STANDARD GUIDELINES WHEN BUYING SUPPLEMENTS:
if the labels for example on a bottle of Vitamin E lists "Vitamin E" but does not say where it's from--or doesn't list it's scientific name like D-Alpha Tocopheryl, then u can assume it's synthetic.
Results are what matter, so if you're taking a supplement for a while and aren't getting any results (though things like Glucosamine, Magnesium, and MSM take a while for results), I'd suggest changing to a different brand and experiment. Just because a supplement works for me, doesn't necessarily always mean it'll work for you..
Also, I found it's particularly cheaper (in the long run) in most cases to get things separately, but if you guys find a good and cheap blend of multi-vitamins and/or herbs lemme know and i'll check it out (~_^)
Grading Criteria:
1)Quality
2)Price
3)Reputation
GOOD & REPUTABLE BRANDS
Tropical Traditions
simply the best place to get Virgin Coconut Oil in BULK on the internet
Garden of Life
every product i've seen made by these guys look EXCELLENT in terms of quality! the only thing about them though are that their prices tend to be very HIGH. If money isn't an issue, You can't go wrong with Garden of life.
Nature's Way
a very Excellent brand as well, they have almost every known herb in capsule form... and every product i've seen from them are quality so i assume all their products are also.
Country Life
Most every mineral supplement they sell is chelated and very good quality. Most of it is also very cheap (at vitacost.com) and all their products come in glass containers (protects supplements better than plastic)
NSI (Vitacost.com brand)
an excellent brand if you know what you're looking for.. their extracts are of the highest concentrations i've ever seen (i.e. their Green Tea extract is 98% polyphenols, 80% catechins, and 45% EGCG!).. they're also VERY cheap!!--sometimes ^_^
Source Naturals
Very good if you know what you're looking for
Natrol
My image of Natrol is like a more expensive version of Source Naturals.
Puritan's Pride
HOLY SHIT!! they sometimes run these incredible 3 for 1 sales... they're the cheapest source on the net that i've ever seen in my life (when they do the 3 for 1 sales)... but they're good ONLY if you know what you're looking for.. ~_^
Optimum Nutrition
The thing i like about these guys are that they're one of the few brands in sports nutrition that offer ALL-NATURAL products with no artificial/chemical sweeteners.. plus their reasonable price range are reasons enough for a thumbs up here! (Sidenote: not ALL their products are all-natural, so be sure to double-check!!)
Alacer
Makers of the ever-popular Emer'Gen-C fizzy energy booster vitamin C drink with b-vitamins and electrolytes.. boosting energy, fighting colds, fighting hangovers, fighting dehydration... it's simply one of the best vitamin C supplements ever made! ^_^
The Vitamin Shoppe Brand
It seems like they copy good formulas from other good brands so they are great quality-wise. Price-wise they are good too, and as long as u know what u're looking for, the Vitamin Shoppe brand is a good choice! ^_^
1Fast400 (BulkNutrition.com Brand)
Excellent quality stuff for cheap bulk prices!
Planetary Formulas
They have excellent quality herbs and great formulas... they even have herbs in potent liquid tincture form if u guys don't like swallowing pills.
Pacific Health Labs
Makers of Accelerade and Endurox, reputable and good quality.. recommended by Madmick
OKAY BRANDS:
NOW Brand
NOW brand is not the best as far as quality standards go.
This is from a nutritional supplement standpoint and not a sport supplement point of view. They're marketed towards the elderly on a fixed income. --quoted from Chad
Generally it's a matter of them using ingredients that aren't up to par with other better brands, quality-wise. However, there's nothing wrong with their products.. and some are actually very good especially for the price!
FutureBiotics
These guys make some pretty good stuff and they use glass containers HOWEVER, these guys get you with the dosage and price. for example a bottle could be 375 tablets for $20 and you'd think "wow, what a deal!--and that'll last me a while!"--but then u see the serving size daily is 10 which lasts only about a 1.4 months!... -_-;;
Solgar
I like to think of Solgar as a more expensive version of Country Life as all containers are glass as well--i recently learned they sold themselves out to Centrum, so that lowers their rep a little
TwinLab
According to Valgarv: They have a higher price tag than competitors and are known for "watering down" their products.
MuscleTech
There's nothing wrong with the quality of their powders and formulas.. some are actually pretty good, however their products are EXTREMELY overpriced 2x, sometimes 3x more than they *should* be. this brand is great for draining ur wallet!.. They also use artificial flavors & sweeteners and their flavors still suck!
Xyience
Same review as MuscleTech... however, i've never tried it so i don't know if "The extreme blue raspberry flavor in NOXCG3 will blow your mind" quote is accurate..
CytoSport
Great quality stuff at a good price.. they also have a reputation for delivering delicious taste and flavor in their powders. Their Muscle Milk is easily mixable IMO and overall they have great formulas. The only gripe i have about them though, is that they use artificial flavors and sweeteners. (sidenote: Acesulfame Potassium(K) is in nearly ALL their powders!! this keeps them from entering the "good brands" section)
All The Whey
Good quality and THE CHEAPEST bulk prices i've ever come across.. the only downside is their use of SPLENDA in all of their protein powders .. i think this goes inbetween good and okay as their prices bump up their ranking quite considerably
Udo's Choice
recommended by berardi
Kirkland Signature (Costco Brand)
The most common product i see in almost every house i visit, is Costco brand Vitamin E... unfortunately their vitamin E is synthetic.. also when looking at the ingredients in other products like their vitamin C and their multi's.. i see a lot of them having partially hydrogenated oils in them.. and they now use SPLENDA as their sweetener.. which isn't as bad aspartame, but it's still bad nonetheless!.. however, their fish oil is excellent, and i've been using it for many years with great results!
BAD BRANDS:
Generally stay away from these brands unless you know EXACTLY what you're looking for and find their product to be sufficient for what you want.
EAS
Most all their powders have a both Ace K and Splenda in it. plus they also use synthetic vitamins in their formulas and they are a little pricey. The only thing they rate excellent in is the taste. however, i don't think it's worth the extra money and the fact that they use 2 artificial sweeteners.
EXTREMELY BAD!!
Nature Made (@ Costco & Sav-On)
they sell synthetic beta-carotene, synthetic MSM, synthetic melatonin, synthetic vitamin E (in addition to natural), Inorganic magnesium (OXIDE), Inorganic Iron (ferrous sulfate which is
bad for you), Inorganic Zinc, and they claim on their website that there's no difference in absorption between "chelated" and non-chelated (inorganic) minerals.. WTF?!
their lecithin is 100 percent natural, and it has 400 capsules.. however the capsules are SO TINY you'll have to take like 6-10 a day to get a decent dose.
They're branch off brand "Nature's Resource" specializes in herbs, and since you can't make synthetic or inorganic herbs, that brand looks okay to me, though i think they are a little expensive--Nature's Way is the best brand to choose for cheap quality herbs anyway..
if you have anything u wana ask, discuss or contribute. feel free
Supplement Brand REVIEWS! & Guidelines
