Quick Vitamin & Mineral Checklist

Make sure your trust is with the right company.

Because there are no regulations in the nutritional supplement market, it can be very difficult to know if you are in fact getting the best value for your money and your health.

Using this checklist could help you find a good supplement that fits your needs. Compare this information with your present products and see if you are getting value for your Vitamin & Mineral money.

Pretend that you are standing in the health food store or drugstore and you want to buy some vitamins and minerals. I guarantee that unless you are an expert, you will be very confused and frustrated.

So pick up a bottle of what might be classified as nutritional supplement. (I am not speaking here about individual vitamins or minerals, although the same process could be applied to them.)

The label should say something like:

"LABORATORY TESTED, QUALITY GUARANTEED,
MEETS USP SPECIFICATIONS FOR POTENCY,
UNIFORMITY, DISINTEGRATION WHERE APPLICABLE."

That will reassure you that you are indeed getting the quality you need.

But read on.

Do they have the real name, real address and phone number of the company on the label so you can contact them yourself?

Does the company guarantee potency?

Are the contents guaranteed?

Are there expiration dates on the bottle?

Are the real amounts of the ALL the nutritional ingredients on the label?

Do your supplements dissolve or do they just "travel through"?

Does the label say "natural"? (Did you know that it is legal to say "natural" even though they just have 4% of the natural product in the container? Are mushrooms natural? Beware of the term.)

Recognise that price doesn't indicate quality. Know that the cost of the scientific manufacturing does increase the cost. So don't give your body's nutritional needs to the lowest-priced bottle.

Make a phone call. Some of this research will take a phone call to the head office, but it's worth the effort and peace of mind. Let me put this another way. I am a nurse, registered with my professional organization. Would you like me to look after your loved ones if I wasn't? Isn't your health worthy of the same degree of professionalism?

Ask the following questions:

Do they follow GMP? (Good Manufacturing Practices.) It would be even better if they follow the standards for pharmaceuticals. Ask if they do. (This means that the company uses the same high standards as if they were producing a brand new drug.

Then you would ask if they are an FDA-registered Manufacturing facility. Stay with a company that chooses to meet the USP (US Pharmacopeia) requirements.

Does the company provide technical support?

If you sense that you are not getting good answers, thank them and hang up. Find yourself another company. You've learned a lot already from the exercise.

Yes, this is what to ask. Reputable companies will gladly help you find answers.

CONCLUSION

In choosing a nutritional supplement, please consider that you don't know what your body actually needs or how you could find the required ingredients. Also, you wouldn't know how to formulate the necessary product.

So your basic concern should include three things:

the company's ability to provide the expert scientific knowledge, the required quality of the manufacturing process, and the ingredients of the highest quality that allows the cells require to grow and to remain healthy and vibrant.

Not All Nutritional Supplements Are Made Equal

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to replace consultation with trained health care professionals. The publisher and author are not responsible for any adverse consequences of effects resulting from the use of any of the information or suggestions contained in this article. All research has been done in good faith, using recognized sources.

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I have spent many years in different fields of nursing, including Operating Rooms, Community Health, and Management. I am now a clinical and classroom college nursing instructor. Because I teach about the body and its response to illness or degeneration, I provide a different perspective and information that could link problem conditions to possible solutions. I have a great understanding of health and wellness, and with this knowledge I am able to help people enjoy a better quality of life.

I am always available and willing to help people with health questions and concerns on an individual basis. If you have some health questions or concerns that you would like answered, please send me an email and tell me how I can help you. If you want to, you can also include your phone number and the best time to call you and I will get back to you ASAP.