33 Best Multivitamin Supplements 2021 (Of The Very Best)

|  The Nutrient Secret  |  Buyer’s Guide  |  Choosing Guidelines  |   General List  |  Vegetarian Choices  |  Vegan Choices  |  Women Adaptation To Any Supplement  |  Comparison List (Worst & Misrepresented Multivitamins)  |  Final Words  |  

While it may be a bit too early for a list of the best multivitamin supplements in 2021, I expect the scenery not to change much if at all. And then, if it does change, we can always do an update.

Generally speaking, it really goes without saying that there are incredible amounts of different multivitamins out there. Thus, often making it a pretty hard and even overwhelming task when it comes to finding the ones that can contribute to our health in the most meaningful and side-effect-free way.

Therefore, this article is solely focused on listing and helping you identify the best multivitamin supplements.

We’ll also explore the vegetarian and vegan options, the single necessary addition to make any supplement on this list 100% women compatible.

Then, we’ll look into hugely misrepresented supplements that other sources commonly list as the best ones but that are actually none of that.

However, it’s never only about listing them. I want you to have all the tools necessary to make that assessment for yourself. Hence, you would never be lured into buying a supplement you don’t actually need.

Moreover, I’m adding guidelines that will provide ideas about how to effectively choose the most appropriate multivitamin option of the best ones for you, specifically.

Over the course of research for this article, I went over every single multivitamin I could possibly find online. Thus, I’m very confident that it will not only be very insightful but also a huge time-saver.

Here’s A Little Secret That Most People Are 100% Oblivious To

Regardless of your decision to purchase a multivitamin today or not, here’s what you absolutely need to know and fully realize.

Many people intuitively know and understand that they should have a proper multivitamin in their daily regimen, but very few of them truly comprehend why. It’s like a globally well-hidden secret that by far most people don’t know as almost no one talks about it.

So, here’s that why.

In 2003, there was a study that evaluated how many nutritional contents there are in various vegetables, fruits, and meat. To properly assess that, they looked at the available nutritional data from the year 1940 all the way up to 1991 [R].

So, to paraphrase, they looked at the food that we typically associate with a healthy diet. Namely, what many people typically refer to “good food” or “healthy food” over a stretch of 51 years.

What they discovered was concerning, to say the least.

It turns out that the nutritional contents of vegetables, fruit, and meat have been steadily and consistently declining over the estimated period. Or in other words, broccoli or an avocado people ate in 1940 was much more nutritious than that in 1991. Or to be absolutely precise, on average vegetables, fruits, and meat were 39.7%, 21.6%, and 29.0% less nutritious, respectively.

Thus, so-called healthy food in 1991 on average was 30.1% less nurturing.

But it’s 2020 now. And I believe we can be sure that another 29 years later the overall situation is even worse. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had fallen slightly below 50% of the original nutritiousness of vegetables, fruits, and meat as compared to the 1940 or 80 years ago. Moreover, there is another study that approves this trend also over other food categories, like cheese and dairy [R].

In this regard, many know that fast food and processed food are almost devoid of any meaningful amounts of nutrients, but what they don’t realize is that also the healthy food – vegetables, fruit, and meat (cheese, dairy) – are significantly less nurturing.

SIGNIFICANTLY LESS nurturing than they used to be.

But all of these diminishes would be fine if it wouldn’t affect our health. But it does.

A huge number of studies link nutritional deficiencies to chronic diseases (and new studies do so consistently), like Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer, and an amazing variety of other. Not enough vitamin D, here’s your dementia. Not enough Zinc or Copper, have ADHD. Not enough Selenium or Vanadium, here’s to anxiety and depression. Oh, no Magnesium, how about some schizophrenia or bipolar disorder [R, R, R, R]?

The problem is even more concerning when we consider the so-called long-latency aspect of these diseases. You may think that if you don’t have rickets (deficiency disease typically associated with lack of vitamin D), you’re not short of vitamin D. Or if there are no illnesses like amenia or birth defects for a baby (deficiency diseases typically associated with lack of vitamin B9), there’s no lack of vitamin B9 [R].

But in that, many people couldn’t be more wrong.

Sure, these typical deficiency-associated conditions you’ll likely encounter in a short time if you’re seriously deficient. But what in the case of having just enough nutrients to avoid that but not enough to ensure optimal cellular function for many, many years on end?

I mean, an individual (which may be you) could never experience any symptom associated with the lack of Folic Acid (vitamin B9). And yet over a long stretch of time develop Alzheimer’s disease [R].

And then blame God or whatever else he or she believes in (or just blame other people in general) as to why it happened to him or her. But there’s really no “unfair” there.

It’s just an appropriate, logical, in science predictable outcome based on eating habits, lifestyle habits, and the long unaddressed actual semi-deficiency in one or many nutrients. Cancer or dementia is never “unlucky”; they’re a product of your long-term choices.

In our time, people are eating so much that they become obese, yet malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies are at an all-time high. Now, I’m not saying this is people’s (or your) fault by any means. Food manufacturers have learned to engineer food in a way that preys on and takes advantage of our evolutionary biases for sugar, salt, and fat making the perfect food that we always crave more (even though it’s not nutritious).

There’s no amount of willpower that can resist that. The only real solution is not to expose yourself to those foods.

But let’s be real, that’s pretty damn hard, to say the least, if not almost impossible.

But remember those studies? Even if you are a full-time healthy eater, you might still be deficient in certain nutrients and thus, over a long period of time unknowingly and unintentionally develop a chronic disease, like cancer or whatever else of the widely considered incurable kind.

Hence, forgive me for being so raw, but I don’t believe there’s any better time than now to make that $1-2 (or $30-60 a month) investment for your long-term health. That’s what a high-quality multivitamin supplement costs these days.

Now, if this is ultimately not for you, I get that. It’s your life; it’s your choice. If you just leave this website, that’s fine.

All I wanted was to let you know that maybe for this decade it’s time to make a different choice. And so, get a different outcome. And be confident in the fact that you’re not low on nutrients consistently and years, decades on end. But instead, have all the nutrients you’ll need to give yourself the chance to thrive and become your best self.

Buyer’s Guide – The Qualities Of The Most Superior Multivitamins In 2021

The Paramount Nutrients Must Be Present In Abundance

The first incredibly important aspect of any multivitamin is how much nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial substances) it actually provides.

Many will try to tell you that 100% of Daily Value (DV) represents how much you need of certain nutrients daily to be healthy (same applies for other percentage values typically shown on the labels).

However, this is a common misconception of what these values actually stand for.

In essence, these values represent the absolute minimum of how much you must consume daily in order to not get sick. Or in other words, to not develop a short-term deficiency disease.

In that regard, they have nothing to do with making sure your body and mind have all the nutrients they need to run optimally and at their best (and actually meaningfully contribute to avoiding chronic diseases).

So, it only makes sense that for determining the very best of the very best multivitamin supplements we are not guided by such values.

Instead, we opt for what time and time again have been proven to be the better approach for making sure you’re meeting all your nutritional needs.

These are the values that have been developed by one of the leading and most respected doctors in the space of functional medicine. The same values that have assisted critically in curing many kinds of ailments and even disease that traditional medicine deems incurable, like dementia, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and a plethora of others.

The Nutrient Forms Must Be As Beneficial As Possible

I feel many people are completely unaware of the fact that vitamins and minerals are not delivered to our bodies in a pure form. Rather they come in all kinds of various compounds (that I simply refer to as forms).

Why is this exactly important?

Well, not all nutrient forms the human body can absorb well or even good.

Thus, how much value you’re getting out of a supplement is largely dependant on the kind of forms that are used.

For example, there are nutrient forms that are absorbed extremely poorly (like Magnesium Oxide) or ones that are absorbed remarkably well (like Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate).

Then there’s also the kind of forms that are not absorbable at all but are used in multivitamins still (like Cupric Oxide) and even forms that are harmful and are linked to cancer or other negative effects (like Sodium Metavanadate).

Therefore, as I mentioned, it is extremely important to be very aware of what the nutrient forms are and if they can benefit you effectively.

In that regard, it really goes without saying that the best kinds of multivitamins will, of course, have only the most beneficial forms.

When It Comes To Additives, They Must Be Harmless

Many think out of ignorance that it does not matter what kind of additives there are in a supplement and, therefore, they do not pay attention to that.

Others assume that all additives are bad. And thus, try and find a way to supposedly debunk every single one of them.

But neither of these approaches can be considered mindful.

I feel in this regard the famous 19th-century philosopher Nietzsche has said it best. He said, “Convictions are greater enemies to truth than lies”.

Sure, for some select few people even the most harmless additives of all will prove harmful due to known or completely random allergies. This possibility can never be ruled out. And it’s nothing extraordinary in any way.

I mean, people experience negative consequences consuming some of the healthiest foods on the Planet. All due to allergies. But are these foods because of those select few people considered harmful?

No. Thus, it only makes sense that we don’t condemn every single additive as bad either.

That said, we shouldn’t also be so naive to believe that every single additive that gets approved by the Food & Drug Administration (or any similar authority) and gets recognized as Generally Recognized As Safe, is good for you.

Quite to the contrary. Many high-profile doctors have spoken and written many books about this, many studies have been done, and many of the additives used in supplements and processed foods have been confirmed to be harmful.

Despite this, they are not and will not be removed. The reality is that Food Industries’ interests are just too prevalent and, thus, will prevail (yet most of them, especially fast-foods, think only about their own gain and revenue).

Basically, think of it this way. If there is a substance (additive) after the consumption of which a person doesn’t drop dead immediately or the next day, that substance will more than likely get approved as “Generally Recognized As Safe” (same for most other countries as well).

Regardless of the existing epidemics of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and every other possible chronic disease you can think of. They don’t care (whereas just 100-200 years ago we didn’t have this, nor did we have most of those nasty additives).

This is exactly why assessing additives is so incredibly important and should never be left out due to ignorance, negligence, greed, or any combination of the three.

Quality And Manufacturing Practices Have To Be Absolutely Solid

This is again something that I feel not enough people are actually paying their attention to. It is incredibly important how the multivitamin is being manufactured and what practices are used.

This is the stuff that they do not put on the labels, yet again, it’s one of the key factors in determining the best quality supplements.

Low-quality multivitamins can potentially offer quite an unpredictable variety of side effects and therefore be extremely harmful. This is because various incidental substances can be added to the supplement (or created) unintentionally during the manufacturing processes if appropriate care is not taken.

So, it’s a must that they are absolutely solid.

Various Beneficial Substances Will Only Add To The Benefits

As already discussed earlier, having the right kinds of vitamins and minerals are paramount to providing our bodies and minds with everything they need to work optimally.

Yet there are all kinds of other substances that have the potential to improve our well-being even further.

It’s not rare that these kinds of substances also get added to multivitamins to, in a sense, magnify their positive impact. And for sure, at the end of the day, they can amount to quite a difference.

So, be that as it may, the added beneficial substances are something that has to be taken into account. However, I feel it’s important to not go crazy with this. Meaning, it is significant, but it’s not our primary focus.

And even more so because no matter how overall useful these additions may be not all human groups need them. For example, for pregnant and lactating women, it’s better to roll without.

The Price Of The Multivitamin Supplement Must Be Reasonable

I mean, even great multivitamin supplements are sometimes overpriced. That said, it’s not common at all.

It’s way more common for the lower end to be overpriced. And that can go ridiculous lengths. Meaning, it’s so amazingly typical for supplements to be superficially reasonably priced.

Whereas if really looking at the value you’re actually getting, by far most of the time it tends to be way more than just miserable. It’s not rare to encounter supplements that due to their content value should easily cost at least 10-50 times less.

Still, on the surface, it’s barely noticeable and masked by skillful marketing practices.

On that note, truly great multivitamin supplements tend to be about 3-5 times more expensive than mediocre or poor ones. However, you are getting a much higher bang for your buck as these supplements also tend to be about 100-500 times more beneficial.

In that sense, they outclass the poor end of multivitamins in every single aspect by far.

Guidelines For Making The Best Choice

I have been told that the list that’s about to come is quite overwhelming. Mostly, in terms of the options and tweaks, it offers within any given multivitamin.

But that’s really no surprise as despite the market being flooded with terrible, poor, and mediocre supplements, there still are manufacturers that truly care. Manufacturers that put profound emphasis on delivering true value over revenue.

And to be fair many of the supplements throughout the list are only very incrementally better than the next. Hence, here are general guidelines for choosing the best and most appropriate option for whoever you may be.

For Men’s General Health and Well-Being. When it comes to this I believe there are no better options than the obvious No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 on the list, especially since Pure Encapsulations and Douglas Laboratories have been taken out of the picture (at least for the time being).

What I love most about at least two of these three is that they are also very available internationally. Which is something thoroughly thanks to iHerb and their extremely cheap international shipping.

I currently reside in Europe and I haven’t paid the shipping once when ordering the multivitamin. As far as I can tell, it’s very likely you won’t have to either, even if you reside in China, Australia, Southamerica, or Africa. Most places on the planet anyway.

Plus, there’s that additional factor of what I feel is Amazon being a bad source for supplements in general. Be it because they’re plagued by potential fakes or be it due to messing up the quality and integrity of the supplements due to the less than ideal conditions in their warehouses for them. It’s just not a place recommend for getting supplements (learn more).

For Women’s General Health and Well-Being: This one is very much like what we just discussed in the section for men’s well-being. There is a small addition to this, though.

Most supplements on this list do not contain Iron. This is for a couple of reasons. Men (unless vegan or vegetarian) will typically acquire all the necessary Iron from their diet alone. Whereas that’s not exactly possible for women in their reproductive age [R, R].

Apart from that, it’s not rare that Iron-containing multivitamins contain harmful or otherwise suboptimal additives. So, it’s much less struggle to simply add that essential thing through an added singular mineral-containing supplement.

To sum it up, the ideal choice here is a multivitamin (no Iron) with a singular Iron-containing supplement or a multivitamin that does have Iron (some of the supplements on the list have viable Iron-containing alternatives).

For Vegetarian Men: For vegetarians, the supplement options are slightly more limited than what we’ve otherwise seen. On that note, however, there is still plenty to choose from.

The highest vegetarian multivitamin on the general list is No. 3. It’s also something that I’ve done myself for a number of months in the past. Alternatively, you could also shoot for what is my top recommendation for vegans. Other than that, within this article, you will also find a separate list specifically containing the best vegetarian multivitamins.

Depending on your specific diet and lifestyle you might also benefit from regular additional Iron. Hence, if that’s something that might concern you, do look into the list of Iron-only-containing supplements.

For Vegetarian Women: What applies to men vegetarians also applies to women. However, the addition of a singular Iron-containing supplement is essentially mandatory.

Moreover, depending on your exact diet and lifestyle you might benefit from a higher daily dosage than that recommended below by the singular Iron-containing supplement list. In this regard, it’s probably best to decide on a starting point and adjust based on once-a-month blood tests. More info in the section on Iron-only supplements.

For Vegan Men: Generally, it’s a pretty impossible task to find a proper multivitamin that is vegan suitable and that doesn’t contain any of the undesirable additives. But it’s doable.

Arguably the best brand for this is through the options that we see as high as No. 4 and No. 5 on the list. One obvious drawback that they have is they don’t offer any vitamin A (just Beta-Carotene is not enough!!). But that’s an easy fix with the vegan option of a separate vitamin A supplement on this list I’ve created.

But as far as multivitamins, there are certainly other options as well which I’ll in time elaborate more on in the section for the vegan supplements.

For vegan men, applies also that what I wrote in the section for vegetarian men and Iron.

For Vegan Women: Essentially this section is very much like the one for vegan men. Primarily, it will be about the No. 4 and No. 5 of the general list. And then, the same applies to additional only-Iron-containing supplements as what we discussed in the section for vegetarian women. Or in other words, more than very likely something very necessary.

For Pregnant Women: I used to have a supplement of this kind on this list. However, from what I can tell, not a lot of pregnant women managed to find it here. And I don’t blame them. It was essentially buried under a plethora of other products that had nothing to do with pregnancy. And so, I imagine it was terribly confusing, to say the least.

To fix that, I will be adding a pregnancy-devoted multivitamin best-of list at some point.

But for the time being, there are actually a few unconventional options people can take away from the general list below.

You see, typically, when we speak of a multivitamin during pregnancy, what we ideally want is one without any added extra substances, just the vitamins and minerals. This is basically because there are a lot of extra substances that have not been studied well enough to confidently tell whether or not they can be harmful at this very important time.

But the problem with typically not being studied is not because they are necessarily bad. And so, it’s not that we can’t take supplements with certain added substances. It’s just that it’s more on the safe side to not do so. And so, it’s kind of what I consider an unconventional approach for pregnancy.

I am reasonably confident that the No. 1 and No. 2 should work well to that end. Couple it with an additional only-Iron-containing supplement to the mix and you should be all set (that Iron supplement will most likely be the double strength option).

For Lactating Women: Generally, the exact same applies to these people what applies to pregnant women. Conventionally, it’s best to seek out supplements without any additional substances. However, also here I believe the unconventional approach I touched upon in the section for pregnant women can be easily applied.

And so, it would be those same options No. 1 and No. 2. Whereas the need for additional Iron may vary from person to person and from diet/lifestyle to diet/lifestyle. Generally, picking up something from the additional only-Iron-containing supplements is probably a good idea (monitor your ferritin and hemoglobin levels to not overdo it or underdo it, modify accordingly).

Other than that, I will be likely at some point creating a separate list for specifically these ones, too.

For Women After Reproductive Age: For women in this period of life, any men’s multivitamin will work wonders. And definitely make sure that you go without any Iron if a supplement is labeled “women’s.”

The main difference between women after reproductive age and before that is the menstruation part. Which really is the only reason why women otherwise should regularly get some additional Iron through supplements. But as there is no longer that requirement for women after reproductive age (as there never is such requirement for men, generally), there’s no need for it anymore [R, R].

Indeed, supplementing it (unless you’re vegan or vegetarian) can actually lead to negative outcomes. Thus, the best approach I feel is to go with what I suggested in the section for men’s general health and well-being (see above).

For Professional Athletes & Sports Enthusiasts: The honest truth is that for professional athletes and sports enthusiasts, it’s either what we went over in all the sections before (depending on the appropriate section for you) or an improved dosage of any of those.

To that end, I believe that, generally, we can’t go wrong with what the No. 1 offers. Alternatively, the No. 2 and No. 3 can work really well as well

But definitely reach beyond the recommended doses when you feel the need to. With that in mind, another worthy alternative might be No. 13. So, have a look at that option as well.

Of course, add any other proper Whey Protein supplement or MCT oil, or whatever else you seem fit or feel the need for. If you need any further guidance or there are any ideas you want to run by me, be sure to ask in the comments.

For Battling Chronic Diseases: I truly believe that having a badass multivitamin (one like in the lists below) is the path to ultimately defeating any chronic disease.

But don’t get me wrong. This is not to say that a proper multivitamin can miraculously heal you on its own. No, my friend, far from that. However, it’s a good place to start.

Be that as it may, different conditions may have different limitations as to what kind of specific minerals or vitamins you should not supplement. So read up on that, and then choose the best fit.

If additional guidance is needed, let me know in the comments.

25 Best Multivitamin Supplements 2021 – Listing The Absolute Best

No. 1 | Thorne Research Advanced Nutrients (Review) – My Supplement Of Choice

Formerly, known as Thorne Research Extra Nutrients, this is something that has been in the upper echelon of multivitamins for quite some time. Now, with Douglas Laboratories and Pure Encapsulations falling prey to Nestle, this is, again, what I believe is the very best multivitamin on the market.

Thorne Research is a supplement manufacturer, which I’ve been really passionate about purely out of their dedication to creating the highest quality supplements out there. And they truly live up to that.

This manufacturer is known for doing insane amounts of testing. Absolutely no compromises made in making the supplements. Everything to make it as high of a quality as it can be with the most up-to-date technology available. All to ultimately, fulfill and exceed many of the quality standards set, like the impossible TGA and the well-known NSF and cGMP. They are also the only supplement company to collaborate with the universally known Mayo Clinic.

In its very essence, Advanced Nutrients is an extremely abundant and comprehensive multivitamin supplement that is augmented by some interesting twists and tweaks people typically very enjoy when it comes to additional beneficial substances.

Thus, characteristically you’ll find within it every single one of the 13 essential vitamins, plus vitamin K2 for a total of 14 vitamins. On top of that, you also get all 11 fundamental minerals, plus the optional Potassium. Hence, providing an incredible value when it comes to the basic nutrients. In that sense, you can definitely forget about any risks of deficiencies.

In the supplement, there’s also the addition of decent amounts of Carotenoids, as well as some amounts of Choline.

But as for the drawbacks, it doesn’t offer any the brain performance-boosting substance Inositol. Which, by no means, is the end of the world given the beneficial substances, however, as I said, still a drawback.

Here are some of the likely benefits you may get from those additions.

They’ll help you fight cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, viral infections, joint pain, as well as any other condition that stems from inflammation (thus, essentially, any chronic disease) [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

On top of that, they’ll also protect the brain and liver, promote healthy aging, anti-aging, and healthy vision, improve longevity, cognitive function, skin, and heart health, reduce allergies, support the immune system, as well as help in numerous other ways [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Whereas the story with its additives is very the same that it was with the Meta-Fem. Not only are they all harmless, but also some of them are actually beneficial.

Lastly, a comprehensive study on all reviews I could find of the Thorne Research Advanced Nutrients revealed, that among people who’ve used it, it’s of solid above 91% success rate.

This is the exact supplement I buy monthly and use daily.

 

No. 2 | Klaire Labs Multithera 1 Plus Vitamin K (Review) – Primary Nutrients & Immune System

The Multithera 1 Capsule Formula Plus Vitamin K has always been an incredible piece of addition to one’s well-being. And this is both in regards to when it was under the brand of Prothera and after the rebranding when it became directly of Klaire Labs.

It is this wondrous supplement that goes out of its way to provide all of the primary necessary nutrients. There certainly are also some beneficial substances to the blend, however, the main emphasis really is on the primary nutrients.

Klaire Labs was founded with the idea in mind that “clean, pharmaceutical-grade formulations should be the model for nutritional supplements”. And they have lived up to that for about 50 years now through their consistent emphasis on purity, potency, performance, and cGMP approach to manufacturing.

In the Multithera 1 Capsule Formula Plus Vitamin K you’ll get all of the 13 crucial vitamins without any exceptions. That will be complemented by all of the essential minerals, as well as Choline and Inositol. Which is then rounded off by only harmless and beneficial additives to make it as hypoallergenic of a substance to your health as possible.

While the supplement does also add some beneficial substances, it’s very reserved in that regard. It has only two, thus, the added benefits will be quite limited.

That said, we’re still looking at potential benefits to skin, hair, blood vessel and heart health, a wide range of antioxidative abilities, thus, also improving your immune system’s function, while also providing brain-protecting capabilities and depressive behavior, as well as memory impairment preventing capacity [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Still, solid value for the price. Whereas as far as the global success of this still feels too early to tell for sure. However, I personally wasn’t able to find anyone complaining about it. I’ve also done this myself in the past, and I loved it.

This is the exact supplement I would go for regularly if none of the others before it would exist.

 

No. 3 | Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold (Review) – A Whole Food & Extra-Substances-Filled Marvel

Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold is definitely a supplement, which lives up to its name through its Golden quality. It is the single most abundant supplement on this list in terms of various beneficial substances that it adds to the table.

I would even say that this exceptional supplement is a true pinnacle of how resourceful and diverse a supplement can be.

It’s a resourceful whole food supplement, which while being hypoallergenic, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, also offers rich amounts of the essential nutrients needed for health and the obliteration of deficiencies.

Nature’s Plus is a manufacturer, which goes pretty hard after embracing all of the natural and organic that is in existence. They are NSF and cGMP certified, as well as they have a pretty long history of providing supplements.

But to even further attest to the quality they embody, they also offer the 100% Consumer Satisfaction Guarantee, which basically means that they will refund, credit or replace any product you’re not fully satisfied with. All to guarantee your satisfaction.

Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold offers 11 of the crucial vitamins directly. Sadly, it leaves out the preformed vitamin A. As for vitamin K1, it does not provide the raw amounts of it. However, you will acquire some through the various diverse blends of the supplement. Additionally, the supplement adds also vitamin K2 [R, R, R].

When it comes to minerals, we see a similar situation. The supplement offers 9 of the crucial and 1 of the optional minerals. Additionally the two of the missing minerals – Vanadium and Molybdenum – will likely be present through the Mineral Complex blend of the Source of Life Gold [R, R, R].

To augment that, you are also getting amazing amounts of Carotenoids and Inositol, as well as somewhat okay amounts of Choline. Then there are the additional beneficial substances that to me, feels as if are exactly what the supplement is mainly about. It’s completely busted that way.

15 blends, 10 beneficial substances, over 120 different whole foods. Which will do everything from supporting digestive health and immune system’s function to improving brain function and anti-aging to helping in cancer and other chronic disease prevention.

While some may prefer that here the serving size is only 3 tablets, from my own experience I can say that they’re rather large. And so, I experienced it first hand that they don’t always go down painlessly. To that end, personally, I much rather prefer 6-8 capsules over 3 rather large tablets. Still, I wouldn’t consider it a deal-breaker.

This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist.

 

No. 4 | Pure Essence LifeEssence (Review) – Superfoods, Bioflavonoids & Even Digestive Enzymes

At its core, the Pure Essence LifeEssence is yet again a remarkably resourceful supplement, which then is only further amplified by many various beneficial substances. All to make it a very diverse, comprehensive, helpful piece of a multivitamin.

Pure Essence as a manufacturer is all about combining decades of experience in formulating nutritional supplements using the ancient wisdom of holistic health and the philosophy of pure ingredients. And in that, they are not only dedicated to providing awesome supplements, but they have also shown a clear commitment to the longevity of the planet.

Although GMP is the only official standard they adhere to, their philosophy and their purpose are ones to die for. Furthermore, they offer a 60-day unconditional 100% money-back guarantee. Which I feel expresses the amount of confidence they have in their production perfectly.

To that end, it would not be wrong to say that they truly care about the value they deliver. And if for some reason a supplement has not lived up to that promise, they’re willing to essentially buy it back.

Pure Essence LifeEssence offers 11 of the crucial vitamins, lacking the preformed retinol (vitamin A which can be easily made up for through a separate supplement) and vitamin K1. The latter vitamin will, however, be made up for through one of the blends that the supplement employs. Whereas, as for the state of minerals in it – it has them all.

Additionally, the LifeEssence also offers some amounts of Carotenoids, as well as the brain function improving substances of Choline and Inositol are there, too. On top of that, it comes with various blends that will improve digestive health, sexual well-being (for both genders), antioxidant presence in your body, brain health, as well as a bunch of other things (a ton of blends).

This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist or if I were a vegan.

 

No. 5 | Pure Essence ProFema (Review) – Superfoods, Co-Nutrients & Bioflavonoids

Here’s essentially a twin sister for the just discussed Pure Essence LifeEssence. On the surface, it’s a supplement for women in and after menopause. But at its essence, it’s so much more.

Although all aspects considered, I do see this as a very slightly less powerful version, some may find it to be the better alternative. I mean, they’re that close apart.

Or to be more precise, Pure Essence ProFema offers much of the same nutrients that its labeled LifeEssence counterpart does. Much of the time the amounts are also the exact same. Only a few minute aspects differ.

For the vitamins, in this one, we see lower amounts for both vitamin E and vitamin B5. Over the LifeEssence version, it has more vitamin K. But there’s also less Beta-Carotene, Selenium, Molybdenum, and Potassium. The only real lackluster for it is our typical minerals what most multivitamins struggle with (in efforts to keep the capsule and tablet amount per serving down). Namely, Calcium and Magnesium. As for the rest, they’re all there.

As for why I feel the Pure Essence LifeEssence is the slightly better variation, it’s because of the added benefits of two additional blends. Or in other words, it has all the same substances but Antioxidant Blend and Fruit Extracts blend.

Other than that, there are a lot of other Pure Essence supplements that are very similar to these. And if I were to be completely honest, another 5-8 multivitamins of the brand should come after them. So, to not make this whole list largely dominated by Pure Essence, I’ve refrained from adding more than two for the time being.

Just know that very many of them are very capable and viable options. Even if you end up not choosing one of the two listed here, but stick with some of the vegan-compatible choices.

Anyways, as for the supplement of this section, this is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before would exist.

 

No. 6 | Super Nutrition Perfect Family Energizing Multi (Review) – Solid Extra Stuff & Nutrients

Super Nutrition Perfect Family Energizing Multi is a very straightforward, hypoallergenic vegetarian supplement that shines in both the raw nutritional side and the beneficial substance side of things.

With all that it offers, it’s pretty extraordinary. It definitely keeps up with the rest of the supplements on this list.

On that same note, however, it is essentially twice less the price. So, it offers incredible overall value for money.

In fact, Super Nutrition is a manufacturer that actually promises that – the unequaled value for what it offers. Their promise is to always be offering comprehensive, antioxidant-rich full potency multivitamins that include formulas to support energy, immunity, strong bones, and a healthy heart.

I absolutely love the fact they have a specific section only dedicated to the Science, which I do find very educational myself. On top of that, they also do offer a full money-back guarantee if after 30 days of using the multivitamin you do not feel a significant improvement in your health and well-being. So, if anything, they’re truly committed to improving their customers’ well-being.

The Perfect Family Energizing Multi offers every single one of the 13 essential vitamins. When it comes to minerals – it’s very abundant as well – only the Vanadium is missing. And every single one of them comes in very solid abundance.

The supplement also provides sufficient amounts of Choline and Inositol, while also offering high amounts of Beta Carotene and some amounts of other Carotenoids. Yet, in terms of additional beneficial substances, it has a lot to offer to digestion, brain health, and anti-inflammatory response.

The only real superficially red flags are the Citrus and Vanilla Flavoring that are added to it as additives. And these can really ruin an otherwise solid supplement if they’re not made through quality manufacturing. Which in the case of Super Nutrition Perfect Family, is I feel nothing to worry about. Hence, much to gain, nothing to lose.

This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist.

 

No. 7 | Source Naturals Life Force Multiple No Iron (Review) – Detox, Carotenoids & Bunch Of Other

While the Source Naturals Life Force Multiple No Iron should not be considered vegetarian, in its very essence, it is quite similar to the supplement we just discussed.

Meaning, it is an extremely resourceful multivitamin supplement that also offers quite a couple of additional beneficial substances, as well as incredible value for the price.

Source Naturals adheres to the guiding principle of providing safe and superior quality products in everything that they do. In that, their utmost priority and aspiration are, as far as I can tell, to enhance customers’ health and well-being.

Whereas while their quality control and laboratories seem to go the extra mile to ensure quality, there are, however, no third-party assertions. Which generally simply gives less credibility to what they themselves are implying.

The supplement provides all of the 13 fundamental vitamins, as well as all of the minerals but the Vanadium. There are also considerable amounts of Carotenoids, as well as the strongest of all of them – Astaxanthin. Then there’s also the brain-boosting substances – Choline and Inositol – present.

On top of that, as I already noted, it’s quite augmented by the bunch of additional beneficial substances. These will provide very capable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as aid in anti-aging, detoxification, joint health, brain health, and provide additional support with a number of other things.

So, essentially, a truly useful piece of supplementation.

This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist.

No. 8 – No. 25 | The Rest Of Awesome Multivitamins

Given that people usually are not that interested in the bottom end of the complete list, for the time being, I have not added the descriptions for the remainder of the list. That said I feel there is at least one highlight that I must mention.

The No. 9 | Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men. This is an absolutely marvelous option for anyone who is strictly on a budget.

In essence, while it costs only one-third of what its higher-ranked competitors do, it’s still a pretty close rival to them. Slightly less balanced but arguably a supplement that offers the most value for the price on the list.

Other than that, if at any time you’d love to have more insights on any of the supplements mentioned in this section, just let me know in the comments. I’ll provide the key info.

Here’s the full No. 8 to No. 25.

No. 8 | Brain MD NeuroVite Plus

No. 9 | Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men

No. 10 | Source Naturals, Men’s Life Force Multiple

No. 11 | Ketolabs Core Basics

No. 12 | Metagenics PhytoMulti Capsules

No. 13 | Thorne Research Multi-Vitamin Elite

No. 14 | Super Nutrition Perfect Family Iron-Free

No. 15 | NutraBio Labs MultiSport Men’s Formula

No. 16 | Controlled Labs Orange Triad

No. 17 | Nature’s Plus Source of Life Men Iron-Free

No. 18 | Source Naturals Elan Vital Multiple

No. 19 | Klaire Labs VitaSpectrum

No. 20 | Metabolic Maintenance The Big One without Iron

No. 21 | Life Extension Mix Tablets

No. 22 | Nutricology OcuDyne II

No. 23 | Enzymatic Therapy Doctor’s Choice Multivitamins

No. 24 | Ortho Alpha Base With Or Without Iron

No. 25 | Life Enhancement Personal Radical Shield

3 Best Multivitamins For Vegetarians 2021

The thing about the best multivitamins for vegetarians in 2021 is that the list can be completely derived from the general list talked over earlier in the article.

In that sense, the overall guidelines (went over in the section of Buyer’s Guide) for choosing such supplements remain the same. In other words, nothing changes in regards to the nutritional standard, nutrient forms, harmless additives, quality manufacturing, additional substances, and reasonable price.

But as for any other additional things, I feel you might benefit from adding what I already mentioned in the guidelines for choosing your supplement. Meaning, as a vegetarian depending on your diet and lifestyle you might benefit greatly from an additional Iron-containing supplement.

This is a section that will be an absolute equivalent to this one below.

Lastly, as for the list of those best vegetarian multivitamin supplements, click on any of the following to take you to the appropriate section.

No. 1 | Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold

No. 2 | Pure Essence LifeEssence

No. 3 | Pure Essence ProFema

5 Best Multivitamins For Vegans 2021

While we can find a bunch of options in the general list for vegetarians, that’s not the case at all when looking at the best multivitamins for vegans for 2021.

The main issue, as I’ve come to know it quite well, is the fact that many vegan supplements do struggle profoundly with additives. As it seems, it’s truly a challenge to develop a proper multivitamin supplement that is at the same time vegan compatible.

But it’s not impossible.

While below you’ll see what I believe is the 5 best options currently out there, the No. 1 is arguably the better option by far when compared to all the rest.

And above all, what I mentioned in both the guidelines for choosing and vegetarian supplements, based on your exact diet and lifestyle, you might benefit profoundly from an additional only-Iron-containing supplement. For the section of those, click here or scroll below.

No. 1 | Pure Essence Supplements – LifeEssence, ProFema, One ‘n’ Only, Mother to Be, and Other

No. 2 | Country Life Max For Vegans

No. 3 | Solgar Formula VM-2000

No. 4 | Pure Vegan Advanced Vegan

No. 5 | Now Foods Special Two (Vegetarian Capsules or Tablets)

Woman Adaptation of Any Supplement: Adding Iron

The only real difference, when it comes to comparing the best practices for nutrient amounts between the genders, is the idea that women must also ideally regularly supplement Iron.

As mentioned in the Guidelines for Choosing, this is due to the fact that women need that extra Iron for making up for the blood loss during menstruation. Whereas vegans and vegetarians, based on their exact diet and lifestyle, may simply not accumulate enough Iron. Thus, it may be required for them to pick up some extra, too.

While the general list of the very best of the best multivitamins are those ideally suited for men (where supplements don’t contain Iron), they are also ideal to women apart from the fact that you need to add that extra Iron (because most supplements on the general list do not have that).

So, here are three awesome singular Iron-containing supplements that will do just that. Couple them with a multivitamin of your choice from the general list. Whereas if the supplement already adds Iron, there’s no need for the extra through one of the Iron-containing ones on this list.

For this approach, I feel rather common misconceptions exist that men’s and women’s nutritional needs differ profoundly, thus, one or the other should never use supplements labeled for the other gender.

However, while small, tiny, very minute differences may exist, they are not significant enough to actively pursue. Moreover, the actual, perfect nutritional needs more rely on your exact microbiome and genetics. Both of which can be just as similar between two people of the opposite sex as in two people of the same.

To that end, the most crucial aspect to comprehend is that labeling is mostly just marketing. Men’s multivitamins do not contain vitamins and minerals women’s bodies won’t absorb, and vice-versa. Neither do additional beneficial substances benefit only one specific gender. In all of my research, a haven’t found a single one for which that is the case.

As for why the general list typically does not contain multivitamins with Iron is due to the harmful additives that often accompany such an addition. So it’s generally always easier to find a proper no Iron-containing multi and then add that extra Iron through one of those below.

One additional thing, as singular Iron supplements do not contain low enough mineral amounts to abide by the best practices, unless you’re pregnant or lactating, you generally do not need to take them daily. Take every two or three days to on average adhere to the 8-12 mg per day recommendation.

For example, if the supplement contains 18 mg, take it every other day (as to fit the mold of 9 mg a day). If the supplement contains 27 mg, take one capsule every three days (again, as to fit the average of 9 mg a day).

This may differ for vegetarians and vegans, based on their diet and lifestyle. A single capsule of 18 mg a day might be the perfect approach.

No. 1 | Thorne Research Iron Bisglycinate

No. 2 | Now Foods Iron (18 mg)

No. 3 | Doctor’s Best High Absorption Iron With Ferrochel

Alternative | Now Foods Double Strength Iron (36 mg)

Comparison List: The Absolute Worst & Most Misrepresented

This section is all about uncovering and exposing multivitamin supplements that are claimed to be the best out there by other lists and websites, but, in reality, they are nowhere close to that category.

A bunch of ravings if you ask me. However, this is not to say that I have all the answers. We seek the best truth, and so please be my guest in searching for that, too. And use this information as your guide as I feel there is a lot of misinformation out there.

So be very wise when choosing your supplements.

Misrepresented | *** Douglas Laboratories Ultra Preventive X – Owner Is The Problem

I used to be a huge fan of the Douglas Laboratories Ultra Preventive X. I used to have this listed as the No. 1 of the very best multivitamins list above. Sadly, no more.

The problem is not with the beneficial ingredients or the added extra substances. The problem is not with even the additives. The problem might not even be with the manufacturing and quality practices in place (maybe). The problem is with the company that has taken over the wheel of Douglas Laboratories.

Nestle. A company truly profit-driven. A company more concerned with its own gain and wealth than anything else. Whereas if we really want to hit the nail on the head, here’s what I believe is the best summary. “Nestle is a company that is a known global bully for their laundry list of crimes against humanity and deception on the quality of their products.” There’s just a ton of terrible and unspeakable about them [R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

I don’t want to support such approach to things. And so, because of that I no longer believe this deserves to be named as the No. 1. At least for the time being.

Misrepresented | *** Pure Encapsulations Ultra Nutrient – Owner Is The Problem, Again

Pure Encapsulations is another top-quality brand fallen prey to Nestle. Which is so incredibly heart-breaking, but nothing we can do about it. And then, it’s even more disheartening because there were quite a few entries by this brand on the very best-of list for multivitamins above. It was a true quality brand which I’m not so sure of anymore.

I mean, sure, the Pure Encapsulations devotion to quality might still be on the same level (emphasis on “might”). But that we can’t know, for sure. They sure themselves originally claimed that it will stay the same. But I feel I can’t vouch for that, especially given that another brand acquired by Nestle Garden of Life (which was something I was a huge fan of) has possibly undergone a fall in that aspect [R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

More on Nestle in the previous section and in the references.

All in all, while the Pure Encapsulations Ultra Nutrient was previously a confident No. 2 on the very best-of list above, I would steer clear of it for the time being. At least for as long as we need to again be confident in the quality that this brand is displaying.

Other Pure Encapsulations multivitamins previously on the very best multivitamins list but now removed include their Polyphenol Nutrients, Nutrient 950® with Iron, Nutrient 950® without Iron, and Nutrient 950® with Vitamin K.

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For the time being, I have refrained from adding any other misrepresented supplements to this particle article as I already have other two that do go into a lot of detail in this regard.

Or to be more exact, the article on the best multivitamins for men based solely on 100% Daily Values covers these highly misrepresented supplements that show up on other lists throughout the internet as the very best ones but in reality are none of that:

Misrepresented | *** Rainbow Light Men’s One Multivitamin

Worst | *** SmartyPants Men’s Complete (Formula)

Misrepresented | *** Nature’s Way Alive! Once Daily Men’s Ultra

Misrepresented | *** GNC Mega Men

Misrepresented | *** NOW ADAM Men’s Multiple Vitamin

Worst | *** Centrum Silver Men

Misrepresented | *** Source Naturals Men’s Life Force

Worst | *** Vitafusion Men’s Multivitamin

Worst | *** One A Day Men’s Health Formula

Misrepresented | *** Universal Nutrition Animal Pak Training Supplement

Misrepresented | *** Controlled Labs Orange Triad

Worst | *** Muscletech Essential Series Platinum Multivitamin

And here’s another shot at the misleadingly, supposedly very best multivitamins that those other lists mention and the exact reasons as to why they are truly not the case (in the article on the best multivitamins for women based solely on 100% Daily Values):

Worst | *** One A Day Women’s VitaCraves

Worst | *** Ritual Essential for Women

Worst | *** Vitafusion Women’s Gummy Vitamins

Worst | *** SugarBearHair Women’s Multi Vegan MultiVitamin

Misrepresented | *** Optimum Nutrition Opti-Women

Misrepresented | *** GNC Women’s Ultra Mega 50+

Misrepresented | *** Rainbow Light Women’s One

Worst | *** SmartyPants Women’s Complete (Formula)

Worst | *** Centrum Women

Misrepresented | *** NOW Foods Eve Softgels

Worst | *** One A Day Women’s Formula

Awesome Health, Well-Being & High Performance

There are many different approaches and opinions out there. But I believe multivitamins are kind crucial for awesome health, well-being, and high performance.

More so than any other type of supplement out there.

These supplements generally offer a great variety of nutrients and beneficial substances, ultimately making them a hard nut to crack. This in a sense that, there are just so incredibly huge amounts of different ones. One can easily get lost, and be exploited by effective marketing.

This article was created with the idea in mind to change that. To put you in the place of power knowing what is actually good and what is only marketed that way.

Above all, I hope this article on the best multivitamin supplements for 2021 helped you find the information you were looking for.

This article was last updated on October 31, 2020.