I never thought there was any difference in the vitamins that are for sale at Wal-Mart or Publix as opposed to a health food store or nutrition store.  When I was having some hormonal issues, I went to see a nutritionist for some insight on what foods to avoid, what foods to eat, etc.  One thing that she harped on was the importance of purchasing good vitamins – not the ones you can get at Wal-Mart, Target, or the grocery store.  I asked what brand she recommended so I would know if I was in a store that had “good” vitamins.  She suggested Solaray.  I went to my local health food store and found that they had a whole lot of different vitamins by Solaray.  Once I started taking them, I really started to notice a difference.  The more I’ve learned, the more I started branching out to other brands based on price and availability.

The one thing I’ve learned – you MUST read the labels!  On the left is a bottle of Folic Acid purchased from the health food store and on the right is a bottle purchased at Wal-Mart.  They are both Folic Acid and 800 mcg per tablet.  Yet look how different the “Other ingredients” are.

The nutritionist said that many store bought vitamins, such as the one listed on the right, contain a lot of fillers.  If you’re looking to consume a particular vitamin due to a deficiency, you don’t necessarily want or need those extra additives.

Just something to make yourself aware of the next time you buy your vitamins.  I’ve recently started purchasing my vitamins from LuckyVitamin.com.  After my second purchase (both of which combined were less than $100), I got a gift certificate from them for $10 off an order of $25.  I was impressed!  That’s a pretty nice treat   I guess it ensures I’ll be making another purchase before it expires at the end of the month.