Guidelines For Choosing Natural Supplements

These days, when you go into a health store or even grocery stores, you see aisles that are full of different natural supplements from various different companies and of course price ranges, so how are you to choose the right supplement for you?

While there are no guidelines out there or criteria to pick from, here is a list of guidelines you might find helpful the next time you are looking to buy a natural supplement, be it vitamins or other herbal or dietary / nutritional supplements.

  • Read the ingredient list and make sure the ingredients are therapeutic dose ranges in order to have an affect on the body. In other words, enough of an ingredient has to be in the supplement to make the ingredient effective. Majority of the times, I find that in chewable gummies or adult vitamins, the ingredients are added to supplements are in very insufficient quantities, usually far  below the actual required daily dosage but the ingredient’s name is put on the label to attract buyers with flashy packaging, but not enough of the ingredients is found in the supplement to have any effect. Buyer Beware!
  • If possible, choose a professional brand that your naturopathic doctor (ND) has recommended as they generally base their recommendation on your specific health concerns. Your ND will generally recommend high end supplements not only for their efficacy but also because the nutritional supplement has been tested and certified by companies that have been certified through the governing bodies.
  • If possible, try to make sure the raw ingredients are organically produced and come from clean, uncontaminated sources, however these types of supplements will be more costly due to the process and quality of product.
  • If you cannot read the label, and all the information you need is not on it, you might want to more cautious as you should know exactly is in the supplement and what you are putting in your body.
  • If you decide to take a natural / nutritional supplement, make sure that you are taking it for health promotion and that that supplement has ingredients that promote your health.
  • There are many wonder supplements out there claiming all sorts of miracle cures. The supplement industry has taking the markets by storm, making billions of dollars in all kinds of supplements that they say does this that or the other.  Make sure that scientific claims as to the effectiveness of the supplement are made for the supplement itself, not for similar supplements. Do your research, talk to your naturopath, and if they okay it, you might consider purchasing. Do not fall into multi level marketing schemes of purchasing health products.

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

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