Bien-être 06/11/2024

Buying dietary supplements online? 5 tips for choosing well

The dietary supplements market is booming. Among the multitude and hundreds of brands, formulas, and existing products, it is not always easy to find your way. Especially on the internet! And this is where you need to be careful: dietary supplements are not strictly regulated, and many try to take advantage of this craze with poor quality, even dangerous products for health, and false promises.
Discover 5 tips to helping you choose quality dietary supplements online.

 

5 tips for choosing quality dietary supplements

1. Target your specific needs
   It is essential to choose dietary supplements adapted to your specific needs. Indeed, multivitamins and other general products are not suitable for everyone and are generally ineffective/poorly dosed. While our body needs vitamins, proteins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, and many other nutrients to be in good shape, we do not all have the same needs. Also, trendy products like probiotics can have side effects, such as gas, bloating, difficulty concentrating, depending on the microbiota and deficiencies.
   That is why it is advised to identify your body's needs, your health intentions, either by using the choice assistance tools offered by some brands, or by turning directly to your primary care physician to adequately and precisely assess what you need.

 

2. The concentration of active principles
   The quality of a dietary supplement is also defined by the concentration of its active principles. This concentration is important because it determines the effectiveness of a product. However, it varies from one product and brand to another, with differences of up to 7x more active principles in one product, which requires 7 times fewer capsules.
   Make sure to properly inform yourself about the recommended daily dose of active principles according to the product and to favor a dietary supplement that presents an adapted, real, and serious dosage, based on scientific standards, legislation, and quality and safety standards in order to avoid overdose and other health risks.
   Also, beware of the absence of indication of the active principle content in a dietary supplement, the actual concentration of actives will certainly be low. Likewise, pay attention to the recommended daily dose and make sure not to exceed it.  

 

3. A detailed composition
   Choose products with transparent and detailed compositions of each ingredient and its content, because the overall composition is important for health.
   Check the ingredients and synergies for bioavailability, such as piperine for curcumin, but above all make sure there are no non-recommended ingredients like preservatives or additives, for example talc, glucose syrup, (modified) corn starch, etc., which can affect the composition of active principles, and worse, be dangerous if consumed in high doses.
   Also, remember to check allergens (gluten, lactose, ...).

 

4. Product certification and safety
   Favor organic certified, labeled, or pesticide- and chemical fertilizer-free supplements. Indeed, some producers cannot obtain recognized organic labels (AB Bio, Ecocert, etc.) because they can be costly or difficult to obtain in some parts of the world; however, they can guarantee pesticide- and chemical fertilizer-free crops. By favoring these products, you ensure that manufacturing is environmentally friendly and you limit the ingestion of chemical and potentially toxic substances.
   Also consider checking contraindications and even consult your doctor, as some supplements can interfere with medications or be unsuitable for certain medical conditions.

 

5. Naturalness and bioavailability
   Favor products made from natural ingredients, as they are generally better assimilated by the body and provide better nutrient intake than synthetic products.
   Furthermore, you must consider bioavailability, which is the ability of nutrients to be absorbed and used effectively by the body at the metabolic level. Indeed, a nutrient can be fully absorbed but have low bioavailability. The chemical form of an active ingredient will impact its bioavailability and activity. Also, this bioavailability can be increased by combining it with other compounds acting synergistically. It is therefore important to pay attention to the form of presentation of active ingredients and their bioavailability.

 

Conclusion: choose a quality brand and know how to read the composition

Fortunately, some brands stand out for their commitment to offering quality products. To recognize them and make an informed choice, you should mainly consider the transparency of the composition, the content of active ingredients, and the quality of the components.

By following these tips, you can navigate the world of online dietary supplements more confidently and make choices beneficial to your health.

 

The Green Ethnies quality charter

At Green Ethnies, we are committed to providing high-quality dietary supplements, with:

• Standardized and bioavailable active ingredients
• Real, serious, and safe dosages based on scientific standards and in compliance with legal requirements 
• Organic ingredients or free from pesticides/chemical agents
• A transparent composition without non-recommended ingredients
• No allergens, nanoparticles, or GMOs
• 100% natural and vegan products