th, 2008 @ 3:44 pm by Mrs. Shortcake
Ask, and thou shalt receive! I present, my true love and true font of information, Mr. Beefcake!
(Mr Beefcake, center, gets his knowledge directly from the Gods)
Wow! Thank you for all of your great questions bees! Since there were so many different questions, I am going to focus on one topic per installment. So, let’s begin at the beginning - with your body’s building blocks - VITAMINS!
TODAY’S QUESTIONS:
jfs asks:
I’m trying to be more proactive about my vitamin supplements. I take the one a day plus prenatal and I thought I was doing fine until I read an article on Hillary Swank and she takes 45 plus vitamins a day! Call me crazy but is that a little excessive? Here is the link.
Anyway- are brainwave, flax, aloe c ect worth looking into? Some of these supplements cost a fortune and I’m wondering if they are worth it. Thanks so much!
Patty asks:
I’ve been thinking lately of taking vitamin supplements. I know fruits and vegetables are instead the best way to get your nutrients, but let’s be honest I just don’t get 5/day. My skin is also prone to breaking out and I read somewhere that some vitamins can help clear it up. What you recommend a female age 27 who’s never taken vitamins before start with?
Well, you first have to understand that there are more ingredients that are important to our health in food (gasp) than any multivitamin or supplement could ever hope to contain! So unless you have numerous allergies or anything that requires you to limit your food intake (crash diets don’t count), food always comes first - don’t replace food with pills!
(homemade pizza has lots of vitamins. And cheese.)
Having said that, I do recommend that all bees should take a comprehensive multi-vitamin/multi-mineral complex - regardless of whether or not you are planning to get preggers any time soon. Make sure that the multi-vitamin you choose has at least 1 milligram (1000 micrograms) of folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects.
The best route is actually to find a really good prenatal multi-vitamin - then you get the added benefits of super shiny hair (this is according to Miss Shortcake, who does not have any degrees in anything food related, but does have way too many hair products)!
BEEFCAKE’S GUIDE TO SUPERSHINY HAIR/BUYING A MULTI-VITAMIN
1 - Buy capsules, they are easier to take and might be better absorbed than some of the larger tablets
2 - Take a look at the non-medicinal ingredients - if the list of additives is longer than the list of vitamins and minerals ( ex. titanium dioxide -a possible carcinogen, red and yellow dyes, etc) DONT BUY THEM!
This usually happens in generic and no-name brands of multi-vitamins. Why would you want to add all of that extra junk to your body? Kind of defeats the purpose of trying to improve your health… hmmmm? (Miss Shortcake would like to add that she bought a generic prenatal multi once and it listed SHELLAC as the coating! WTF!)
3 - Beware of multis that claim to be superior because of their added herbs, phytochemicals, CoQ10 or amino acids. While these ingredients may be good on their own, in a multi they are in such small doses that you get minimal benefits from the extra ingredients and maximum wallet drainage!
OTHER SUPPLEMENTS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR BODY WRITE YOU A LOVE SONNET:
OMEGA 3: If it smells fishy and tastes bad, it’s probably omega 3, and that EPA and DHA is liquid marine love for your body. These supplements help with inflammation, improve heart health, and have many other benefits that I do not have room for here, but you can read about here. If you are pregnant, breast feeding, or thinking about getting pregnant, make sure you are taking extra DHA to help with the baby’s brain development so that you’re more likely to produce a young Einstein!
Make sure that your supplement is made by a high quality company that does ‘third party testing’ so that you are sure to get a pure product free of mercury or dioxins. Make sure that they are from wild fish as well. Liquid or pills, it’s really your preference.
CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, VITAMIN D;
If you find that you are consuming too few calories or do not drink dairy due to allergies, make sure you are taking an extra Calcium, magnesium and vitamin D supplement (they are usually all together), liquid forms are easiest to take, don’t take more than 500mg of calcium in one serving or you will be peeing out the rest!
( take your vitamins like Mr. Beefcake and then you too can provide structural support to crumbling ruins in a pinch!)
I could go on about this all day (and usually do.) Keep your questions coming, and stay tuned for Volume 2 - Attacking the Bat : How to get rid of your wings!
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32 Responses to “Ask Mr. Beefcake: Vol 1. - Learning Your ABC’s - VITAMINS!”
What a great post! Can Mr. Beefcake get his own icon?
Great post, lots of common sense information that should prevent bees from getting sucked in by the advertising for every supplement out there. Roopa, while I might understand your concern if Mr. Beefcake was recommending specific supplements in specific dosages, I think you might be over-reacting to the actual advice contained in the post - which boils down to eat well and take a high quality multi-vitamin supplement, with some good information on how to identify such a thing. I do agree that it might be good to caution people that more is not better - following the recommended dosage is important.
Great stuff Mr. Beefcake. I had been thinking about taking fish oil but fear the dreaded “fish burb” yuck.. do you recommend a brand that doesn’t do this?
sorry, I know you’re trying to help, but I really don’t think this is a road weddingbee needs to walk down. too much liability.
there are plenty of fitness sites out there for this sort of thing. I’m here for wedding information, not health and fitness.
Roopa, good point about a disclaimer, we’ll definitely have one for any posts about exercise. However, Mr. Beefcake isn’t writing anything mindblowingly advanced or unknown (’eat your cat! It’s good for you!”), so there isn’t really anything to disclaim here. In addition, Mr. Beefcake is a certified personal trainer and is currently finishing his Masters in nutiritional science, so he does happen to know what he’s talking about 
Emmabride, Mr Beefcake is answering questions that bees have asked him - so evidently some people DO care. I know I, for one, as a bride and a soon to be wife, do have quite the interest in pre-nuptial health and fitness, and this is for the benefit of those readers who have expressed an interest in learning more.
Take what you will from it, but some bride-to-bees do want suggestions for how to look and feel better on their wedding day. If you don’t, that’s your personal perogative.
Indigo, I grind up flax and add it to food for Omega-3. I also take flax oil capsules, which some argue aren’t as strong as the fish oil ones, but I hope the combo of the two gets me there. (Note that you must use ground flax right away as the oil in it goes rancid quickly.)
Folic acid is also thought to be a mood-brightener. Seems to work for me in these dark days of February!
And girls, don’t be like beanchar and ignore taking calcium until you read somewhere that you have about 5 minutes left to put on bone mass and after that HELLO OSTEOPOROSIS! (Especially if, like beanchar, you stopped drinking milk about the same time you started liking boys.)
Finally, “Neural Tube Defects” would be a great name for a punk band.
DISCLAIMER: beanchar is neither a medical professional nor a record-company exectutive and assumes no responsibility from any ill effects to your health or music career from following her advice. 
Thanks for the info Mr. Beefcake! I, for one, am completely clueless about vitamins, so this will help a lot!
Holy panties in a twist people.
Thanks so much Mr. Beefcake! All this info was so helpful! I cant wait to see vol 2 for the bat wings!
I’m afraid I have to agree with the previous posters that weddingbee should not be giving out fitness advise. Maybe keep it on the board?
love the title of the second installment!
A) The guy’s basic advice was “eat food and don’t ingest weird additives”. Seems solid to me.
B) This is a blog. Are blogs now held up as reliable enough sources of “truth” that they can be sued? And is a discussion board less liable than a blog? I’m asking ’cause I don’t know.
C) Are we being tougher on Mr. Beefcake because he’s a man? ‘Cause, seriously, there have been a lot of posts about workout DVDs, diets, etc on this site that didn’t get this kind of flack.
D) It is irrefutable that that pizza has a lot of cheese on it. I’m glad nobody has challenged him on that. (Beanchar, pizza cheese is a good source of calcium… I’m no expert, I just eat a lot of ‘za).
E) The most dangerous claim in this post is the one about holding up crumbling ruins. I have a degree in Classics, so I can say that is not recommended for anyone other than archaeological experts.
My orthopedist (who is a medical professional) goes on and on about the virtues of fish oil. However, I have trouble digesting it. He therefore says that flax oil is a good substitute. My opthmologist (also a medical professional) also recommends flax oil for dry and tired eyes. My manicurist (who is not a medical professional, although she is licensed) says it is great for your nails as well. *Please take as directed…*
I am also worried about Mr. Beefcake under the crumbling ruins, but since I have a picture of my sister and I holding up the leaning tower of Pisa in my office, I can hardly criticize.
Professional not-doctor/not-talent agent beanchar checking back in to say “Mr. Beefcake, thanks for taking the time to write this. It was very generous of you to lend your time this way and please tell Miss Shortcake you need an extra backrub tonight.”
And gahhhhhh…… it’s too bad about all the people being forced to read a post that doesn’t interest them and comment on it. Mrs. Bee– call off your goons!!
ser-folks, you rock! How could I forget about pizza? I probably ate enough in college alone to keep me standing straight well into my 80’s. I wonder if keg beer has any hidden geriatric health benefits….????? OK, gotta run and cancel my ancient ruin-supporting vacation.
P.S. beachar DOES know how to spell “executive”, but she was all nervous earlier waht with the Weddingbee henchmen standing over her and threatening to eat her cat (which sounds really dirty and I CERTAINLY hope we won’t hear anymore about that b/c this is a wedding board! Harrumph and double harrumph.)
I think part of why Weddingbee is so unique is that it covers so many different concerns, issues, ideas, etc. that brides deal with. No two brides are exactly the same, and not every bride is interested in every. single. post. from every. single. bee. That is what is so great about Weddingbee — there is something for everyone.
With that said, I think Mr. Beefcake is lending some sound advice as a certified personal trainer, but if some people aren’t interested in learning about vitamins, then by all means, no one is forcing anyone to read every word. Perhaps a disclaimer couldn’t hurt just to be safe, but I don’t think it’s anything to get worked up about. I think at least 99% of brides care/worry about how they’ll look on their wedding day (as superficial as that may sound), and some of us may value the insight of a professional trainer.
I don’t think a small series of posts about health makes Weddingbee all about health and fitness, just as a series of posts on videography doesn’t make Weddingbee all about videography. Just my two cents
Also, “Panties In A Twist People” would be an excellent punk band name. (USE AT YOUR OWN RISK)
Wow- thanks for the advice and for being so thorough! You answered my questions and more. I can’t wait for the second installment:)
P.S. You should totally have your own icon!
Suzanno-I too love falz seed oil! It is one of the best things I added to my diet. It cleared up my skin after I had a reaction to something I had been using and it has so many other wonderful things it is good for.
Fun post, Beefcake. I think your icon should resemble a t-bone steak =)
Fish oil is da bomb! A few years ago, I was breaking out like CRAZY, and I was taking anti-biotics, using prescription acne meds, everything you can thing of (my dads a dermatologist!). And then I started taking fish oil capsules and my skin cleared up in 2 months.
*Disclaimer* I am merely Mrs.Emerald, not DR.Emerald. =)
*giggle* You girls slay me…
I can’t WAIT for the “Attacking the Bat” post. These things continue to wave long after I’ve stopped. *bleh*
I would like to point out that cheesecake contains calcium too… although I get most of mine from grande lattes.
And I seriously agree - if you find a blog or post annoying or just plain uninteresting, don’t read it!! Since every wedding planning book seems to have a whole chapter about getting in shape and either losing the weight to fit into your dress or not gaining too much weight to fit into your dress (thank heavens I got the lace-up dress) I’m pretty sure this topic sufficiently wedding related for me. I personally think its awfully nice of Mr. Beefcake to help out.
Quick question. I *hate* taking pills (had a long stay in the hospital followed by weeks of pills, ugh) so I’ve been taking Flintstones Gummi Vitamins everyday.
Do you think these have enough to make a difference or do you REALLY need to get grown-up vitamins?
I am really looking forward to Volume #2!! Thanks for the info =)
I agree with most of the people on here. I too, think it was a very informative post and I learned a lot of things I really didn’t know about vitamins.
I can honestly say that, as Mr. Beefcake’s sister-in-law-to-be, that he is not trying to give out any dangerous advice. And, frankly, there wasn’t any advice of that sort (except for Miss Shortcake’s e.g. of “eating your cat” :P)
Very, very helpful, Mr. Beefcake, I, too, cannot wait until your “attacking the bat” post
p.s. People, this is what Mr. Beefcake studied/studies, so yes he does know what you’re talking about.
I just got home and checked my multivitamin… it contains titanium dioxide - yowch! My husband just commented that “they put that in paint… why’s it in your vitamin?”
Can any of you recommend some brands that don’t contain scary extra chemicals?
Thank you so much for the advice Mr. Beefcake, it was really helpful. There is no need for a disclaimer on here. This is a blog, a public forum, you can blog about anything you want. Come on now……….common sense should tell to use at your own discretion, should we all sign a release and waiver of liability now just to read blogs on the internet? OMG
YAY, Mr. Beefcake! This is going to be very helpful, I can tell by the first post. Mr. Cream Puff keeps telling me that I need to buy a multi-vitamin, but I keep putting it off. I’m glad I did, because I would have bought the one-a-day tablets, which are really hard to swallow. Now I’ll look for capsules.
I agree with Mrs. Emerald–your icon SOOO needs to be a steak. (also, I never thought I’d say this, but I am VERY excited about fish oil after Mrs. Emerald’s comment on the effects it had on her skin!)
While I appreciate your giving out advice, I don’t think it’s wise or safe for you to do so on this site unless you have any sort of medical certification/licensure. There are just too many problems that can arise from this, and I doubt that WeddingBee (or you) wants to get sued for any medical/nutritional advice you dish out on here that might go awry for someone! How about you just add a disclaimer that you are not a medical professional and that following any vitamin/nutrition/exercise regimes you suggest should be done at the reader’s risk? I think that would solve the problem! Just trying to be helpful and realistic!
I COMPLETELY agree. this is wide open for a lawsuit w/o a disclaimer.
Hey…lemme add my pharmacy intern two cents. Centrum is…(DISCLAIMER: in my personal opinion) the best multi-vitamin out there. There is everything in there you need, no weird herbal stuff you don’t. Stay the heck away from GNC or other assorted health food stores. For all the ladies, it never hurts to take a 500 mg Calcium with Vitamin D twice a day. I’m backing the Beefcake! People are seriously lawsuit happy. Nobody said this was medical advice…it’s a discussion amongst friends.
Mrs. Shortcake, Vancouver
Age and Occupation: 24, Marketing Manager/Children's Lit Writer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Master's Student/Personal Trainer
Engagement Date: August 7, 2007
Wedding Date: October 2008
Blogging Since:
Venue: Ceremony in a historic church, tented lawn reception at a golf and country club
About Me: 1950's housewife sent to the future, reborn as crafting-obsessed, jill of all trades. I enjoy decorating, writing, baking sweet things, singing show tunes/dancing in public, wearing pearls, and knitting sweaters for my furbaby, Harvey, to chew upon. I heart pink, and believe that sparkles are the new black.
While I appreciate your giving out advice, I don’t think it’s wise or safe for you to do so on this site unless you have any sort of medical certification/licensure. There are just too many problems that can arise from this, and I doubt that WeddingBee (or you) wants to get sued for any medical/nutritional advice you dish out on here that might go awry for someone! How about you just add a disclaimer that you are not a medical professional and that following any vitamin/nutrition/exercise regimes you suggest should be done at the reader’s risk? I think that would solve the problem! Just trying to be helpful and realistic!