10Dec/10Off
Are Walmart vitamins and supplements of good quality ?
I see that Walmart prices are pretty good for vitamines and supplements after I shopped at a couple of other well know stores but I wonder if there quality is less. Are they held responsible for the claims that these items make!! Is it worth paying the higher prices that other stores charge or is it all hype....thanks
December 10th, 2010 - 14:57
Vitamins are a debatable product for everyone. If you believe vitamins in the form of a supplement are worthwhile at all then you obviously believe there is some form-pill, liquid, whatever that delivers the benefits you believe them to. That being said, vitamins are not regulated by the FDA so you get what you get in any given bottle by any given company. You need to research on your own each manufacturer you consider buying product from and worry less about the retailer you purchase it from (retailers just put stuff on the shelf for you to buy). Walmart sells a lot of different brands of vitamins-just something to consider. I guess if I really believed much in supplements I’d join forums, talk to other supplement users/friends for suggestions of brands. Myself, I occasionally take a multi-vitamin but it’s a nationally known brand that’s been around forever (Centrum) so it has a good reputation…as vitamin manufacturers go. I’m only sold on the use of them as a catch-all for occasional gaps in my normal nutrition from good eating. From what I’ve read the body converts food into the things we need much much easier than from what you get in a supplement form-so that’s why I only do the multivitamin (keep in mind I’m only somewhat sold on the concept…but they’re cheap/day so can’t be that bad in such small amounts). Hope this helps.
December 10th, 2010 - 14:57
[Note: Brand recommendations near bottom.]
You’ll have to do your own research to know. Just because the supplement is a Walmart brand doesn’t mean it’s any better or worse than one marked with a different label, if the ingredients are the same.
That being said, people lie. If you think people don’t lie, you’re wrong. As a general rule, ignore claims and flavor text whenever you can, and only look at the ingredients. For certain items it’s necessary to know a source or what sorts of processes have been used, but other than that you don’t really need to worry about what the producer says about its product.
About vitamins in specific: don’t take them. Buy de-hulled sunflower seeds or avocados for the same price and better vitamin E. Buy sour fruit and green vegetables for vitamin C. And the list goes on.
For minerals, KNOW your TYPES. Iron is not just iron; zinc is not just zinc. What is the mineral bound to, and what are the effects of consumption? After all, the difference between one type of mercury and another is death — on of them was safe to consume in large amounts, and one kills you in minute doses. And while death isn’t generally something a normal person would be concerned about while browsing bottles in the vitamin section, it’s not a rare thing for some idiot to pick up a bottle with the ingredients "zinc monopicolate, starch, _etc_ dioxide" and take it home feeling like he’s gotten away with consumer theft, only to find out a month later he has a new ailment.
As always, supplementation is best done with at-home or especially safe specialty ingredients. Sea weed and sea water (concentrated with salt removed, or unconcentrated) are better mineral therapies than laboratory made, mulit-mineral horse-pills.
Brands that I’d recommend from experience: Trace Minerals Research, NOW (depends on item), Gaia Herbs, Solgar, and Twinlab
If you feel you have to buy some vitamin or mineral supplements in pill or powder form, Solgar and Twinlab beat most brands out on quality and testing. NOW is a great bargain brand who >usually< pays attention to what’s being formulated. Trace Minerals Research sells a virtual elixir of life called ConcenTrace, which I’ve had a ton of positive experience with — and so have my friends and family. Gaia Herbs sells some of the strongest and safest, non-alcoholic extracts of herbs on the market, but they’re a tad expensive if you’re on a budget.
Hope this helps.
EDIT: You might be able to find NOW products at Walmart or other large chains. TMR is harder to find, so you might try at specialty health shops or very large vitamin shops. Some bodybuilding or fitness stores might have TMR brand also, as they sell athletic enhancement stuff too. Gaia Herbs is difficult to find, but your best bet would be at a place that sells herbs and all that stuff. Solgar and Twinlab you can probably find easily at quality vitamin shops, natural health stores, and maybe large chains. Also, I liked your other picture more.