Take water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and folic acid, on an empty stomach, and fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, E, D, and K, with fat-containing foods to ensure adequate absorption. You should also take prenatal multivitamins or vitamins with a snack or meal. Because prenatal vitamins contain many different types of vitamins and minerals, it can be difficult to decide if you should take them on a full or empty stomach. We suggest that you take your prenatal vitamins with a meal to avoid the nausea that can result from taking pills on an empty stomach.
If you have regular nausea after taking your vitamins, you can experiment to see if taking them with a full meal or just a snack helps prevent them. Most supplements can be taken with a meal, and some recommend it, either to improve absorption or to avoid stomach upset. Taking vitamins on an empty stomach can cause absorption problems, as well as some digestive discomfort. When you eat, the amount of stomach acid in your system increases, which helps break down vitamins.
This is because the body takes what it needs from the water-soluble vitamins and excretes the rest through the urine, meaning it doesn't need food for absorption. You're about to walk out the door when you realize you have a few seconds to spare, so you grab your multivitamin and put it in your mouth. This is because the body is able to take what it needs from these vitamins and release the rest in the urine; no food is needed for maximum absorption. According to their effects, it is advisable to take vitamins and supplements at certain times of the day, depending on their effects, according to Dr.
Dimitar Marinov, assistant professor at the Varna Medical University (Bulgaria). For that reason, the most common thing (and this is usually indicated on the supplement label) is to take a daily multivitamin with a meal or, at the very least, with a good-sized snack. Because these vitamins are most effective when taken on an empty stomach, it's best to take them in the morning, Kessler says. While taking vitamins on an empty stomach probably won't cause major health problems, it can cause some discomforts that you probably want to avoid.
Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K, are generally best taken with a meal that contains at least one teaspoon of fat. You should also take these vitamins with a full glass of water to help break them down and absorb them, Stephenson says. You should take fat-soluble vitamins with fat-containing meals or snacks, such as avocado, egg yolks, or olive oil, for proper absorption. Some of your vitamins are better absorbed by your body with food, so you may want to take them with a meal or a snack.
