My wife and I were discussing Trace mineral drops the other day after I watched a Tiktok touting it’s benefits. Sadly, at the end of the video the drops she was suggesting were “available on her website” and that immediately put up red flags for me.
When I search for mineral drops it’s all advertisements, and thebarticles suggest the “10 best nutrional products” is also just advertising in my mind.
Lastly, the Vitamin/supplement industry is rife with fraud, leading me to believe that most products sold under that label are fake or at the very least “not as advertised”. So where can I find credible information regarding nutrients supplements? Or credible products as well? I know there are good products out there, but in an age where information has been corrupted/politicized/monetized its extremely hard to know what is authentic and what is phony.
Thank you for any help!
Nutritional misinformation is RAMPANT lately, and dominates search results. Honestly these days you should assume most things are misinformation until proven otherwise.
Sources like Harvard, Medline, Mayo Clinic, etc are USUALLY fairly reliable. Mainly just approach things with a very skeptical eye. It sounds like you do on this one topic, but it’s really applicable to any nutritional topic.
www.examine.com is a good resource for checking out different vitamins and minerals.
But honestly, I’d say as a first step - ask yourself why you think you need to supplement these things. If you’re worried you’re low in some sort of vitamin or mineral, go to your doctor and get a full blood panel done. Then you’ll know for sure. Otherwise, just aim for a diet with a wide variety of fruit, veggies, legumes, protein sources, healthy fats.
Dietitians agree that it is best to always get your nutrition first through real food. Supplement as needed to fill gaps.
If you feel as though you may have gaps, discussing this with your doctor would be a wise thing to do so they can verify if needed, with tests.
Supplements in general are costly, not to mention they don’t get the same manner of regulation as meds and food. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-101-dietary-supplements
While the FDA has Good Manufacturing Practices for companies, many of them do not test for safety and efficacy.
As such, it is always a good idea to do the following if you’re considering a supplement:
Check if a supplement has gone through third party testing (independent company not involved in production, marketing, sales) with NSF or U.S. Pharmacopeia. Consumer Labs also does independent testing but you have to pay to see their reports. These companies check to see if the content actually matches what’s stated on label as well as impurities in product that may be associated with adverse outcomes.
Discuss with your doctor or registered dietitian what supplements you’re on/intending to buy. Some ingredients in supplements and increased doses of certain nutrients could interact with medications you are on or impact your medical condition.
When it comes to general consumer nutrition info, I prefer sources like NIH consumer papers, USDA food & nutrition, Harvard Health and Healthline.
I would be very skeptical of things promoted on Tik Tok/social media. Yes, even if it’s a healthcare professional promoting said product. In general, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is, so ignore it. Better to spend the time and energy including more nutrient dense foods in the diet.
One thing you use to be able to get from water but has been stripped, is magnesium. I’d suggest a magnesium suppliment. (Over 50% of the population is deficient, look up symptoms of deficiency to see if you need it) I’ve heard Himalayan Salt also has trace minerals which is why it’s pink, maybe add that. I looked at those mineral drops and I wasn’t sold on their usefulness. Especially when i saw one that had chromium. I currently have over 600% of chromium in our tap water and we use a water filter to remove it because the amount in the water already is toxic. You might also check the local water report to see what is actually in your water. I did, and I immediately bought a hydroviv water filter.