The whole food vitamin that I'm talking about, which I take, is called "Alive". I guess it is a little pricey, but you don't really need to take anything else unless you have a specific condition that you want to address. Besides that I get mine off the internet at places like vitacost and vitaminshoppe which have everything deeply discounted over what you can get at your brick and mortar health food store.
If you want to address a particular health issue, it's best to address it with food like you say, and supplements that are higher in certain things are better than taking a pill if you can help it....such as spinach being high in iron.
Other than that, most vitamins are going to be the same as far as brand goes....just remember that you get what you pay for and having "more fancy" vitamins isn't necessarily better. If you go to a health food store or even an online store, there will be people there who can help you choose something that fits your age, health issues and lifestyle, and additionally you can read customer reviews online.
I hope this answers your questions