Friday Favourites: Dietary Supplements

I try to get most of my nutrients by eating actual food.

But let's face it, sometimes that is just not possible so I like to think of supplements as insurance.  Like any other insurance, it pays to shop and around.

I am not an expert in the area of supplementation, but I have learned a few things in my years working with other health professionals and through my own experience.  Here are a few questions to ask when looking for supplements:

• What is the bio-availability of the vitamin?  You want a supplement that can be readily used by the body.
• How has the product been tested?  Who tested the product?
• Has it been endorsed/recommended by respected experts?
• Is it all natural?
• Are there any side effects to taking the supplement?

Remember that dietary supplements not always regulated, so do you homework.   A great place to start is NutriSearch.  They are an independent research company that tested over 1500 different supplements.  Their comparative guide is less than $20 and in my opinion, a great investment.

Here are my top three vitamin brand picks.

 Adult Essential Gummies
This brand is the new kid on the block and has been getting rave reviews.  I have tried the multivitamin and the vitamin B and absolutely love the fact that they are chewable gummies (making it super eat to get your daily dose).  They are all natural, daily, nut and gluten free and best of all, they have the stamp of approval from Health Canada.

P.S. My friend Kris @ I Heart Wellness is doing and amazing giveaway for these vitamins, so head on over!

Genuine Health
What impresses me most about this company, is the panel of experts who had a hand in formulating their products: Personal trainers, doctors, nutritionists and pharmacists.    They stand behind their product and are open with the community.  I am a big fan of the Greens +, which is alkaline-forming and full of antioxidants.

Truestar Health
I have sung their praised many times in this blog (here and here) as I have been using them as a health resource for many years.  Much like Genuine Health, they have many well respected health professionals backing up the quality of their products.  I particularly like the Truestar Basics for Women, which contains daily packets of vitamins including a multivitamin, calcium/magnesium, vitamin E, omega 3 and vitamin B.


Are you brand loyal when it come to vitamins?  What do you look for when choosing supplements?

Stay Healthy,
Tracy