Vitamin Shopping and the Healthier Paths to Consider

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

Is taking care of your health a top priority in your life? Are you investing in it, or are you trying to cut costs while prioritizing other needs?

I truly hope it is your ‘biggest priority.’ While individual priorities may vary, there are fundamental priorities that should be universally valued, and one of these is your health.

You don’t get a second chance with your body in this life; you only have one.

While you can repair it whenever possible, taking care of it to prevent excess damage is crucial.

Unfortunately, this concept is not always so obvious when you are young, making it a missed opportunity. The sooner you start taking care of your body, the better chance you have of enjoying a healthy life later on.

I know that health care can be costly, especially if you live in the US. I come from a country where we have free government health care for all. I’m not comparing the two systems (that’s probably a discussion for another time).

I can easily cut costs on clothes, dining out, event tickets, and trips. However, when it comes to food, I strive to consistently purchase organic, high-quality foods because nutrition is the foundation, it serves as the fuel for our bodies.

The same principle applies when it comes to buying supplements, which I believe are an important part of a modern diet.

Obtaining all necessary nutrients solely from our diet is theoretically possible. However, the reality is that today’s vegetables and fruits are not as nutritionally rich as they once were. This decline in nutritional value is partly due to modern soil depletion of essential minerals.

Additionally, you need to consider the time fresh produce spends on refrigerated shelves and the various processes it undergoes before lingering on grocery store shelves for days. As a result, a significant portion of the original vitamin content is lost by the time you eat an apple or broccoli.

How many cups of vegetables or fruit you must consume daily to meet your body’s basic nutritional requirements?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), women ages 19 to 32 should be consuming 2.5 to 3 cups of veggies each day, while women of any older age can stick with 2 to 3. For men, 3 to 4 cups is recommended, but for men 60 or older, 2.5 to 3.5 is suggested.

Even the most diligent individuals may occasionally skip or consume less than the necessary amount on certain days.

I always made nutrition and a healthy diet the center of my life, yet little I know when I started using a food journal I noticed that my dietary habits were not as consistently on track as I had believed. Some days involved minimal consumption of vegetables, fruits, or essential nutrients, while on other days, there was an excess of sweets or other less nutritious choices.

Consider giving it a shot. Begin journaling your diet for one or two weeks, and upon review, you may discover some surprising insights. There are many food diary apps that you can download for free ( such as Foodprint; My Fitness Pal; Fooducate).

I aim for a daily diet that consists of 75% wholesome and nutritious foods, with the remaining 25% reserved for indulgence — enjoying occasional sweet treats or processed snacks.

It’s a pretty reasonable and doable balance!

Making nutrition and a healthy diet the focal point of my life, I pursued studies to become a holistic nutrition consultant, obtaining board certification. Additionally, I became certified as a gluten-free practitioner and a dietary supplement specialist. And I‘m glad I did it all of this.

But let’s talk about supplements.

Adding supplements to your diet can be beneficial for optimizing your health or addressing specific nutrient deficiencies of which you may be aware.

When purchasing supplements, it is crucial to consider several key factors.

Unlike drugs, supplements do not require FDA approval before they can be sold or marketed.

Supplement companies are responsible for having evidence that their products are safe and that the label claims are truthful and not misleading.

Because dietary supplements are under the “umbrella” of foods, the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) is the branch of the U.S. FDA responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, and cosmetics.

The FDA requires supplement manufacturers to adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP), which are intended to ensure the quality and safety of these products.

This distinction implies that the manufacturing process is not as complex as that for pharmaceuticals. Therefore, selecting a reputable manufacturer becomes essential.

The best way to ensure the quality of a supplement is to look for one that has been certified by a third-party company.

It is essential that you want to avoid anything from questionable manufacturers. Opt for products that have a nutrition facts label, and are as whole food-based as possible.

Second, avoid anything that is much cheaper than competitors. You want to only ingest the best quality supplements, and if it’s cheap in price, usually (not always) it’s low in quality.

Many times, if made overseas, supplements could be made using the same equipment as other products which could taint the batch.

After becoming a Dietary Supplement Specialist, I was given the opportunity to open a virtual dispensary as a practitioner with one of the most reputable supplement platforms on the market: Fullscript.

Since then, I’ve never looked back. I’ve been ordering all my supplements from them, and the same goes for my family, friends, and clients.

Not only does this provide me peace of mind when ingesting supplements, but the way they package and deliver them to your door clearly reflects how much they care. Unlike my experiences with Amazon, when I order from this online professional dispensary, I consistently receive heat-sensitive supplements with accompanying ice packs when necessary, and each individual supplement is meticulously wrapped.

Fullscript is just one of many online dispensaries out there. I’m not saying you have to order from them, but it’s a good idea to do your research. Be cautious about choosing Amazon just for a better price, as the source of those supplements might be unclear.

Let people do their job, focusing on what they do best!

Amazon can be tempting because you often find deals and better prices. Everybody uses it, and I do too. However, not for my supplements. I’ve learned a lot in the process.

I hope this article provided some help or served as an eye-opener if you’re new to the world of supplements.

Stay healthy and remember to eat your veggies!

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As a gesture of gratitude for reading my article, I’d like to offer you a small token of appreciation.

I totally get that high-quality stuff isn’t always budget-friendly for everyone.

Feel free to sign up for a complimentary Fullscript account using this invitation to enjoy a lifelong 20% discount on all products, along with free shipping for orders over $50 (orders can only be shipped to residents of Canada or the United States).

➡️ !Simply click here to create your account! ⬅️

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