All Vitamin Supplements Are Not Created Equal

While getting all your essential nutrients from natural foods is ideal, it may not be practical in today's society and many people turn to vitamin pills to supplement their diet. Make no mistake about it however, vitamin supplements are big business and not all manufacturers have your best interests at heart. There are thousands of supplements to choose from and consumers spend billions of dollars every year - many never get even a small portion of money they deserve. How do you choose a vitamin supplement that will not only go to the toilet? There are three types of vitamin supplement delivery system. Capsule, liquid, and tablets. The trick is to choose one that is completely dissolved and not just "pass through" thereby wasting your hard earned money. Liquid will be the best, but unfortunately there are not many choices out on the market. Plus, get comfortable and they feel like cough syrup. But, they are great if you can not swallow pills and good for children as well. Tablets are the most common form of vitamin supplements. They are made by mixing in organic or inorganic cement and compressing them into shape. For the pill to dissolve properly, an organic cement should be used but this costs more and you can imagine, many manufacturers skimp on this STEL. There is also a coated tablet that resembles a little candy-coated M & M. This is very commonly found in a single day cheap drug store vitamins. Gelatin capsule is a container that dissolves quickly and in most cases the best option. Because they are not compressed like tablets, you will usually have to take two of them to equal one tablet. One important thing with vitamin supplements is that you want to make sure you absorb as much as possible, if not, you are just wasting your money. Research has shown that isolates the individual vitamins found in supplements is absorbed only about 10% while the vitamins directly from fresh plant sources 77% to 93% absorbed. This mineral has a lower absorption rate - 1% to 5%. But, from crops such as broccoli raw, mineral is 63% to 78% absorbed. The reason for the difference in absorption is that in nature, each vitamin and mineral molecules attached to protein molecules. That's why you should take your vitamin supplements with food - unless otherwise stated on the label. During digestion, only about 10% of the molecules of vitamins and minerals, aided by enzymes, will attach to protein molecules found in food you allow them to be absorbed and used by your cells. Without the accompanying proteins, the body will look vitamin isolates as foreign substances and filter out. That is why you may have noticed the bright yellow urine after you take vitamins -. That way your body get rid of chemicals thought it could not use When choosing a vitamin supplement, make sure it has an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals you want. Remember only about 10% of what the supplement will be absorbed. Look for the BP (British Pharmacopoeia) or USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) designation on the label. You will find the initials USP or BP and subsequent vitamin this designation means that vitamin isolates are the highest quality and easy to dissolve in the digestive process. When looking at the mineral part of the label, look for "chelate" or "chelated". This suggests that the minerals are attached to the protein before being added to complete. This increases the absorption by 400% to 800%. Look for supplements with "food base". This is a plant material concentrated vitamins and minerals are added. Supplement to the base of the food will contain the enzymes and nutrients that enhance absorption of vitamins and minerals. This is probably the best type of vitamins you can buy but the tablet will be larger and you may have to take more of them. Nutritional supplements can never replace food and should not be used as a crutch to supplement a poor diet. The best prescription for health is to eat nutritious and healthy foods that can supplement when needed.