Without sugarcoating things, a lot of information is out there about nutritional supplements, both good and bad. It is safe to say that much of it revolves around their benefits, which is perhaps why you are reading this! Now, natural supplements are more preferred compared to their synthetic counterparts because they are presumed to be safer and much less associated with unpleasant effects.

Nonetheless, not all natural supplements out there are alike in terms of what they do, what they are made from, how they are made, and so forth. This makes it crucial to be careful about what you pick when out there shopping. Are you looking to boost your health using a natural supplement? Here are some common mistakes to avoid when choosing one.

1. Not Considering Your Goals

Each and every natural supplement formulation is created with a specific set of ingredients to help provide a certain health benefit. While some are designed to improve digestive health, others are formulated to help with mental health, offer joint support, or improve sexual function.

Picking a supplement just because it is vitamin-based or mineral-based without reading the ingredients list can be catastrophic to your health. Before you make your pick, it is important to consider your goals and determine what the specific supplement is designed for.

2. Buying Synthetic

This might sound a little obvious, but the importance of the word natural can’t be stressed enough. Natural, real-food ingredients are easier for our bodies to process because they are biologically programmed that way. Before picking a supplement believing that it is natural, it pays to go deeper and read the label to make sure the ingredients are indeed naturally sourced without artificial sweeteners or synthetic additives.

3. Overlooking Provider Transparency

As earlier hinted, it also matters where a supplement’s ingredients are sourced from. If you are purchasing natural supplements online, the provider should have a clear explanation of how and where they source their ingredients, alongside quality information regarding their products. A good example is the Cira Nutrition website, where they vividly highlight their products, what they do, and how they have benefited other people. Transparency is crucial when picking a provider for natural supplements.

4. Not Looking for a Verification Mark

One of the reasons loopholes exist in the nutritional supplement industry is that supplements aren’t regulated the same way as drugs and food by the FDA. This is why consumers are always at risk of purchasing fake and substandard products in the market.

Given this risk, it is safer to utilize third-party regulators like the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), an independent NPO that tests and approves supplements as safe for public use in the US. A USP verified mark on the bottle should be an indication that the dietary supplement has been tested and approved for the intended purpose. The organization also checks to verify that the said supplement is free from any harmful chemicals or contaminants.

5. Not Checking the Expiry Dates

Like anything else, supplements also have a definite shelf-life, meaning they have an expiration date. Moreover, most of them will have indications on how they should be stored to keep them fresh and in good condition. You never know what an expired supplement could do to your health, so failing to look could be among the worst mistakes.

6. Using Supplements to Substitute Proper Diet

Finally, supplements get their name from their function. They are meant to supplement your body with nutrients that you may not be getting adequately from your diet! Therefore, you cannot use supplements to fix unhealthy nutritional habits. The ills of a poor diet cannot be addressed by simply taking a multivitamin, probiotic, or another nutritional supplement. However beneficial these dietary additions are, they can never replace the importance of nutritious foods.

There are many kinds of dietary supplements. Some of them are made purely from natural ingredients and designed to provide specific benefits to the human body. When choosing one, the above are some of the mistakes you should avoid at all costs.