Let’s be real. Whether you identify as really fit or even just healthy-ish, you may have some blind spots when it comes to nutrition. And that’s why taking a quality multivitamin can be important: to help fill nutritional gaps in the diet.* But which micronutrients should you be looking for? Ritual’s scientific team landed on 10 key nutrients, all of which are included in their Essential for Men multivitamin.

1. Vitamin A

In addition to supporting vision, Vitamin A plays an important role in supporting normal immune function. While a lot of vitamin A needs can be met through diet alone (you can find it in foods like eggs, dairy, fish, and plant-based options like carrots and leafy greens), men are a bit behind women in meeting their daily levels.

2. Zinc

Zinc is an important nutrient that helps support normal immune function, along with vision and bone support. Plus men have a higher recommended zinc intake than women—which is why Ritual includes zinc in their men’s multi.*

3. Omega-3 DHA

Omega-3 DHA fatty acids play an important role in helping support brain, vision, and heart health, which is why it’s a shame that many of us fall short of meeting recommended daily intakes.That’s where a quality supplement can step in—and ideally a vegan-friendly one like Ritual’s. Pro tip: Look for an omega-3 DHA oil sourced from microalgae.

4. Vitamin D3

Vitamin D helps support bone health, normal immune function, and normal muscle contraction. Filling vitamin D shortfalls isn’t just a question of getting some sun, since factors like climate, SPF, and even skin tone can all have an impact. Instead, opt for a supplement like Essential for Men, that contains vitamin D3, which is the form of vitamin D your body naturally produces.*

5. Vitamin E

Fact: Many men aren’t meeting their vitamin E needs through diet alone. And since it’s an antioxidant, vitamin E is a defender you may want on your team. Ritual includes vitamin E sourced from mixed tocopherols in their multivitamin, since that’s the same spectrum of this nutrient found in a healthy diet.*

Ritual Essential For Men

6. Vitamin K2

Suffice to say that K2 kind of flies under the radar, so let’s give this key nutrient some of the attention it deserves. In addition to helping support heart health, vitamin K2 is an important calcium-helper nutrient when it comes to bone support.*

7. Vitamin B12

B12 plays an important role in contributing to normal cell division. And since B12 also supports energy-yielding metabolism, shortfalls can manifest as sluggishness and brain fog. That’s where Ritual’s Essential for Men can really come in handy.*

8. Folate

This B-vitamin plays a role in DNA methylation and red blood cell formation. You might recognize the name of its synthetic counterpart, folic acid, but up to 1/3 of men have a genetic variation called MTHFR, which makes it a bit trickier to efficiently utilize folic acid. Ritual’s opted for methylated folate, which is a bioavailable version. In other words, it can be efficiently utilized—even with that pesky gene variation.*

9. Magnesium

Magnesium lends support to the body in lots of ways, from bone health to normal muscle contraction.* We need a lot of magnesium to meet our daily levels—men ages 19-50 should aim for a daily intake of roughly 400-420 mg, and many come up short. You can aim to meet your magnesium needs through your diet, but we also recommend taking Ritual’s mens supplement to help fill gaps. (Bonus tip: They include chelated magnesium, which has shown absorbability.)*

10. Boron

Allow us to introduce you to this unsung hero. Boron does a lot of work behind the scenes to help support bone health—working alongside other nutrients like vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium.*

In a perfect world, you’d get enough of all the essential nutrients through diet alone—but that’s really tricky. The best bet? Opting for a quality multivitamin, like Ritual’s Essential for Men, that keeps nutrient needs in mind.

Also, a multivitamin that considers the enjoyability factor is always a bonus—which is why Ritual includes all 10 nutrients in 2 daily, minty-fresh capsules. After all, the best multivitamins are the ones you actually like (or even look forward to) taking.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.