How to Know If You're Paying Too Much for Your Vitamins

How to Know If You're Paying Too Much for Your Vitamins
by Dr. Karen Yale, D.C., C.C.S.P., C.C.N., D.A.C.B.N., F.I.A.M.A

When I'm shopping and want to save some money, I'll often buy a less expensive store brand instead of a big national brand. Nine times out of 10, the store brand works just as well, if not better. This substitution saves me a lot of money in the long run, especially if it's an item I use regularly.

This got me to thinking about the quality of vitamins. Are more expensive vitamins better for you? Read on to see what I've discovered.

About 50 percent of Americans take a daily multivitamin. With the current economic downturn, that number is actually increasing as more people turn to vitamins to fortify their system in an effort to potentially avoid costly office visits.

Here's how to get the biggest bang for your vitamin buck:

• Look for a reputable retailer. Look for a company that has a thriving business. This means they restock frequently and their products are fresh. You want a company that has stood the test of time and belongs to industry trade associations and the Better Business Bureau. Of course, you want a company that stands behind what it sells.

That's why I like Botanic Choice. They've been leaders in the industry for 100 years, they sell top quality products, and offer an unconditional guarantee on every product.
• Costly doesn't always mean quality. The supplements industry is federally regulated, so every reputable retailer large and small must comply with federal standards if they plan to stay in business. This means lesser-known brands can equal or even surpass the quality of the big brand names. And because smaller brands don't have the big national advertising budgets and fancy packaging, they can pass the savings on to you.
• Check that the vitamin has the proper recommended daily value. Often a manufacturer will even add slightly more of an ingredient than the label indicates to ensure that the amount is at least the level claimed when the product nears the end of its shelf life.
• Make sure the vitamin is absorbable. For your body to use vitamins, it must dissolve properly. Here's a simple way to find out. Pour one cup of white vinegar into a glass container. Heat a bowl of water to 98 degrees and place the vinegar cup into the bowl of hot water. Place the vitamin into the vinegar cup then gently shake the vinegar every five minutes. The pill should dissolve in 30 to 60 minutes.

Chewable supplements like DHEAbsorb or Coral Calcium Advantage and liquid extracts like Green Tea, Valerian Root, and Echinacea are highly absorbable and get to work right away.
• Take only what you need. If you eat a perfectly balanced diet every day, consume five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables, have no bad habits like smoking or drinking, exercise 30 minutes a day, and have a stress-free life, you may be getting everything you need from your diet. The other 99.9 percent of us could use some nutritional help.

For example, a good multivitamin like Mega Multi Vitamin covers all your bases and comes in an easy to swallow softgel for efficient absorption. For those people who live in northern climates and/or wear a lot of sunscreen, Vitamin D is a must. I especially like SuperD3 Plus because it's a naturally occurring form of Vitamin D and also contains alpha lipoic acid and ginseng for additional health benefits.

Article courtesy of www.BotanicChoice.com