Are All Vitamins Created Equal?
Everyone has read the reports and seen the news. Our soil has been depleted and is lacking the nutrients and minerals that our bodies need. The environment is toxic and is wreaking havoc on our health. Our immune system is being attacked by free radicals. The solution, we are told, is to be supplemented with vitamins and minerals to compensate for environmental deficiencies and with antioxidants to destroy the free radicals.
When they read and hear of all this, what do people generally do? They go off to the local supermarket or pharmacy, get a few bottles of what seems a popular supplement, then think that's it - job done! It is pretty certain, however, that most are not considering whether or not what they are taking is nutritionally balanced are fit for the intended purpose. Not all of these supplements and vitamins are created equal.
Dr. Myron Wentz, Ph.D, founder of USANA Health Sciences says this in the company's "Health and Freedom" brochure: 'I started to test health supplements in my laboratory to measure their nutritional balance and their effectiveness in sustaining and promoting a healthy life. The products that I analyzed were not only unbalanced nutricionally, but had misleading and incorrect labeling. My research proved many times that what consumers thought they were buying and what they were receiving were two different things.'
How can people be certain that they are buying supplements that are of high quality and well balanced nutritionally? Here are five tips to help in this process:
1. Carry out your research.! Don't belive the adverts or the latest food fads. A recommended book on the subject is 'The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements' by Lyle MacWilliam, BSc, MSc. MacWilliam is a former Canadian Member of Parliament and currently a member of the Legislative Assembly for British Columbia. His book analyzes over 500 products available in the US and Canada. The products he lists at the top are considered best in the market today.
2. Look for a firm that invests a lot time and money in comprehensive and thorough scientific research, that has global scientific contacts, and that puts quality first.
3. Check to make sure there is a stated guaranteed potency. Some companies offer this and maintain exacting analytical and quality control procedures. In such cases you can be sure that the product's label accurately reflects its contents.
4. Make certain that the company's products follow pharmaceutical-grade acceptable manufacturing practices (GMP). This is more than required by FDA regulations. It means that a variety of government agencies conduct periodic inspections and that procedures are controlled and maintained, and adequately documented.
5. Finally, ensure that the company provides a refund guarantee. There is one company that has such confidence in its products that that if offers an amazing one million money-back guarantee to professional and world class athletes. Now that's confidence for you! That's a company I would like to prove wrong!
Make sure you follow these 5 tips for optimal health!