What to look for when choosing supplements
Just like skincare, ‘natural’ products and packaged foods, not all supplements are created equal. But what does that actually mean?
Three key things to look for are the dosage of the nutrients or active compounds, any excipients used in making the supplement and lastly, the raw materials from which the nutrients or active compounds have been derived – they’ll either come from real foods and herbs or be made synthetically in a lab.
1. Dosage
Even though a supplement may contain a nutrient, the dosage of that nutrient can be vastly different across brands. For example, while it may seem convenient to take a multivitamin, in some you’re only getting a very small amount of each nutrient overall. We believe you’re better off choosing a supplement that potentially contains fewer ingredients but has an optimal dose of the nutrient(s) you’re wanting.
This is a key reason why you’ll only find a maximum of six ingredients in each of our blends, because we wanted to maximise what you’re getting within each capsule or scoop.
2. Excipients
Excipients are substances that are added to supplements in addition to the active ingredients. They can be added for essential reasons (such as to prevent substances from sticking to the machines during manufacturing) or as ‘hidden nasties’ that dilute the active ingredients and ‘fill the space’ because they are cheaper. Many excipients are synthetic, although there are natural options too. Yet, sometimes even the natural substances can be allergenic for some people (such as maltodextrin from wheat).
The ‘cleanest’ supplements are those made with very little or nothing added, other than the active ingredients. If anything is added, it’s been carefully researched and considered before being included.
At Bio Blends, our approach to excipients is to use only substances of natural plant origin and only where it is absolutely essential to do so. And by that, we mean only if it would be impossible to make the blend without them.
If your supplements are encapsulated, it’s also important to consider what the capsule is made of. Typically made from gelling agents, capsules can either be gelatin-based or plant-derived. If you’re vegetarian, you’ll want to avoid gelatin capsules. Yet, whether plant or animal-derived, capsules can be made with good or poor-quality ingredients, they may contain preservatives, gluten, and other potentially problematic substances.
It’s so important to us that you don’t inadvertently ingest anything that may add to your body’s ‘load’, so the capsules we use for our Bio Blends products are plant-derived and carefully selected for their quality.
3. What raw materials are used to make them?
The final thing to consider when choosing supplements is the raw materials from which the nutrients are derived. Are they made synthetically in a lab, or do they come from real foods and herbs? Most supplements are predominantly made from nutrients that have been created in a lab because it’s cheaper and less labour-intensive. Yet, our body thrives on whole, real food. As a species, it’s all we ate up until the junk was introduced in the very, very, very recent past.
When you choose supplements that are made from foods and herbs, you’re ingesting substances that your body knows exactly how to digest—making them highly bioavailable (readily absorbed).
This is why all Bio Blends products are made from foods and herbs. We go to extensive efforts to choose the highest quality ingredients and will always select organic where possible. The “where possible” is there because sometimes an ingredient is simply not grown organically, anywhere in the world. Each ingredient is thoroughly tested to ensure it contains the specific nutrients or bioactive substances we are targeting and is also scrutinised to check for pesticide residues and heavy metals before it can be included in our products.
In each bottle of Bio Blends, you are truly getting the power of plants. We hope you love them as much as we do.
