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You've always been told to make sure you take your vitamins.

But with all the choices today, which ones should you take and which ones should you avoid?

There's a lot of confusion surrounding this question.

KHQA's Rajah Maples checked in with a registered dietician to set the record straight.

"It sort of depends on your diet,'' said Lucy Crain. "If someone is getting all of their nutrients through food, they don't necessarily need to take vitamin supplements."

Crain is a registered dietician at HyVee. She says unless your doctor recommends taking individual vitamins like Vitamin B6 or calcium, a multi-vitamin that provides 100 percent of the daily value is sufficient. Any more than that could cause you to overdose.

Crain says to pay attention to the labels on the back of vitamins to make sure you're not getting too much of a good thing. Some vitamins offer 4000 percent of Vitamin B6 when you really only need 100 percent.

"I know in the winter time, a lot of people take overdoses of Vitamin C so they won't get a cold,'' Crain said, "but that can cause stomach problems."

Crain recommends you discuss the vitamins you're taking with your doctor, because they can sometimes interfere with prescription drugs. And they should never take the place of food.

"You can't go through a drive-through for days, take a multi-vitamin and think you're covered,'' Crain said. "It doesn't work that way. Food comes first."

She says it's a good idea to take multi-vitamins that are targeted for a specific demographic. That includes vitamins like one-a-day for women, one-a-day for men or Centrum Silver for people over the age of 50.

Lucy Crain adds that some cereals, like Total, can serve as a multi-vitamin.

She says just pay attention to the label to make sure the cereal provides 100 percent of the 12 essential vitamins and minerals.