In chemistry and nutrition class we learned that there really is no difference in getting your nutrients from vitamins compared to food. But they say if you eat a healthy diet then your body gets all it needs from food. Remember the U.S. fortifies a lot of the foods we eat with vitamins and minerals. Note: Eating fruit and veggies give you more fiber which is the only difference in eating the actual food compared to taking a supplement.

If you take iron, for example, then follow it up with vitamin c because the Vit C helps you absorb iron. Vitamin D inhibits iron absorption so do not take together. The doc told my Dad who was in his 70's at the time to take Elderberry extract, 1000 mcg of B12, and Vitamin D 5000 units daily. For women, they recommend drinking skim milk three times a day to meet their calcium needs. Supplements work also. Vitamin A is the ONLY vitamin that you need to be careful with because you if you take too much you can cause serious problems.

Some of my uncles and cousins have been taking vitamins since their early 20's. And I mean like 10 vitamins a day. They SWEAR that it keeps them healthier. So far so good. They're in their 60's, 70's, and the oldest is 87. The 87 year old only drinks distilled water. I've never heard of doing that but he and all his buddies drink it lol. As a kid, I took a multi vitamin and Vit C daily. We also had to drink freshly squeezed orange juice, skim milk and eat a banana EVERY SINGLE DAY. So far so good.
(Peaches have MORE potassium than bananas out of the peel)