Be supplement savvy
Recently, I was doing a little research on multivitamins (I’ll have my suggestions below) and I stumbled upon some majorly scary facts. Vitamins and supplements in the United States are NOT regulated. That's right, there is no particular set of standards that governs the vitamin and supplement industry.
Let’s say you visit the doctor and he finds that you have low iron. (Now I, being a nutritionist, would encourage you to eat more leafy greens such as spinach. Check out my page on support foods… but I digress) Your doctor recommends you purchase an iron supplement. No big deal, there are literally thousands of companies churning out supplements in attractive packaging. You head to your local CVS and grab a bottle that seems trustworthy and reasonably priced. Little do you know, there could be unknown contaminants from the manufacturing process and alternative ingredients not listed on the label. In fact the producer of said vitamin may not even know their product consists of because testing is not required before the item hits the shelf. Ignorance is bliss they say.
How on earth can this be?! Vitamins and supplements are ingested by millions and assumed to be healthy by the masses. The truth is, any Joe Schmo can throw together some ground up ingredients and market it as a supplement. In fact the FDA’s website addresses the matter by stating, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have the authority to review dietary supplement products for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed”.* Truly scary.
So how then, do we know which company/companies to trust when it comes to our supplement needs?? First of all, keep in mind that “natural” doesn’t always mean “safe”. Don’t be sold by flashy packaging or holistic sounding lingo. Secondly, avoid any supplement that promises to treat or cure any medical condition. No such claim can be validated without extensive clinic studies.
There is one saving grace for us passive consumers… This comes in the way of independent third party lab testing. Specifically, lab companies that offer services test samples provided by a vitamin company to verify the supplement contains the items listed on the label. For a (sometimes steep) fee, a vitamin company can earn the right to don the stamp of approval from the independent lab.
The most notable seal of approval, in my humble opinion, is US Pharmacopeia. I base this on the fact that US Pharmacopeia periodically checks their currently endorsed products by purchasing them straight off the shelf for testing up to 6 times a year.
There is no perfect system here. Contaminants can still go undetected and some supplement companies will continue to be deceitful. The only thing you can do is become an educated consumer. Below are some of my personal suggestions if you are going to pursue the supplement route. Check them out before you eat them up.
Suggestions
Nature Made <— (Click to purchase) - For my budget conscience peeps out there, this brand is one of the few I feel have a decent standing in the vitamin community. Their abundance of options will no doubt meet your needs. The link provided is for 300! Which leads to less “restocking”. Love that.
Ritual <— (Click to purchase) - This one is a little pricey however I just love them. Ritual is a brand that is dedicated to excellence and staying true to their claim of transparency and caring for people as well as planet earth. I simply love that their Omega-3 supplements are plant based (more on that at another time). Read up on them and I think you’ll be impressed.
Reference:
*FDA - https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/what-you-need-know-about-dietary-supplements
