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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

The Best Vitamins for Immune System Support

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With so many vitamins on the market it’s difficult to know which ones are the best when you’re looking to boost your immunity. These are my recommendations for the best vitamins for immune system support.

the best vitamins for immune system

Before I had kids, I thought I had the best immune system. I never got sick! After I had kids, it was a totally different story. I was sick all the time. It was ridiculous. There was one year, when Layla was 1-2 years old, that I literally was sick every month. I’d get over some viral plague, and then get sick again.

It was the same for the husband. We were knocked out and miserable. I couldn’t figure out where I was going wrong – I ate well, exercised, but somehow my immune system was a disaster in fighting the germs Layla was bringing into our house!

I realized that lack of sleep post kids and the lack of downtime post kids was likely zapping both my energy and immunity. And so, I decided to do a ton of research to bring in some reinforcements.

(Note: This guide is focused on immunity for adults. Here is a separate guide covering the best immune boosters for kids).

Do Vitamins Really Help With Your Immunity?

Yes, vitamins can help boost your immunity. But there are a lot of really low quality vitamins out there that basically do nothing when you take them. And on top of that, the vitamin and supplements section of the store can be SUPER overwhelming. Most of the time it looks like this:

grocery aisle shelves stacked with vitamins

How Do You Figure Out Which Vitamins Actually Work?

There are hundreds of vitamins on the shelves, all of them with marketing messaging saying that they’re the best. So what are you supposed to do if you need a boost for your immunity, digestive health, or overall health? How are you supposed to know which vitamins are the best and actually work?

That’s where this post comes in. After all of my research, I have been able to narrow down the best daily vitamin regimen for adults to help boost immunity, energy and overall health.

How do I know these are the best vitamins for immune system support?

These vitamins are going to work because they are high quality, come from whole food sources and are easy to absorb in your body.

Even my husband was super skeptical when I put him on this vitamin regimen, but now he swears by it. And he was the most anti-vitamin person of them all!

When I’m coaching clients with young kids, I always put them on this regimen and they always come back with positive results (e.g. “I don’t get sick anymore even when my kids are sick!” “I feel like I have way more energy now!”).

Many of you have come across my best vitamins for kids article, so just think of this as the adult version 🙂 And if you’re looking to boost your child’s immunity, I recommend giving them this whole food multivitamin that includes 12 organic fruits & veggies along with this immunity gummy as well!

What’s Wrong With Most Commercial Vitamins?

  • Not food based – most of the cheap, widely available, commercial vitamins derive their vitamins synthetically – they don’t come from food. That means your body can’t absorb them as well. The vitamins I recommend all come from whole food sources, or they are derived naturally (e.g. folic acid or cyanocobalamin derived from bacteria fermenting sugars), which means they act like food would in your body.
  • Additives, preservatives, artificial ingredientsI found these ingredients on the labels of some popular vitamin brands: Centrum had: Microcrystalline Cellulose, Pregelatinized Corn Starch, BHT (to retard Oxidation), Gelatin, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Yellow 6 Lake; One a Day had: Microcrystalline Cellulose, FD&C Blue #2 Aluminum Lake, FD&C Yellow #5 (tartrazine) Aluminum Lake, FD&C Yellow #6 Aluminum Lake, Gelatin, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose. These preservatives, artificial colors and non-vegetarian friendly ingredients are not ones you want to be taking on a daily basis! Add that to the fact that the actual vitamins in these brands are synthetic and you’ve basically got a totally useless multivitamin on your hands.

What Is The Best Vitamin Regimen For Me?

For people looking for a customized plan to fit your needs, along with vitamins to help with anti-aging and to reduce inflammation, contact me!

For more general recommendations, I usually recommend that people take all these supplements below on a daily basis. At first, it can feel like a lot of vitamins! But it is SO worth it. Some are for immunity, some are for digestive health and some are for overall health. I’ve indicated which vitamins do what below so you can pick and choose, but if you’re ok with taking all of these vitamins each day – I’d take them all!

#1 | Best Multivitamins for Your Immune System

See below for specific vitamins for men and women

All of these multivitamins are made from whole food sources so it’s super easy to absorb, and have a gentle form of iron that won’t irritate your stomach. Choose one of the following below.

Vitamins For Women:

  • Ritual Essentials for Women 18+, 2 tablets a day. I absolutely love Ritual vitamins. They are one of the few clinically-backed multivitamins for women 18-49 formulated specifically to help fill the nutrient gaps in your diet. (In a clinical trial over 12 weeks, their Essential Multivitamin for Women increased vitamin D levels by 43% with no change for placebo; and increased Omega-3 DHA by 41% with no change for placebo). Ritual takes a food-first approach to their multivitamins, giving you the exact amounts of the nutrients you need that you likely aren’t getting through your diet alone. They are also completely transparent – they share sources, studies, and suppliers — their multivitamin is Made Traceable™ with the first visible supply chain of its kind. They have a separate multivitamin for women 50+, a prenatal vitamin, and a postnatal vitamin as well.
  • Passion 4 Life Multivitamin, liquid vitamin. This high potency liquid multivitamin is great for anyone who has trouble swallowing capsules or wants a super comprehensive vitamin designed to boost immunity and overall health. It’s sugar free, gluten free, and made with 135 all natural whole food based ingredients!
  • Performance Lab Whole Food Multivitamin, 4 tablets a day. This vitamin contains 17+ essential daily vitamins + minerals that are bioavailable and absorb easily. They are vegan, allergen-free, gluten-free, non GMO, and super clean from an ingredients standpoint. This is a great all-around vitamin! They also have an ongoing buy 3 get 1 free offer (so if you buy 3 bottles, you get 1 free!)
  • Garden of Life Prenatal Multivitamin, 3 tablets a day. Even though Garden of Life is a prenatal, it’s actually great for non-pregnant women because the combination of vitamins/herbs are more beneficial than the regular women’s once daily. (Note: If you are pregnant, check with your OBGYN to make sure they are comfortable with you taking this prenatal – it contains holy basil which some OB’s recommend avoiding during pregnancy. I took this prenatal with both of my pregnancies and had no issues, but if you are pregnant, make sure your OB is ok with this prenatal before taking it)
  • Naturelo Whole Food Multivitamin, 4 tablets a day. It contains a high dose of magnesium so if you are sensitive to that it’s best to avoid this brand.
  • Mary Ruth’s liquid vitamin (for anyone who can’t swallow pills). This is a good option for those who do not like swallowing pills. It’s also a good all around vitamin for the family as it can be taken by women, men, and children. Just adjust the dosage based on who in the family is taking it.

Vitamins For Men:

These are great for the same reason as the women’s vitamins – for just overall health and energy, but also makes sure you’re getting the proper nutrients to boost your immunity!

  • Performance Lab Multivitamin for Men, 4 tablets a day. This is my top pick for a men’s vitamin. It contains 17+ essential daily vitamins + minerals with food cofactors for optimal absorption. It’s a highly bioavailable vitamin calibrated for men’s specific nutritional needs. It’s also vegan, allergen-free, gluten-free, non GMO, and super clean from an ingredients standpoint. They also have an ongoing buy 3 get 1 free offer (so if you buy 3 bottles, you get 1 free!)
  • Ritual Vitamins for Men, 2 tablets a day. Ritual is an awesome option for men who eat well and are looking for a vitamin to fill the nutrient gaps in their diets. Essential for Men is Made Traceable™ with a visible supply chain so you know what you’re putting in your body. Essentials for Men contains 10 key vitamins and nutrients in a highly bioavailable form designed for easy absorption. They have a separate multivitamin for Men 50+ as well!
  • Garden of Life Men’s Once Daily Multivitamin, 1 tablet a day. This vitamin is specially formulated for men with prostate support in mind. It’s made from nutritious and organic whole foods and is a good option if you only want to take one vitamin a day.
  • Naturelo Whole Food Multivitamin for Men, 4 tablets a day. Naturelo has a Once Daily and the Whole Food. I recommend the Whole Food which is 4 tablets a day. It contains an organic fruit and vegetable blend, probiotic blend, energy blend, and brain, heart, and eye health blend. Just like the women’s vitamin, it has a high dose of magnesium so wouldn’t be a good option for people sensitive to magnesium.
  • Mary Ruth’s liquid vitamin (for anyone who can’t swallow pills)

#2 | Best Vitamins for Immune System: Vitamin C

The three vitamin C supplements below all have different benefits. I like to combine them to get comprehensive immune boost, but you can pick one, two, or all of these to take daily:

This is for all adults who need an immune boost. The bioflavonoids in both Solaray and C-Lyte help you to absorb the vitamin C better, and liposomal Vitamin C is a fat-soluble version of vitamin C that is highly bioavailable when taken with food. All 3 of these vitamins contain different forms of Vitamin C and different bioflavonoids – so I like taking them together to get that FULL immune boost!

#3 | Best Vitamins for Immune System: Vitamin D

Jarrow Vitamin D3 1000IU, 1 tablet a day is the one to get here. There are actually a lot of good Vitamin D3 brands out there, but I like Jarrow because it’s a reputable brand, the Vitamin D3 bottle isn’t too expensive, and the capsule doesn’t have any random ingredients added to it. This is for all adults who want to boost immunity and overall health – most of us don’t get enough Vitamin D and it’s really beneficial and necessary for our bodies!

#4 | Best Vitamins for Immunity: Turmeric with Curcumin Supplement

Naturo Sciences, 1 tablet a day or Truvani, 1 tablet a day. This is another area where there are a lot of brands with turmeric & curcumin – I like these two because they have black pepper and ginger added, it’s affordable, and it’s non-GMO (no random ingredients added). Turmeric with Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant with a number of health benefits (listed here). This is for all adults, to help with immunity and to reduce inflammation in the body.

#5 | Best Vitamins for Immune System: Fish Oil

Nordic Naturals, Ultimate Omega, 2 tablets a day. Nordic Naturals is my favorite fish oil brand: it’s all natural, non-GMO, nothing chemical added. Their fish oil is pure so you don’t get those “fishy burps” after taking it. And fish oil is great for all adults to take for heart health and cholesterol, reducing inflammation, and brain health.

#6 | Best Probiotic For Immunity

Garden of Life Once Daily Ultra, 1 tablet a day. I absolutely love Garden of Life’s probiotics. This one in particular, is excellent for immunity. Most of your immunity starts in your gut, so having a strong gut is essential to helping you to not get sick. The best probiotics have these strains in them (which are the most beneficial): L.Plantarum, L.Acidophilus, L.Brevis, B.Lactis, B.Longum – and Garden of Life fits the bill here. For anyone looking to improve immunity or gut health, this one is for you. If you need a probiotic that you can take with you on the go that doesn’t need refrigeration, I recommend this one for men, this one for women, and this one for pregnant women!

garden of life probiotics, best vitamins for immune system

#7 | Best Immune Booster

Better Way Health Beta Glucan. This little capsule is seriously amazing. I’m convinced this is what has helped me to fight off virus after virus that my kids have brought into the house this winter! It’s pure beta-glucan – and uses scientifically backed immune-health-supporting compounds to help prime, strengthen, and balance the immune system for better overall health. It’s also completely free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and is dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, kosher and vegetarian. If you buy just ONE thing to boost your immunity, get this and take it every day.

For those of you looking for a great multivitamin, or a daily vitamin regimen to help boost immunity and overall health, I hope this post helps you navigate the crazy world of vitamins and supplements out there!

Check Out These Other Vitamin Guides!

The Best Daily Vitamins for Adults to Help Boost Immunity - vitamins for adults, vitamins for women, vitamins for men, immunity booster for adults, immunity booster vitamins

164 responses to “The Best Vitamins for Immune System Support”

  1. Is there one multivitamin for immune support that has the vitamins in one pill instead of taking alot of pills a day

    • Hi Laurie! Unfortunately, I haven’t found one multivitamin that includes everything I’ve listed out in this post. That being said, if you wanted to just take less supplements, you could prioritize the vitamin C, D and probiotics supplements. Alternatively you could just take the multivitamin since that has a little bit of everything in smaller doses. Hope that helps!

  2. Hi There! What are your thoughts about Athletic Greens? I used to take them and then switched the last year to New Chapter’s multivitamin but now considering switching back or going on Ritual’s multivitamin.

    • Hi Paige! I really like Athletic Greens – it’s great both as a supplement and for getting a comprehensive set of vitamins daily. If you like it, you could stick with it! Hope that helps!

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