Have you ever stood in the aisle of your health food store, trying to determine which multivitamin is best for you? Did you finally shrug and pick a bottle-maybe the cheapest brand?-saying, "Ah, they're probably all the same, anyhow."

Most people believe that the quality of nutritional supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs is pretty standard from company to company. In fact, quality varies tremendously. This can have serious repercussions for health, since quality doesn't just determine how well a supplement works; it also determines the likelihood of side effects-some of them significant. How can quality in a supplement be determined?

Nutritional supplements are processed food, just like a loaf of bread or a can of beans that you might buy in a supermarket. These nutrients (or, in the case of herbs, phytochemicals) have been packaged for purchase several days, weeks, or months after manufacture. What concerns might you have when purchasing a loaf of bread of a can of beans? Most likely, they would be these:

Freshness No matter how carefully a processed food is packaged, eventually oxygen and age take their toll, causing food to oxidize and rot. Furthermore, most nutrients (especially vitamins B and C) and herbs, no matter how carefully they are processed and packaged, oxidize very readily. It's important, therefore, to patronize manufacturers who buy and process small lots of herbs and nutrients, which can be quickly processed and made available to the consumer. Unfortunately, because it seems more cost-effective, most manufacturers buy large lots that get stored in warehouses for several months at a time. Remember: This cost-effectiveness is only an illusion. You end up paying more through a reduction in health. This is why we deal only with companies that make freshness a top priority. Although it costs more up-front to make the product, over the long run the real cost to you is much lower.

Nutrient availability It doesn't matter what the ingredients are if your body can't use them. Many nutrient and herbal companies highly process their ingredients, compressing the constituents into small, very hard tablets or capsules that don't break down in the digestive tract. Talk about a waste! Very often, these bottom-line companies lack the equipment or the interest in assessing the digestibility of their products. We deal exclusively with companies that manufacture with digestibility in mind, constantly confirming this with on-site testing. Once again, this only seems to add to the cost of the product. Is it really cheaper to flush your money down the toilet?

Ease of Access We choose to deal with companies that maintain a staff of highly trained professionals both locally and at the point of manufacture, who can quickly and expertly answer our concerns. This feedback loop is an essential part of growing a healthy industry. It is far better, and much cheaper in the long run, to spend a little more on professional-quality supplements backed by skilled, reliable, trustworthy professionals.