While getting all your essential nutrients from natural foods is ideal, it may not be practical in today’s society and many people turn to vitamin pills to supplement their diets. Make no mistake about it however, vitamin supplements are big business and not all manufacturers have your best interests at heart.

There are thousands of supplements to choose from and consumers spend billions of dollars each year – many never get even a small fraction of their money’s worth.

How do you choose a vitamin supplement that won’t just go down the toilet?

There are 3 types of vitamin supplement delivery systems. Capsules, Liquid, and tablets. The trick is to pick one that dissolves properly and does not just “pass through” thus wasting your hard earned money.

The liquid would be the best, but unfortunately there are not many choices out on the market. Plus, the can be inconvenient and they taste like cough syrup. But, they are great if you can’t swallow pills and are good for kids as well.

Tablets are the most common form of vitamin supplement. They are made by mixing in an organic or inorganic cement and compressing them into shape. For the pills to dissolve properly, an organic cement should be used but this costs more and as you can imagine, many manufacturers skimp on this stel. There are also coated tablets that resemble little candy-coated M&M’s. These are very commonly found in the one a day cheap drug store vitamins.

Capsules are gelatin containers that dissolve quickly and in most cases the best choice. Because they’re not compressed like the tablets, you will typically have to take two of them to equal one tablet.

One important thing with vitamin supplements is that you want to make sure you absorb as much as possible, otherwise you are just wasting your money. Studies have shown that individual vitamin isolates found in supplements are only about 10% absorbed while vitamins directly from a fresh plant source are 77% to 93% absorbed. Minerals have an even lower absorption rate – 1% to 5%. But, from plants like raw broccoli, the minerals are 63% to 78% absorbable.

The reason for this difference in absorption is that in nature, each vitamin and mineral molecule is attached to a protein molecule. That’s why you must take your vitamin supplements with meals – unless stated otherwise on the label. During digestion, only about 10% of the vitamin and mineral molecules, aided by enzymes, will attach to the protein molecules found in your food allowing them to be absorbed and used by your cells. Without these accompanying proteins, the body will see the vitamin isolates as a foreign substance and filter it out. That’s why you might have noticed bright yellow urine after you take a vitamin – that’s your bodies way of getting rid of chemicals it thinks it can’t use.

When selecting a vitamin supplement, make sure it has adequate amounts of the vitamins and minerals you want. Remember only about 10% of what is in the supplement will be absorbed. Look for the BP (British Pharmacopoeia) or USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) designation on the label. You will find the USP or BP initials next the the vitamin and this designation means the vitamin isolates are of the highest quality and are easily dissolved in the digestion process.

When looking at the minerals section of the label, look for “chelate” or “chelated”. This indicates that the minerals are attached to protein prior to being added to the supplement. This increases absorption by 400% to 800%.

Look for a supplement with a “food base”. This is concentrated plant material to which the vitamins and minerals are added. Supplements with a food base will contain enzymes and nutrients that boost the absorption of the vitamins and minerals. This is probably the best type of vitamin you can buy but the tablets will be larger and you may have to take more of them.

Nutritional supplements can never take the place of food and should not be used as a crutch to supplement a poor diet. The best recipe for health is to eat a nutritious and healthy diet which can be supplement when necessary.

There has been a great deal of information and misinformation about Hoodia Gordonii circulating, sometimes educating, sometimes baffling and creating all sorts of avoidable frustrations and false starts in someone’s diet plan. In order to throw new light and chase away the countless pieces of fiction on Hoodia Gordonii that are flying around offline and online, I decided to present the essential facts of this amazing plant that has captured the world’s attention.

FAQs of Hoodia Gordonii:

Q: What is Hoodia Gordonii?
A: Hoodia Gordonii is a spiny, bitter, and succulent aloe plant that resembles a cactus which grows in the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa.

Q: Does Hoodia Gordonii really help to suppress one’s appetite?
A: Yes! For centuries Hoodia Gordonii has been used to reduce hunger by the Bushmen while on extended long travels through the desert or on hunting trips. It is also quenches one’s thirst and cures a case of severe abdominal cramps, indigestion, tuberculosis, diabetes, hemorrhoids, hypertension, and is a mood-enhancer and improves energy levels. But it’s becoming widely known as a natural appetite suppressant.

Q: Realistically, how much weight can I lose by taking Hoodia Gordonii?
A: That depends on each individual’s daily diet, metabolism, the frequency of exercise, and the bio-chemistry of the person’s body. Keep in mind that Hoodia Gordonii works to effectively suppress your appetite. If you indulge in late snacks and in between meals, hoodia can help you reduce those cravings, and together with regular exercise and a healthy diet, you can expect to experience significant weight loss in the long run.

Q: How does Hoodia Gordonii prevent me from wanting to eat?
A: Hoodia Gordonii fools your brain by making it believe that you have already eaten when you haven’t. In addition, you will feel full.

Q: About how fast will I experience results?
A: Hoodia Gordonii may work immediately or it may take days. As demonstrated in tests in Leicester, England, when volunteers consumed 400mg of a pure brand of Hoodia 3-4 times a day, it helped cut daily caloric consumption by 1,000 calories. Know that everyone’s body is different, and thus, some people will require more time in order for their body to build up the active ingredient in Hoodia. It’s a good idea to continue taking Hoodia for no less than two weeks in order to experience positive results. Also, it absolutely helps to use a trusted brand that offers the purest form of Hoodia Gordonii. Otherwise, you will not have favorable experiences using an inferior brand of Hoodia. (In the resource box I tell you how you can find a brand you can trust.)

Q: How should I take Hoodia Gordonii?
A: For absolute best results, drink an eight-ounce glass of water when taking Hoodia, one capsule, 30 minutes before meals.

Q: How much Hoodia Gordonii should I take to experience sure success?
A: Most people are finding success with Hoodia when they take 2 capsules of 400mg daily, 30 minutes prior to meals with 8 ounces of water. It’s highly recommended to take either one 750mg in the morning and another one in the afternoon, or two 400mg capsules in the morning and another two 400mg capsules in the afternoon prior to the dinner meal. These dosages guarantee you a higher possibility of successful results when taking pure 100% Hoodia, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly.

Q: How safe is Hoodia Gordonii? What are the side effects?
A: Hoodia Gordonii is 100% natural. Both the San people (who have been using the plant for thousands of years) and scientists have confirmed that there are no side effects associated with Hoodia Gordonii. In fact, in South Africa, Hoodia is identified as a food, not as a drug.

Q: What are some of the most noticeable results when taking Hoodia Gordonii?
A: High on the list of results are: a diminished interest in food, a longer delay in the normal time frame after eating before hunger sets in once more, feeling of fullness for a longer period, and an overall feeling of optimal health.

Q: Is Hoodia Gordonii a stimulant?
A: Hoodia Gordonii is not a stimulant like caffeine.

Q: What about those ads boasting of selling pure Hoodia at bargain prices?
A: Today there are literally hundreds of Hoodia Gordonii resellers claiming to have the 100% pure stuff, when in reality, most of them are selling inferior or adulterated brands from 40 to 70% less than resellers who are selling the genuine Hoodia. It’s little wonder how such resellers can afford to sell the “pure Hoodia” at those low prices! Why? They’re usually not the pure stuff! Many resellers are selling brands that not only contain an inferior Hoodia, but other ingredients like Aloe. Beware! Choose very wisely from which vendor you buy your next or first order of Hoodia.

Q: So how can I know the dishonest supplement vendors from the reputable ones that are actually selling the authentic 100% pure Hoodia Gordonii?
A: Visit the site in the resource box and you will soon know which vendors you can fully trust to sell you the strongest, purest, and fastest-acting Hoodia Gordonii.

The B5 vitamin is also known as Pantothenic Acid. The B5 vitamin is the most prolific of all the vitamins and is found in every type of food. In fact, it is impossible for a person to consume less B5 vitamin than they need. That means that there is no little possibility that a person can have a B5 vitamin deficiency. For this reason, there is actually no recommended daily amount that health professionals can state as everyone obtains more than enough from their normal food consumption. However, even though there is no need to calculate a recommended daily allowance it does not mean that the B5 vitamin is not vital for a healthy body and mind. In fact, the B5 vitamin is essential for turning food into energy amongst other functions. The B5 vitamin is responsible for taking the fats and carbohydrates into energy.

Some B5 vitamin can be found in almost every food whether it is animal or vegetable. Obviously there are some sources of the B5 vitamin that are better than others but a balanced diet will provide more than enough. The foods with the highest B5 vitamin content are organ meats, salmon, eggs, beans, milk, and whole grains. It is worth noting that the B5 vitamin is lost when grains are milled into flour and tends not to beaded back in. Therefore, processed grain foods such as bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, and baked goods are not good sources of the B5 vitamin.

The B5 vitamin is the most effective when it is combined with other B vitamins especially thiamin or B1, riboflavin or B2, niacin or B3, pyridoxine or B6, and biotin. Along with these other B vitamins, the B5 vitamin is an integral part in a number of processes. The most important of these is the production of energy from food that is consumed and this is known as the Kreb’s cycle. The B5 vitamin is also required for releasing energy from fats.

Interestingly, the B5 vitamin is also considered to be helpful in reducing stress. This is chiefly due to the fact that during periods of stress, the body produces more of certain hormones such as adrenalin and these require the B5 vitamin. There are many theories as to the benefits of the B5 vitamin but there is no need for the majority of people to actively seek out foods that are high in B5 as they are likely to be consuming far more than is needed already. There are no adverse effects to consuming too much B5 vitamin.