Before taking a multivitamin, consider what you want from your multivitamins. I don't just mean the nutritional content, although that plays a part. It's important to consider other key factors like form, size and additional ingredients.
Ingredients
As with anything you consume, check the ingredient labels first. All daily multivitamins will have nutrients, but they may also contain ingredients you'd rather avoid, like gelatin. Another ingredient to watch for is sugar. Many of the best gummy vitamins taste good, but it takes a lot of sugar to get there. Some daily multivitamins may include more sugar than you expect.
Another important reason to check the ingredient label is to manage medication interactions. For example, vitamin K can interfere with the metabolism of the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin). It's good to check with your doctor before trying any new supplements.
If you're not deficient in certain vitamins, a multivitamin can give you more than you need. Various macronutrients, like vitamins A, D, E and calcium, can negatively affect the body and contribute to toxicity if taken in high doses.
Form and size
The first thing you should consider when you've decided to start taking a daily multivitamin is the form you prefer. Among the best multivitamins are forms such as capsules, tablets and gummies. Although the liquid form is also available, it is harder to accurately measure how much you're getting. Each form has pros and cons associated with them. For instance, gummy vitamins often have a decent amount of sugar content, whereas tablet multivitamins can be really large and hard to swallow but may have significantly fewer additives.
Daily dose
The last thing you should pay close attention to is the daily serving size of your multivitamin. Some of the best multivitamins on the list have serving sizes of three or more capsules daily. If you're busy and forget to take things consistently, you may be better off with a one-tablet option like Nature Made.