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Stop Wasting Your Money and Destroying Your Health: How Choose The Right Supplements

It can be hard to know which supplements are the right ones for you, so how do you choose? What makes one fish oil better than another? What should I look for on the labels? Here are some general guidelines for picking out good supplements:

• What you see is not always what you get

The advertising on some products will claim it’s good for you when it actually isn’t. If you buy a vitamin that’s labeled “fish oil”, then you would think you are taking a “fish oil”. It makes sense, right? Well this isn’t always the case. Many of these products will have just a miniscule amount of “fish oil” in the capsule and the rest is just filler. It could be soybean oil, hydrogenated oils, sodium nitrite, artificial colors or some other form of filler. It could be something that's actually dangerous to your health, so please read the ingredient labels on those vitamins, minerals and supplements, just like you would food labels. For instance, if you buy a “fish oil” make sure it’s mercury free.

• Look at the potency

Ten (10) international units (IU’s) of Vitamin A are not the same as 400 IU’s. You may need therapeutic levels to get results. Do your research and if you need help ask your doctor.

• You get what you pay for

You may think you’re getting a deal and saving a couple bucks when you purchase supplements at wholesale warehouses or other lower price discount stores. We need to stop and ask ourselves why these supplements are cheaper. If investigated, you will find they are low in quality. The higher quality supplements are going to be slightly more expensive, if not a lot more expensive, but aren't you worth it? If you're going through the trouble of taking these supplements, then put the best thing you can find into your body. You deserve healthy supplements, rather than supplements packaged with hydrogenated oils and other poisons. Don’t you deserve the very best? I think so. Get the best and put that in your body. Don’t go out and spend a few dollars on vitamins that may actually make you sick. You’re better off not taking any at all.

• Not all supplements are created equal

Good supplement companies will gladly tell you how their supplements are made and what standards and procedures they use to be sure their supplements are not contaminated.

• Make sure that if you’re taking a supplement you can absorb it.

This is why whole food supplements are usually the way to go, or try to get most of your nutrients from whole foods in your diet. Let’s take calcium for instance. You don't want to take it with an antacid. Calcium needs to have an acidic environment in order to be broken down and assimilated by your digestive system. If you don’t have vitamin D in your small intestine, then you’re not going to absorb it either. There are a lot of senior citizens out there who are spending small fortunes on calcium supplements and antacid tablets, but they're not getting any sunshine. That means they're not getting enough vitamin D. With a vitamin D deficiency, they can't even absorb the calcium. It's either going right through their bodies or actually contributing to the buildup of calcification in their kidneys. This could potentially lead to kidney stones.

Of course, there is no alternative to a diet containing plenty of whole foods, fresh truly organic untreated vegetables, fruit, nuts, etc. They are your healthiest and best sources of minerals, vitamins, fats, phytonutrients and other substances yet to be researched. If you can’t find organic produce then make sure you wash your produce with something that will take the chemicals and buildup off before eating.

It is essential for anyone interested in supplementing their diet to be informed and to do their homework before experimenting with their health. Being alert is the key. People are constantly bombarded by thousands of ads from companies trying to get rich no matter what. But there are great companies out there - ones that actually do care about the consumer’s healthier, more active, and wholesome lifestyle.