Watch more How to Get Your Vitamins and Minerals videos: http://www.howcast.com/videos/125616-How-to-Choose-a-Multivitamin Weed out the junk from the good stuff when picking a multivitamin. Warning Speak to a physician before starting to take a vitamin of any kind. Step 1: Select form Narrow down your choices based on how you would like to ingest your vitamin: in powder form, capsule, tablet, or liquid. Step 2: Choose dosage Further narrow down your selection by deciding how often you would like to take a vitamin: a single daily dose or spread out throughout the day. Step 3: Check essential vitamins Make sure it provides at least 100 percent of the eight essential vitamins: thiamine or B-1, riboflavin or B-2, niacin or B-3, B-6, B-12, D, E, and folic acid. Step 4: Confirm vitamin A & C Check that it contains some vitamin A and vitamin C. Tip Too much vitamin A has been found to increase hip fracture when over 4300 incremental units are taken daily; and too much vitamin C may cause an upset stomach and/or diarrhea. Step 5: Check mineral level Check mineral levels. It should provides at least 50% of your daily chromium, copper, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Tip Magnesium can be obtained from whole-grains and may not require supplementation. Step 6: Separate calcium Don’t worry about getting calcium in your multivitamin — it’s better taken separately, as the daily recommended levels are too large to be contained a single pill. Step 7: Avoid too much phosphorus Avoid multivitamins with too much phosphorus, which we get plenty of in our diets. Step 8: Consider iron If you’re a woman, vegetarian, or have been diagnosed as anemic, select a multivitamin that contains iron in ferrous form, which is most readily absorbed. Tip If your multivitamin contains iron, take it with a piece of fruit. Not only can it cause intestinal discomfort on an empty stomach, but the fruit’s vitamin C will help it absorb. Step 9: Compare prices Compare prices and remember that you’re shopping for a daily multivitamin, which can add up. Tip Cheaper multivitamins may contain fillers such as starches and silica, while expensive multivitamins tend to be more pure. Step 10: Confirm quality Only purchase quality-guaranteed or laboratory-tested multivitamins. Step 11: Take regularly Now that you’ve chosen your multivitamin, make sure you take it regularly. Did You Know? In 1747, Scottish naval surgeon James Lind discovered that a nutrient in citrus foods — now known as vitamin C — prevented scurvy.