Getting to the Truth about Dietary Supplements

Ok, who else takes fish oil? Not long ago I went to the doctor and learned that my cholesterol was high. I also can't sleep at night, my pants are too tight and at certain times during the month a demon has started to jump out of my mouth and bite people. I'm getting old. Ever since the world moved to digital clocks, it has been just hellish trying to hold back the hands of time. Some mornings I even must admit I've felt rightly bitch slapped by him, which I suppose is better then a groping .... but then again...

Anyway, I'm sure like a lot of folks loading up on the green tea or exchanging the prime rib for chicken, you have had a moment standing in the supplement asile. Perhaps you found yourself staring up at
the shelves, all the small brown bottles looming over you each whispering a promise to make you thinner, younger, healthier. You take down one of the bottles, look it over carefully reading the promises of immortality or beauty and then you get to one of these *. You follow the little daisy down to the bottom of the label and find the message - *This statement has not been reviewed by the FDA. Maybe you are you are thinking, 'well what the hell? Dr. Oz said 100lbs. a day of this can do wonders for my oozing sores!'

Well it's true. You can buy all sorts of herbs and supplements that old grandpa Washington hasn't given his solemn approval. It's grand to be able to decide for ourselves if we want to take a risk or not, but we still need to be able to evaluate these gambles so we can make better choices.

Enter Consumer Lab. Think of them as the Consumer's Reports of supplements. They test what's in those little brown bottles and see what's really inside. Is it beta carotene or vitamin A? Does this brand of turmeric have lead contamination? Am I getting what I'm paying for and nothing more?

Consumer Lab has those answers. That by itself is powerful knowledge, but that's not all they provide. They also conglomerate the info from all the scientific studies for each supplement, from 5-HTP to Zinc and tell you if evidence suggests that a supplement is worth taking or not.

Now hopefully you are already seeing the value of this information, because knowledge this good can't come for free. Currently a year subscription is $29.95. For me, the peace of mind I get in the knowing that my vitamins are lead free, and the money that I save knowing that I can safely write off noni for eye bags... whelp I think it is worth every penny. This is one of my favorite finds ever.


Photo Thanks to Paul Bodea