Finally! A Guide to Supplements

By Jessica Rubino

It was sometime between embracing healthy, nutrient-dense foods and waking up to toxins in my cosmetics that supplements took over my medicine cabinet and sundries bag. Somewhere on that ever-complicated yet increasingly inspiring path to wellness—one filled with choices and pitfalls, improvements and setbacks—I began to believe in the power of those powders and pills as one vehicle to help drive me in the direction of a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps, as is the case for many supplement users, it started based on faith—the belief that an ingredient used for thousands of years, found in nature, could help me feel my best.

Since starting to use supplements, my appreciation for, understanding of and curiosity about them has evolved—and my commitment has grown based on the burgeoning research supporting supplements’ prowess. Thanks to more consumers taking control of their health—empowered by healthy ingredients and natural products, rather than pharmaceuticals—awareness is much more widespread and so is usage. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed more than 20 years ago; it regulates supplements as food and protects consumers’ access to supplements as a holistic way to support health and wellness. Today, we can purchase a range of research-backed ingredients and supplements at health food stores across the country.

As a result, 68 percent of American adults now take supplements, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), and an increasing number of conventional doctors are recommending them, too. With that said, I (like many consumers) have realized the importance of taking a critical eye in order to ensure I am getting a safe, high-quality product. There is still a lot of confusion around how to achieve this, and plenty of unanswered questions.

Inside the Bottle: Understanding Supplements Today

To address these questions and build trust and transparency, New Hope Network felt the time was right to join forces with natural industry leaders to explore the supplement world’s greatest challenges—and opportunities. Through the Inside the Bottle educational program, leading experts and influencers were brought together to help shoppers better understand and communicate answers to questions like:

• Why does the modern American lifestyle require supplementation?
• How are supplements regulated (yes, they are regulated)?
• What’s to make of the negative headlines about supplements?

I’ve found myself in fields and farms, labs and manufacturing facilities that shed light on the skilled, inspiring happenings in this industry. These are the stories so often shaded under the dark cloud of negative headlines, yet ones that deserve to be told. Stories of integrity, transparency, science, education—and, most of all, of people, companies and retailers committed to providing us with the tools we need to thrive. At the same time, we recognize that there are tough challenges facing the industry and we are not shying away from those—fragmentation, confusion, negative or misleading media, bad players.

Whether we are addressing the good or the bad, knowledge is power. If you’re currently a supplement user, or if your doctor has recommended that you start incorporating supplements into your daily life, this eGuide will put you in touch with the knowledge and research of experts from across the supply chain. Ultimately, there are many complex issues the nutrition world faces—and the only way to get a deeper understanding is to take time to take a look inside the bottle.

You can download your copy of Inside the Bottle: Understanding Supplements Today at deliciousliving.com to join the conversation.

SOURCE: This article is posted by permission Delicious Living (and its parent company New Hope Network), a trusted voice in the natural living community for 30 years.